October 23, 2019
On October 17, 2019, the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) reached a Brexit deal. The Withdrawal Agreement was officially published on October 21, 2019. The UK Parliament began to debate the Withdrawal Agreement today (October 22nd) and has already voted against the Prime Minister's rapid ...
October 9, 2019
On October 7, 2019, New Zealand implemented significant changes to the Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa Program. For all new applications received after this date, the minimum salary needed for the Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa will increase from NZD $55,000 to NZD $79,560 per year, reflecting ...
September 25, 2019
The UK government has opened up a new type of Post-Study Work Visa to international students in hopes of recruiting and retaining successful global talent into the country. International students who have a valid immigration status and have completed a course of study at an undergraduate level ...
September 11, 2019
The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business (“The Department”) has begun its annual review of the Skilled Migration Occupation Lists. The Department will meet with interested stakeholders, industries, and groups in Australia to learn about local labor markets and skill shortages. The ‘Traffic Light Bulletin’ ...
September 3, 2019
Last week, new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson advised Her Majesty the Queen to prorogue the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This has brought to an end the longest parliamentary session (sitting of the same Parliament) since the English Civil War. Parliament ...
August 28, 2019
Beginning on November 1, 2019, non-resident foreign nationals wishing to join their Irish partners in Ireland for a period longer than 3 months, must apply for immigration preclearance before traveling to Ireland. Officials have emphasized that in-country applications will not be accepted. Officials have also announced ...
August 28, 2019
On August 19, 2019, the UK Home Office published a fact sheet to dispel some media reports related to the rights of EU citizens residing in the UK after Brexit. The Home Office confirmed that EU citizen residents will not be left in “legal limbo” as ...
August 27, 2019
In this bonus episode, we continue our conversation with Dany Bahar of the Brookings Institution, and this time focus on Venezuela. In a time of civil unrest and economic distress, between 4-6 million Venezuelans — nearly 20% of the population — have fled the country. ...
August 14, 2019
On August 1, 2019, The Ministry of Public Security implemented new immigration policies aimed to attract highly-skilled foreign talent and outstanding youth to study and work in China. These new policies will facilitate the process for foreigners to apply for permanent residency, long-term visas, and residence permits ...
August 9, 2019
Boris Johnson is the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and carries the weight of the entire country, and holds the keys to its Brexit destiny. Is Johnson a Man of the People or a product of the Institution? Erickson Immigration Group legal writer ...
July 31, 2019
On July 9, 2019, the Irish Ministry for Business, Enterprise, and Innovation issued the Employment Permits (Amendment)(No. 2) Regulations 2019 which modified work permit regulations. Beginning January 1, 2020, the minimum salary threshold for Critical Skills Employment Permits (CSEP) will increase from 30,000 EUR to 32,000 EUR ...
July 31, 2019
On July 17, 2019, the Irish High Court ruled that a person applying to become a naturalized Irish citizen must have one year of “continuous” residence in Ireland immediately before filing the naturalization application. The High Court interpreted “continuous” to strictly mean “unbroken” with no absences for an ...
July 24, 2019
On Wednesday, July 24, USCIS announced significant changes that would be forthcoming for the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. From USCIS, the new rule would include the following: Raising the minimum investment amounts from $1 million to $1.8 million, with an automatic adjustment for inflation every ...
July 17, 2019
Under a draft plan reportedly approved by President Vladimir Putin, Russia plans to expand its e-visa program starting on January 1, 2021. The list of countries whose citizens will be eligible to apply for the e-visa will be confirmed by the government separately. The list most likely will include ...
July 2, 2019
The Home Office published details on the new immigration and border system it will likely implement at the beginning of 2021. Some of the proposals include eliminating the annual cap of visas issued for skilled workers and the Resident Labor Market Test for high-skilled workers. This new ...
June 26, 2019
In advance of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to New Delhi, there are reports of a possible cap on H-1B visas for nations that force foreign companies to store data locally. Such a restriction would directly impact Indian H-1B applicants to the United ...
June 18, 2019
On May 31, 2019, the Philippines Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) released Memorandum Order No. 28-2019, which prescribes the policies and guidelines relevant to the registration requirements of foreign nationals. All foreign nationals working in the Philippines are now required to obtain a tax identification number (TIN) with ...
June 14, 2019
In this week's Immigration Nerds podcast, EIG legal writer Kahn T. Branch previews the summer of Brexit. We discuss Theresa May's resignation and the election of a new prime minister, the deal or no deal Brexit options, and the EU Summit.
June 5, 2019
U.S. citizens hoping to travel to Cuba now face new restrictions for their plans. On Tuesday, the Trump Administration introduced a ban on what are referred to as "people to people" trips to the island, banning many forms of educational and recreational trips. The "people to ...
June 5, 2019
Taiwan has legalized same-sex marriage. This came after Taiwan’s constitutional court held that same-sex marriage should be legalized back in 2017. The court’s decision caused a cascading effect amongst the public as many people pressured the government to hold referendums on the issue. The effect of ...
June 5, 2019
UK’s Migrant Advisory Committee (MAC) has reviewed the Shortage Occupation List and has recommended broadening the list to include roles related to Software Development, Programmers, Web Designers, Veterinarians, Health Workers, and Architects, among others. Foreign nationals in recognized shortage occupations can enter the UK more quickly compared to ...
May 24, 2019
On Friday, May 24, UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation saying: "I will shortly leave the job that it has been the honour of my life to hold. The second female prime minister, but certainly not the last. I do so with no ...
May 22, 2019
Effective May 27, 2019, the Essential Skills in Demand (ESID) lists will be changed. A new Regional Skill Shortage List (RSSL) will be introduced to replace the current Immediate Skill Shortage List. The RSSL will be tailored to each of New Zealand's 15 regions. The Ministry of Business, ...
May 22, 2019
The Saudi Arabia government has approved a new special residence scheme, similar to the green card program, to attract affluent and highly-skilled foreign nationals. The new plan will allow holders to work, obtain visas for relatives, own property, and leave and re-enter the country without an ...
May 22, 2019
The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) announced a new six-month multiple entry visa for investors, entrepreneurs, and outstanding students. According to the director-general of Foreigners Affairs and Ports at ICA, the six-month visa is meant to facilitate residency visas to foreign nationals from different professional ...
May 8, 2019
The Philippines government released new joint immigration guidelines that will add additional requirements to the Special Work Permit (SWP), Provisional Work Permit (PWP), and Alien Employment Permits (AEP). The guidelines specify that SWP will only be issued to foreign nationals without a local employment contract. The PWP ...
May 8, 2019
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has announced that during the month of Ramadan (May 6- June 4) the ministries and federal entities will operate from 9 am to 2 pm. The UAE government has also announced that the private sector will reduce their work hours by ...
May 8, 2019
The Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) announced delays in processing times for some streams of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program due to a high number of Labour Market Impact Assessment applications (LMIA). The ESDC recommends the following to reduce further delay: (1) ensure the ...
April 23, 2019
The Immigration Department of Malaysia has announced new fees and service charges for Employment Pass, Professional Visit Pass, Dependent pass and Long-Term Social Visit Pass applications effective June 1, 2019. Applications fees for Employment Passes will increase from 318 RM to 1060 RM. DP/Long Term Visit Pass will ...
April 23, 2019
The Irish government recently announced the abolition of re-entry visa requirements effective May 13, 2019. Visa-required nationals who currently have a valid Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card (or its precursor, the GNIB card) will no longer need a visa to exit and return to Ireland. IRP holders will ...