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 ...
April 23, 2019
Japan is preparing for Golden Week, a collection of four national holidays beginning April 29, 2-19 with festivities continuing through May 6, 2019. Government offices will be closed and immigration delays are expected during this period.
April 23, 2019
The U.S. Embassy in Israel has announced that a treaty investor agreement has been signed between the United States and Israel, granting Israeli citizens the ability to apply for an E-2 visa at the U.S. Embassy Branch Office Tel Aviv. Additionally, certain Israeli nationals who are ...
April 23, 2019
Update: President Donald Trump issued a memorandum on Monday, April 22 that aims to force compliance from countries whose nationals consistently overstay valid travel and business visas. Per a 2018 report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the countries that fall into this category are mostly ...
April 12, 2019
Update: Leaders in the European Union and the United Kingdom have agreed to extend the deadline for leaving the EU. As it currently stands, there are now two possible deadlines: June 1, if Parliament doesn’t agree to participate in EU Parliament elections in late May. October 31, ...
April 10, 2019
EU leaders will vote on April 10 to extend the date of Brexit to June 30, 2019, following a formal request from Prime Minister Theresa May to the EU today. UPDATED: On Wednesday, April 10, the European Union agreed to a second delay to Brexit ...
April 10, 2019
To be effective July 1st, 2019 for all companies hiring foreign workers, the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS)* will increase by 100 SGD per month. Additionally, the calculating ratio will be amended as such: LQS salary Number of local employees between S$650 to S$1,300 1 >S$1,300 0.5 Also, The Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) will decrease ...
April 10, 2019
The Australian Government has announced two new provisional visa categories, a Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional visa requiring regional sponsorship by an employer, and a Skilled Work Regional Visa requiring State or Territory nomination, or eligible family sponsorship within the same region. The program is to target skilled migrants ...
April 4, 2019
Whether the "Yays" or the "Nays" have it, the ongoing Brexit conversation, and the outcome, may impact more than 70% of international players in the world's most dominant league, the Premier League. EIG global attorney Salman Cheema and managing director Justin Parsons (and football fans!) talk ...