HIGHLIGHTS

• Ireland Experiences Delays in Processing Re-Entry Permits
• Pay Limit Scheme to Increase Salary Requirement in Denmark
• Canada Commits to Decreasing Processing Time for Spousal Sponsorship Applications
• Program Update: Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship of Citizens of Canada

Ireland Experiences Delays in Processing Re-Entry Permits

Foreign nationals residing in Ireland with a visa require a re-entry visa to return to the country after any trip outside of Ireland. Re-entry visas to Ireland applied on or before November 25 are now being processed. This signifies a processing delay of about one week and is likely due to the busy Christmas season. EIG advises employees wishing to travel to apply and receive their re-entry visas before purchasing their tickets. In addition, it should be noted children need a separate re-entry visa.

The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service recommends obtaining a re-entry visa by registered post or by making an appointment online, as applications from abroad can take up to 8 weeks to process. The Re-Entry Visa Office will start their holiday hours on December 23 and will only open for emergency appointments from December 28 to December 30. Regular hours will resume on January 3, 2017. For more information regarding hours please visit the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service website.

Pay Limit Scheme to Increase Salary Requirement in Denmark

The Pay Limit Scheme provides quick and easy processing of work and residence permits to individual’s offered a high paying position. Individuals with a qualifying salary will not be required to provide evidence of occupation, education and experience under this specific classification. Starting January 1, 2017, the minimum salary requirement for the Pay Limit Scheme will increase to 408,000 Danish Krones. This is roughly equivalent to $59,000 USD.

To take advantage of this pay increase, the application must be submitted on or after January 1, 2017. Extension applications will continue to use the minimum wage that was in effect at the time the application was originally submitted. Applications submitted before January 1, 2017 will be processed according to the current regulations, which is a minimum of 400,000 Danish Krones. Applications submitted before June 10, 2016 will be processed according to the regulation at that time, which is a minimum of 375,000 Danish Krones.

Canada Commits to Decreasing Processing Time for Spousal Sponsorship Applications

Effective December 15, 2016, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released a new application kit in an effort to adjudicate spousal petitions faster. As part of the new application process, applicants will not have to provide certain forms of information up front such as medical examination results and criminal and security screening results. The new application also consolidates questionnaires and document checklists so that applicants are less likely to choose incorrect options and are able to obtain more succinct information.  As a result, the estimated processing time for spousal sponsorship applications will be reduced to 12 months. This represents a significant reduction, as the previous processing time was 24 months.

Currently pending applications will continue to be processed according to their filing date, however, IRCC will try to make a decision before the end of 2017. All new spousal sponsorship applications will be processed and adjudicated within 12 months. In addition, given the rise in the number of spousal sponsorship applications submitted in 2016, IRCC  expects to exceed the average admissions allowed in previous years by 20,000.

Program Update: Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship of Citizens of Canada

As a follow-up to our previous EIG Dispatch, on December 14, 2016, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released an update to the manner in which it will receive and select applications for sponsorship of parent and grandparent relatives. The IRCC aims to make the selection process as fair and efficient as possible for all Canadian citizens wishing to sponsor their parent/grandparents, and will proceed with random selection for the allotted number of visas (10,000). The new process involves submitting the online form and, if chosen, submitting a complete application. The IRCC will have the form available for 30 days only starting on January 3, 2017 until February 2, 20217. The names selected for processing will be informed and instructed to submit their completed applications.

Canadian citizens wishing to sponsor their parents and grandparents should note that completing the online form only secures consideration to the random selection process; it does not amount to submitting an application. When the time to submit the online forms expires, the IRCC will select and inform those selected to proceed with the application process.