With our mission to uncomplicate the complicated, we’ve always thought of our work in immigration as people-first. Our goal is for these emails to make sense of the changes happening across the world. Please share these updates with your colleagues who may find this information helpful, too.
International Updates
Argentina | The government has started to approve Special Entry Permits for non-resident foreigners during Mandatory Social and Preventive Isolation (ASPO). This is the first step towards a “New Normal,” after more than five months of quarantine forbidding foreigners’ entry to Argentina.
Case Update: 6,693 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/8/21 6:00 PM CEST
Germany | German public health officials declared popular tourism regions of Croatia “coronavirus risk regions.”
Case Update: 1,707 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/8/21 6:00 PM CEST
India | Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders from the US, the UK, Germany, and France are now permitted entry into India. These are countries that India has signed ‘air bubble’ arrangements. OCI cardholders who are nationals of all other countries are permitted to travel to India only under specific circumstances:
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Minor children who hold OCI cards and whose parents are Indian citizens;
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OCI cardholders who wish to travel to India on account of family emergencies such as a death in the family;
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Married couples where one spouse is an OCI cardholder and the other is an Indian national; and
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Students who are OCI cardholders and whose parents are Indian citizens living in India.
Other international scheduled, commercial, passenger, flights continue to remain suspended until August 31, 2020.
Case Update: 68,898 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/8/21 6:00 PM CEST
Japan | Public broadcaster NHK reported government plans to ease the entry restrictions for foreign nationals with resident visas beginning next month. Re-entry would be available for visa holders, permanent residents, and exchange students. Anyone arriving in Japan, including Japanese citizens, are required to take a coronavirus test and quarantine for 14 days.
Case Update: 1,220 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/8/21 6:00 PM CEST
Nigeria | Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika announced that it would only permit individuals from countries who also allow in Nigerians, applying a reciprocity principle. International flights to and from Nigeria will resume on August 29.
Case Update: 476 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/8/21 6:00 PM CEST
In this week’s Immigration Nerds podcast, we talk to Adam Goodman, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the author of “The Deportation Machine: America’s Long History with Expelling Immigrants.” Goodman’s book examines how federal authorities have largely used three main mechanisms of expulsion to determine who can enter the US and who may remain.
We will continue to send updates daily or as more COVID-19-related news is available. If you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or in past updates or want to hear more about a different topic, just reply to let us know. If you have specific questions, please contact your employer or EIG attorney.