Category: Immigration Insights

February 6, 2018

On 31st January 2018, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) extended to 15th February 2018 the closing date for payments and submission of supporting documents and biometrics for applications for the new Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), at one of the ten designated Visa Application Centres. This deadline had previously been extended to 31st January 2018. […]

February 5, 2018

In this week’s edition, we bring you news that in the UK, the Tier 2 General category has been oversubscribed for a second month, and the health surcharge is set to double. Thailand has introduced a four-year SMART Visa for top talent and there is a new foreign recruitment law in Taiwan. Plus, there are updates from Austria, Switzerland and Oman.     

February 5, 2018

The government has announced that the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) will increase from £200 to £400 per year. The discounted charge, payable by Tier 4 students and those on the Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) will rise from £150 to £300 per year. Introduced in 2015, the IHS is payable by those from outside the […]

February 2, 2018

Effective 1st February 2018, the Thai Board of Investment has introduced the previously-announced SMART Visa for highly-skilled foreign workers and investors in certain industries. What are the Benefits of the SMART Visa? The SMART Visa is valid for up to four years (non-immigrant visas are usually valid for up to one year only) for qualifying […]

February 2, 2018

Effective immediately, university diplomas and school leaving certificates submitted in support of initial Red-White-Red Card Plus (RWR Card Plus) applications by dependent family members of Red-White-Red Card (RWR Card) holders must be legalised and then authenticated under the ENIC-NARIC framework. Previously, ENIC-NARIC recognition of university diplomas was not required for these applicants. Who is affected […]

February 1, 2018

Effective immediately, Oman’s Ministry of Manpower has suspended the recruitment of foreign nationals in 87 professions, across ten sectors, for six months. Who is Affected? The affected sectors are as follows: Information systems Media “Technical professions” Engineering Air transport Accounting and finance Engineering Insurance Sales and marketing Management and human resources Medicine A full list […]

January 31, 2018

The Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals will come into effect on 8th February 2018, introducing various benefits for foreign nationals working in Taiwan, and for their employers. Key Changes The Act introduces three categories of foreign worker, with different qualifying criteria and benefits: foreign professional, foreign special professional and foreign senior professional. Many of […]

January 31, 2018

Yesterday’s EU Schengen Visa webinar was so popular that we are holding a second live webinar today, 31 January 2018 at 4:00 pm GMT / 11:00 am EST. Join us for this informative and interactive webinar, where you will have an opportunity to share your comments for inclusion in our position paper to the European Commission.

January 31, 2018

The monthly allocation of the Tier 2 (General) Restricted Certificates of Sponsorship (RCoS) has been exceeded for the second consecutive month. The total number of RCoS available to employers in January 2018 stood at 1651, after 91 RCoS were carried over from the December 2017 allocation. RCoS applications submitted in January were rejected where the […]

January 29, 2018

In this week’s edition, we bring you a round up of significant global corporate immigration developments from 2017.  There’s news that the 2018 minimum wage has increased for foreign experts in Israel and China‘s talent visa rules and benefits have been clarified.  Plus, there are updates from Singapore, Peru and Azerbaijan.