With our mission to uncomplicate the complicated, we’ve always thought of our work in immigration as people-first. Our goal is for these updates 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
Ireland | From December 26, Northern Ireland will begin a six-week lockdown.
Israel | As of Sunday, December 20, all countries will be regarded as “red countries,” so any person who arrives in Israel from abroad, whether Israeli or non-Israeli, will need to enter home isolation for 14 days. For Israelis traveling from “green countries,” UAE, Seychelles, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and Uruguay, a grace period is in place.
The isolation period can be shortened to 10 days for individuals who will register with the Ministry of Health, undergo a PCR test as soon as possible after entering isolation, and undergo a second PCR test from the 9th day after the entry into Israel. Both tests must be negative to have an abbreviated period of isolation.
Following the recent emergence of a new variant of the COVID-19 virus in the UK, airline representatives in Israel and abroad have been instructed not to board non-Israeli passengers on flights arriving from the UK, except foreign diplomats.
Additionally, as of today, no entry permit to Israel will be processed by the Ministry of Interior for travelers arriving from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Denmark, Brazil, and Australia.
Italy | Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a nationwide lockdown from December 24 – 27, December 31 – January 3, and January 5 – 6. Italians will only be allowed to leave home for work, health, or emergency reasons.
Kuwait | The country’s land and sea borders will close until January 1.
Oman | From Tuesday, the country’s land and sea borders will be closed for one week.
Spain | The Spanish Ministry of Health has published the updated list of countries considered areas of risk whose travelers must undertake a COVID-19 test within 72 hours before their arrival to Spain. The list is available here. This list is effective from December 28 to January 10, 2021.
From Tuesday, all travelers originating in Britain, except Spanish nationals and residents, will be banned entry.
The United Kingdom | On Saturday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that a new strain of the coronavirus had caused a spike in infections. Following the announcement, Canada, India, Hong Kong, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, El Salvador, Iran, Israel, and Jordan have introduced restrictions on British travelers and flights. From Monday morning, flights to Argentina are suspended; from midnight, flights to Poland will be suspended. Beginning on Tuesday at midnight, flights to Chile will be suspended. Sweden’s entry ban will last for one month.
Uruguay | The country’s borders will close from December 21 – January 10 except for cargo transportation.
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.