Effective January 20, 2021 VAC centers in India are accepting biometric enrollment for applicants who have submitted student and work permit applications. VAC centers had reopened for biometric enrollment in November, but due to large demand were restricting appointments to prioritized categories: family class applicants and those with humanitarian considerations. This reopening means that the… Read more »
Switzerland and the United Kingdom have secured an agreement on services. The Service Mobility Agreement (SMA), which was signed on December 14, 2020 and entered into force from January 1, 2021, will be valid initially for two years. It allows service suppliers, such as management consultants, IT experts or engineers, to continue travelling freely between Switzerland… Read more »
The Final Rule regarding Weighting of Prevailing Wages (PW) for immigrant work visas was announced in the Federal Register on January 14, 2021 and affects PW Requests starting on July 1, 2021. Although the Biden Administration has not yet withdrawn this Rule, the White House announced that Trump era policies are fair game and under… Read more »
Starting January 7, 2021, anyone flying to Canada from another country, aged 5 and older, will be required to provide written or electronic documentation showing they received a negative result from a COVID-19 test conducted within 72 hours prior to their scheduled boarding. The test must be performed using a COVID-19 molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Persons… Read more »
2020 started off tough for Express Entry hopefuls as Coronavirus travel restrictions forced IRCC to restrict the pool of candidates to only those already present in Canada, and thereby cutting off a large number of highly qualified individuals. For a number of months, only candidates in the Canadian Experience Class or those with Provincial Nominations… Read more »
Most countries had a rough start to 2020 and Canada was no exception. As early as March, the Government issued special orders under the Quarantine Act which greatly restricted travel to and from Canada, allowing only Canadian citizens and permanent residents, their immediate family members, and a very restricted group of essential workers to enter… Read more »
Since 2005, when the PERM Rule went into effect, employers have been informed by the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) that adequate recruitment for U.S. workers requires two Sunday ads in a newspaper of large circulation and a thirty-day job order in the state workforce agency. Some positions require three extra recruitment steps if… Read more »
As a result of recent federal litigation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Trump Administration’s efforts to protect U.S. workers and wages, there have been several U.S. immigration developments. This writing will provide an update of some of these recent U.S. immigration developments and the potential impact on U.S. employers and foreign nationals. U.S. District Court… Read more »
As part of new initiatives intended to counteract delays imposed by anti-coronavirus measures, Canada’s immigration minister, Marco Mendicino, has announced that IRCC will be enabling permanent resident landings via online portal. Previously, these landings required an in-person interview, at which new permanent residents were required to confirm they are in Canada, confirm their address, and… Read more »
DHS Rescinds Public Charge Rule, Withdraws Appeals of Injunctions Blocking It The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rescinded regulations resulting from a final rule issued in August 2019 that was vacated by a federal district court. Under the now-rescinded rule, the government could deny applications for green cards, temporary nonimmigrant status, and naturalization if the… Read more »
Our team is eager to help your organization navigate the complexities of immigration law & relieve any visa processing frustrations that you are experiencing.
