China Extends Visa-Free Policy to Other Nationalities
On November 1, 2024, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that, effective November 8, 2024, China would extend its unilateral visa-free policy to nationals of
Read More »France Increases Minimum Wage
France introduced a 2% increase in the minimum wage to take effect on November 1, 2024. The gross annual minimum wage is now EUR 21,621.60. As a result, the following
Read More »Quebec Suspends Two Permanent Residence Programs
On October 31, 2024, the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration of Québec published Québec’s Immigration Plan for 2025. Under the Plan, Québec intends to
Read More »Thailand to Implement Automated Biometric ID System at International Airports
Starting November 1, 2024, Thailand will implement an automated biometric identification system at six major international airports. This initiative will utilize facial
Read More »India Launches e-Migrate Portal and Mobile App
India has launched the updated e-Migrate portal and mobile app in early October. The portal is meant to support Indian workers abroad. Features include: 24/7 multilingual
Read More »Italy Issues 2025 Seasonal and Non-Seasonal Non-EU Worker Quotas
On October 24, 2024, the operational guidelines for entry quota applications for both seasonal and non-seasonal non-EU workers in Italy for 2025 were issued. For 2025, the
Read More »Transfer of Nationwide Renewals of Irish Residence Permit to the ISD Portal Initiated
Persons residing in all counties can now apply online to renew their Irish Residence Permit using the ISD online renewal portal. Applications for renewal from all counties
Read More »Ireland’s Minimum Wage Increases from January 2025
As part of Budget 2025, Ireland’s minimum wage will increase (from €12.70) to €13.50 per hour from January 1, 2025, resulting in an annualised salary of €27,378 for
Read More »Ireland’s Increased Employment Permit Salary Thresholds – January 2025
Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment (DETE) is reviewing potential increases to salary thresholds for several employment permit categories,
Read More »Proposed Fee Increase for Italian Citizenship Applicants
Italy’s 2025 draft budget bill, recently presented by the Government includes an article—Article 106—that introduces a significant change for anyone seeking
Read More »USCIS Updates Policy Manual Guidance for T Visa
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to align with the Classification for Victims of Severe Forms
Read More »New UK Visa Application Supplier in Ghana
The UK Foreign Office has announced that, effective October 22, 2024, anyone in Ghana applying for visas to enter the UK will need to use a new visa application centre (VAC).
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