U.S. Immigration Alerts

Vietnam – Immigration Alert – New Decree No. 25: Transfer of Tasks and Responsibilities to the Ministry of Home Affairs

Vietnam government just released decree No. 25/2025/NĐ-CP regulating the Functions, Tasks, Powers, and Organizational Structure of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA. The decree will take effect on March 1, and as anticipated, the MHA will assume responsibility for managing foreign nationals working in Vietnam, currently under the Ministry of Labor Invalids and Social Affairs.

Background:

 In December 2024, Vietnam announced a comprehensive plan to streamline its political structures, including significant restructuring and reform of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) bodies, the National Assembly, state apparatus, government agencies and mass organizations. Under the announced plans, all ministries and ministerial-level agencies will undergo internal organizational reforms or be restructured and merged

The Government reduced:

• 5 out of 18 ministries including MOLISA which is being dissolved
• 12 out of 13 general departments
• 500 departments under ministries and general departments
• 177 offices under ministries and government agencies, and
• 190 public service units under ministries and affiliated agencies.

The key points of the decree that are relevant to us are:

• The MHO will be responsible for submitting draft laws and resolutions to the Government and National Assembly, draft decisions and programs to the Prime Minister, and issues regulatory documents within its management scope including the regulations on the management of foreigners working in Vietnam (work Permit)
• The new organizational structure of the MHA consists of 22 departments including a department of employment as well as a department of Foreign Labor Management.
• The new decree formalizes the change of duties and responsibilities from MOLISA to MHA, among others, however it includes only a brief section on employment-related matters, as outlined below (point 12):

The Ministry of Home Affairs shall perform the following tasks and exercise the following powers:

12. Regarding the field of employment:
13. a) Guide and organize the implementation of legal regulations on employment; unemployment insurance; recruitment and management of Vietnamese workers; unifiedmanagement of foreign workers working in Vietnam;
14. b) Guide and organize the collection, storage, synthesis, analysis, forecasting, and publication of labor market information within the industry and assigned field, excluding labor market information under the national statistical indicator system; issue regulations on management, exploitation, use, and dissemination of labor market information;
15. c) Guide the implementation of legal regulations on the organization and operation of employment services; guide the management and use of the National Employment Fund in accordance with legal regulations.

We expect additional notice and official letters at provincial level regarding the transition of tasks and responsibilities from the provincial DOLISAs to the DHAs during the transition.

South Korea

Beginning February 24, 2025, the Electronic Entry Declaration System will be implemented.  Passengers will no longer need to submit a paper entry declaration form to the immigration officer; instead, they can complete and submit it online in advance. (However, the paper entry declaration form will still be available for use until December 2025.) Additionally, as of February 26, there have been changes to the list of countries subject to Q-Code requirements.

Mandatory Submission of the Electronic Entry Declaration Form

In principle, all foreign nationals entering Korea must submit an entry declaration form (Electronic Entry Declaration Form).

Exceptions: The following individuals are exempt from submission

1. Foreign nationals who have completed foreigner registration in Korea (including permanent residents and registered domestic residents).
2. Foreign nationals holding a valid K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization).

e-Arrival Card

The Republic of Korea e-Arrival card system will also be implemented. Travelers can fill out and submit the entry declaration form online in advance through the e-Arrival card website, starting from 3 days before arrival in Korea.

Those who are required to submit the e-Arrival card are the same as those who are required to submit the paper declaration form. Travelers can choose to submit either the paper or electronic declaration form. Both paper and electronic entry declaration will be accepted until December 2025.

All foreign nationals entering the Republic of Korea are required to submit the entry declaration form.

However, the following individuals are exempted from submitting the entry declaration form.

• Registered residents in Korea (including permanent residents, those who reported their domestic residence)
• Foreign national holding a valid K-ETA
• Group tourists (C-3-2) : group tourist e-visa holders from China·Vietnam·Philippines·Indonesia, and group tourist visa holders from India·Cambodia (issued by overseas diplomatic missions)
• Visa-free entry for transfer passenger (B-2, 15D) : Jeju transfer Chinese group tourists, Chinese group tourists with Japanese group visa, Chinese students’ field trip group
• Airline crew members, etc.

Q Code

Individuals who have visited (or stayed in or transited through) strict quarantine inspection required area must submit either the Q-CODE or a health declaration form upon entering South Korea.

Strict quarantine inspection required area (from February 26, 2025)

• Asia (2): Cambodia, China (Guangdong Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sichuan Province, Jiangxi Province, Zhejiang Province, Fujian Province, Hunan Province)
• Middle East (13): Lebanon, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Qatar, Kuwait
• Africa (2): Madagascar, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Americas (2): United States (Minnesota, Michigan, Washington, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania), Mexico

Please reach out to an immigration specialist if you require more information.

Can you add this as a follow up to the below announcement?  Maybe including a link to the previous one? Vietnam

Further to our prior announcement, below are updates on the upcoming changes:

• With the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) taking over from DOLISAs, new application forms should be address the DHA instead of DOLISA for submission.
• DOLISA one-stop service counters were relocated to a Branch of the City’s Public Administration Service Center.
• In HCMC: Job Position Approval (JPA) and Work Permit exemption Certificate (WPEC) applications no longer require physical application dossiers after the online submission. JPA results will be provided electronically with a digital signature via the Online System, eliminating the need for a physical visit to receive a paper version. For WPEC, organizations will receive an e-certificate online and a paper version at the one-stop-service counter which must be collected during their scheduled appointment. If the WPEC is not collected within 30 days, the DHA will revoke it. The regular work permit application still requires online submission followed by the submission of physical documents. This has not been announced in Hanoi.
• The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) remains unchanged but will take over the state management responsibilities for Judicial record and providing public services for receiving applications and issuing PCC from Ministry of Justice. The processing of PCC submissions for foreigners residing in Vietnam is now managed by the City Police and the authority in Hanoi has verbally confirmed today that they are currently working to finalize the MPS Portal for receiving PCC applications online. This process may take a few of days. They advise waiting until the portal is successfully upgraded, allowing foreigners to submit their PCC applications online without any fee. However, for urgent or emergency cases, the authorities also accept applications in person at the City Police department. The applicant’s presence is required for physical submissions, which incur a fee of 200,000 VNĐ. Currently, due to a high volume of in-person applications, the wait time for a submission slot can be several hours. The authority advised us to bring all the related documents for the submission as it was in the past so we expect no change to the process at least until further notice.

Others:

• Beside this significant government restructuring starting from March 1, mergers of provinces and cities are expected to occur toward the end of the year/beginning of next year. Proposals to politburo shall be made by Q3 2025.
• Short-term disruptions and delays may occur due to changes of decision-making processes and changes in personnel/ key focal point of contact.
• Although another main goal of this reform is to streamline decision-making processes, and enhance the delivery of public services, we shall expect some bureaucratic resistance especially in the first few months.

Overall we expect little to no change in the requirements and hopefully to the processing time as well. At the date of today no other changes have been communicated besides the change of places for submission and collection.

Please reach out to an immigration specialist for more information.

Important Immigration Update: Transition to eVisa

The UK government is working towards creating a fully digital immigration system, and as part of this initiative, the eVisa system was introduced last year. This means that physical immigration documents are gradually being phased out, and most migrants in the UK with valid immigration status will now receive proof of their status digitally through the eVisa.

Extension of the Grace Period

To ensure a smooth transition for everyone, the Home Office has extended the grace period announced in December 2024. The new deadline for the grace period is now June 1, 2025, instead of March 31, 2025.

This extension applies to individuals with an expired biometric residence permit (BRP) or EUSS biometric residence card (BRC), as long as their immigration status remains valid. These individuals will be able to use their expired documents for international travel until June 1, 2025.

After June 2, 2025, expired BRPs and EUSS BRCs will no longer be accepted as proof of immigration status for travel to the UK. This policy will be periodically reviewed.

How to Access Your eVisa

Your eVisa is a digital record of your immigration status, including the conditions of your stay or permission to enter the UK. To access your eVisa, you will need to create a UKVI account. This will allow you to view and share details about your immigration status, such as your right to work or rent in the UK.  If you still have a valid or expired BRP, you can use it to create your UKVI account and access your eVisa.

Travelling with an eVisa

Travelling with an eVisa will make your international journeys simpler and more efficient, as your immigration status can be quickly verified at the border.

Your eVisa will be linked to your passport within your UKVI account. It’s crucial to keep your passport or ID card information up-to-date in your UKVI account and notify the Home Office of any changes. This ensures that your immigration status can be easily confirmed when you arrive in the UK.

Make sure to update your details well before you travel. If your information is incorrect, you may experience delays or be denied boarding by carriers. While the eVisa is digital, you will still need to carry your current passport with you during travel.

Assistance with Your eVisa

If you haven’t yet transitioned to an eVisa, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible to ensure you can continue to prove your immigration status in the UK. The process is free and easy, and assistance is available to help both visa holders and employers remain compliant with the new system. For detailed guidance, please visit the official UK government website.