Category: Immigration Insights

February 22, 2018

Overseas nationals in the UK under the Tier 1 (General) category will no longer be permitted to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after 5th April 2018. Background Tier 1 (General) of the points-based system was a category aimed at ‘highly skilled migrants’ who wished to come to the UK to live and work, […]

February 22, 2018

On 26th December 2017, the Ministry of Labour issued a decree requiring all work permit applicants to visit the Ministry in person for biometric registration before submitting any initial or renewal work permit application. The new registration system, which is expected to be implemented in January 2018, will include a scan of the applicant’s fingerprints […]

February 21, 2018

The Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (see our previous alert here) came into effect on 8th February 2018. Employment-Seeking Visa The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now issuing employment-seeking visas, valid for three months, for stays of up to six months, and for multiple entries, to qualifying applicants. To qualify, applicants must be […]

February 20, 2018

In this week’s edition, we bring you the latest details of the upcoming new temporary skill shortage visa in Australia, plus employers are advised to plan now for FY 2019 cap-subject H-1B filings in the United States. And there’s immigration news from China, India and Israel.   

February 20, 2018

On 2nd April 2018, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will start to accept H-1B petitions from cap-subject employers for skilled foreign workers. Why is this Important? USCIS may only approve 65,000 new H-1B petitions per fiscal year (the “cap”) with an additional 20,000 available each fiscal year for individuals with advanced degrees from […]

February 20, 2018

Effective immediately, China’s Ministry of Public Security has introduced a new five-year multiple-entry visa and residence permit for individuals of Chinese descent living overseas. Previously, overseas ethnic Chinese could only obtain a visa valid for a maximum of one year. To qualify, candidates must have at least one parent, grandparent or unspecified ancestor who is […]

February 20, 2018

On 19th February 2018, the Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA) published further clarification of the various changes to the skilled visa regulations planned for March 2018, including more details on the new Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) “TSS” visa which is due to replace the Subclass 457 visa. Below, we look at the key […]

February 19, 2018

Effective immediately, the Israeli Ministry of Interior has published new regulations relating to the employment of foreign experts in high-tech companies. The new “Hi-Tech” (HIT) Visa was announced in January 2017. One-year “Hi-Tech” (HIT) Visa The process only applies to visa waiver nationals The company needs to qualify as a “Hi-Tech Company” – approval is at the […]

February 15, 2018

India’s Bureau of Immigration (BOI) has launched a new online “e-Services” system for application and processing of visa related services at its Foreigner Regional Registration Offices in Bangaluru, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai. Thus far, this new system is only being used in these select cities, but it is expected to be gradually introduced at additional […]

February 12, 2018

In this week’s edition, we bring you news that there are new work permit regulations in Russia. There’s an update on Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) applications in South Africa and there are changes to work permit regulations in Poland.  Plus, there are updates from Nigeria, Iraq and Ghana.