February 19, 2020
Singapore | As the Coronavirus epidemic continues to affect people traveling around the world, the Singaporean Ministry of Health (MHO) have passed on their recommendations for all travelers to abandon all travel plans to Hubei province China and also to only travel to mainland China ...
January 31, 2020
The United Kingdom will exit the European Union on January 31 at 11 PM GMT (6 PM EST), bringing an end to the process that began with the 2016 Brexit Referendum. On January 24, 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed the Withdrawal Agreement, witnessed by ...
January 31, 2020
President Donald Trump signed an order for the U.S. to deny entry to all foreign nationals who have traveled to China within the past two weeks, aside from the immediate family of U.S. citizens. This order goes into effect on February 2nd at 5 pm. ...
January 31, 2020
The Trump Administration has expanded the travel ban to include six additional countries. Citizens from Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar, and Kyrgyzstan will not be allowed to apply for visas to immigrate to the U.S., and the U.S. gov't will suspend the issuance of visas that can ...
January 24, 2020
On January 24, 2020, the US State Department (DOS) issued a Level 4 Alert: Do Not Travel to Hubei Province. On January 23, 2020, DOS ordered all non-emergency US personnel and their family members to leave the province. Emergency services for US citizens are limited in the ...
January 22, 2020
As of January 2020, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) of Singapore has raised penalties for workplace discrimination cases. These measures are part of a plan to strengthen the Fair Consideration Framework, especially with the aim to give equal and fair consideration to local workers by ...
January 17, 2020
EIG’s Senior Attorney and Liberian native Jowanda Jones joins the podcast to explain the latest in the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act. She explains how one would qualify for the act that now allows a direct pathway to citizenship. In addition, we unravel Liberia's inseparable ...
January 8, 2020
Foreign nationals with a recognized university degree are eligible to work in Germany under the European Union (EU) Blue Card system. The minimum salary for EU Blue Cards has increased. Effective January 1, 2020, Blue Card holders in Germany must be paid an annual salary ...
January 8, 2020
For applications that require a labor market test, the position must now be advertised for 28 days before the application can be submitted. (The previous rule required only 14 days.) The advertising requirement reflects the government’s policy that an employment opportunity should be offered to ...
December 17, 2019
On December 6, 2019, the Switzerland Federal Council adopted the Free Movement of Persons Agreement (FZA). This agreement allows Swiss Nationals residing in the United Kingdom and British nationals in Switzerland to retain their current rights once Brexit is finalized. This agreement has now been submitted to ...
December 4, 2019
South Korea has revised its E-7 visa policy regarding foreign nationals in the parts, materials, and equipment industries. Applicants will be able to apply online rather than having to apply at an overseas consulate. This will cut down visa processing times from an estimated one ...
November 20, 2019
As previously reported, on July 17, 2019, the Irish High Court ruled that a person applying to become a naturalized Irish citizen must have one year of “unbroken” residence in Ireland immediately before filing the naturalization application. The High Court interpreted the “continuous residence” requirement of the Irish Nationality and ...
November 20, 2019
Starting November 11, 2019, Poland was officially included in the Visa Waiver Program. It is a comprehensive program designed to encourage and strengthen tourism and business exchanges between the United States and designated countries while increasing security. Polish citizens can now travel to the United States ...
November 6, 2019
The EU Council in Brussels, consisting of 27 EU ambassadors, has agreed to the UK Government’s request to remain in the EU until January 31, 2020. This is the third extension the EU has granted the UK. Under the agreement, EU nationals will continue to have free ...
October 28, 2019
As of today, the EU Council has come to an agreement with the UK government to postpone Brexit until January 31, 2020. An earlier withdrawal is still possible, and it is likely to trigger new elections in the coming months. No additional information has been provided ...
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 “unbroken” 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 ...