Recent media reports indicate the U.S. is quickly losing its place as the top destination for global talent. Economically vital areas such as California’s Silicon Valley, the heart of America’s IT industry, report a growing “brain drain” of skilled talent outside of the United States.1 Organizations like the American Management Association have reported that on… Read more »
The New Zealand government has proposed significant changes to the employer-assisted work visa framework which, if implemented, will affect all New Zealand employers supporting work visa applications and all individuals applying for employer-supported work visas. What are the proposed changes? Gateway Framework A “gateway framework” is set to replace all employer-supported work visa categories. Three… Read more »
The Migration Office has enacted Circular N29, which requires foreign nationals in Chile to obtain prior authorization before departing Chile if they have a pending new or renewal visa or residence application in process. The Migration Office enacted this change as a response to the numerous complaints from immigration attorneys and other organizations regarding the… Read more »
On September 11, 2019, the Belgian Council of State annulled two Royal Decrees that lay down the payment of an administrative fee (the first of 16 February 2015 that introduced the administrative fee and the second of 14 February 2017 that raised the fee amount). The levy can be reimbursed (215 € for employee, 160… Read more »
Effective October 28, 2019, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has approved new regulations and a new form for address registration. New Form The form now includes a field confirming the right to use the premises. New Regulations In case of refusal of the address registration documents, an official of the MIA or an employee… Read more »
Effective January 1, 2020, the minimum qualifying salary for the S Pass will be increased from SGD 2300 to SGD 2400. Further Details Existing S Passes expiring beforeJanuary 1, 2020 can be renewed based on the pre-2020 salary requirement. Existing S Passes expiring betweenJanuary 1 and June 30, 2020 can be renewed for up to… Read more »
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced a targeted review of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) job classification system, which has moved some lower-skilled occupations over to the medium skilled occupation group. This is a positive update for employers looking to hire individuals working in the impacted occupations, listed below. INZ… Read more »
The German authorities have published current waiting times for visa appointments at the various German missions around India. Waiting times vary drastically depending on the mission and the visa type: Visa appointments for degree-levelstudents take between 48 hours (Chennai) and 6 months (New Delhi); Visa appointments for employment(with prior ZAV approval) take between 24 hours… Read more »
Effective November 20, 2019, companies that are registered with the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) can start to apply for their 2020 Foreign Knowledge Worker (FKW) projection for Employment Passes (EP) and Professional Visit Passes (PVP). Companies that intend to employ foreign nationals in Malaysia in 2020 must have the projection approved before any EP or… Read more »
Previously, if a South Korean company’s tax payments were unsettled, they were given a verbal warning, though the visa would still be processed. Effective November 18, 2019, the authorities will no longer process a foreign national’s VIN and/or ARC extension until the host companies tax payments are up to date. Submissions must now include the… Read more »
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