Category: Immigration Insights

September 6, 2017

Effective 1st October 2017, Venezuelan nationals will require an entry visa stamped by a Panamanian consulate to enter Panama. However, Venezuelans holding a valid multiple-entry visa, granted for at least one year and used at least once, for the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia or Canada, are exempt from this rule. Our Advice Venezuelan […]

September 5, 2017

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, effective 1st October 2017, it will eliminate the practice of waiving employment-based adjustment of status interviews, which has been standard practice for approximately two decades. In another departure from previous standard practice, USCIS has now started to deny Advance Parole applications when the applicant departs the United […]

September 4, 2017

In this week’s edition, we announce that there are new notification requirements for posted workers in Finland and overseas engineers will require at least five years experience to qualify for work permits in Saudi Arabia.  We also bring you immigration news from Nicaragua, Malaysia, and Switzerland. 

September 4, 2017

On 10th August 2017, new immigration regulations to implement February’s “ley de movilidad humana” were published, and are already in force. Secondary guidelines are expected within the next few months. Key Points The main points of the new regulations are summarized below: Temporary and permanent residents will be issued with an identity card, with validity […]

September 1, 2017

The quota for L and B permits for the third quarter of 2017, for short-term assignees from European Union (EU) / European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) countries, has been filled. Who is Affected? New, incoming EU/EFTA nationals who are assigned to Switzerland but remain on foreign employment contracts will not be issued L or B […]

August 31, 2017

Effective 1st September 2017, companies posting employees for assignments in Finland will have new notification requirements. Finland has become the latest European Union member nation to revise its national laws and procedures to transpose the EU Posted Worker Enforcement Directive (2014/67/EU). Both the new Act on Posting Workers (447/2016) and the old Posted Workers Act (1146/1999) apply […]

August 30, 2017

Employers in Malaysia are reminded that, from 1st September 2017, the salary threshold to qualify for the EP I category of Employment Pass (EP) will increase from MYR 5000 (about USD 1172) to MYR 10000 (about USD 2345) per month. The applicant will be able to apply for an EP valid for a duration of […]

August 30, 2017

The Saudi Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD) and the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) have announced an agreement to require foreign engineers to demonstrate at least five years of professional engineering experience to be eligible for work permits. The new agreement strengthens the previous requirement, implemented a few months ago, that foreign engineers […]

August 29, 2017

In this week’s edition, we announce that UK net migration has dropped to a three year low, and the USA has temporarily suspended non-immigrant visa processing in Russia. We also bring you the latest immigration news from Malaysia, Philippines, and Peru.

August 29, 2017

The Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) will issue visas upon arrival (VUA) to qualifying nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), in a bid to attract more tourists and investors. Who Qualifies? Under DOJ Circular No. 41, dated 15th August 2017, temporary visitors’ visas upon arrival with an initial authorized stay of 30 days […]