Immigration Insights

June 8, 2022

On 31 January 2022, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued an order requiring third party providers transacting with their office to complete an accreditation process and, thereafter, be appointed by their clients as authorized representatives before they are able to lodge the alien employment permit applications on behalf of their clients.

June 6, 2022

On May 24, USCIS provided additional information related to implementation of its expanded premium processing program.

May 24, 2022

Argentina has implemented a Digital Nomad visa on 21 May 2022. The purpose of the new visa is to attract tourists who would like to spend an extended period visiting Argentina, by allowing them permission to work at the same time as visiting.

May 16, 2022

From 1 June 2022, all nationals from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia intending to visit the UK (for tourism, business, study or medical treatment) for a period of up to six months will no longer be required to obtain a Visit visa in advance of travel; instead, they can choose to apply for an Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) to travel to the UK.

May 10, 2022

UK Visas and Immigration have updated the Global Universities List, the table of global universities that will be accepted as awarding institutions for the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa route when it launches on 30 May 2022, for qualifications awarded between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2022.

May 10, 2022

Due to a backlog of applications and lengthy waiting times for appointments at IN Amsterdam’s Expat Centre, the IN Amsterdam authorities will temporarily reduce their fees by 20% during the months of May and June 2022.

May 5, 2022

USCIS have announced a Temporary Final Rule (TFR) that increases the automatic extension period for employment authorization and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) to up to 540 days.

April 26, 2022

All employers in New Zealand who intend to bring in foreign nationals to take on permanent or local roles will need to have an accreditation status after 4 July 2022.

April 11, 2022

There are new evidential requirements for UK organisations seeking to apply for new or revised licences under the Global Business Mobility immigration routes.

April 6, 2022

The Home Office has released an update to the UK visa fees, effective 6 April 2022, with increases to work visas and student visas.

April 6, 2022

The Home Office’s latest publication of sponsorship transparency data up to and including Q4 2021 confirms what immigration practitioners predicted and are now witnessing: that Brexit, supercharged by a post-pandemic recovery of the UK economy, has resulted in a surge in UK organisations applying for sponsor licences (to hire foreign workers) which, in turn, has drastically impacted processing times and lead to a rapidly growing register of sponsors.

April 5, 2022

The Dutch Immigration Authority (IND) is to reach out to recognized sponsors (companies that are considered as trustworthy partner of the IND) to request they complete a statement to confirm whether the company has any connections with Bela(Russian) mother companies.

April 4, 2022

On 11 April 2022, the Intra-Company Transfer and Intra-Company Graduate Trainee routes are being replaced by two new Global Business Mobility routes. Further guidance on the transitional arrangements to ease the introduction of these new routes has now been published.

March 31, 2022

On March 29, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced three measures that seek to reduce wait times, expand premium processing to additional form types, and streamline the process for those waiting for employment authorization documents.

March 25, 2022

From 1 July 2022, certain short-term 482 and 457 visa holders will have a pathway to permanent residency in Australia. Grandfathering provisions have also been preserved for legacy 457 visa holders.

March 24, 2022

Following the Home Office’s Statement of Changes of 15 March 2022, in this alert we focus on scheduled miscellaneous administrative policy changes to the Immigration Rules.

March 23, 2022

Following the Home Office’s Statement of Changes of 15 March 2022, in this alert we focus on those scheduled changes to the Immigration Rules specifically impacting, and representing opportunity for, individuals.

March 22, 2022

Following the Home Office’s Statement of Changes of 15 March 2022, in this alert we focus on those scheduled changes to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) provisions of the Immigration Rules.

March 21, 2022

In line with the UK Government’s “Plan for Growth”, the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules introduces changes relating to Appendix Student, Appendix Short-term Student and Appendix Graduate of the Immigration Rules.

March 18, 2022

The European Commission (EC) issued new Operational Guidelines for the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) (2001/55/EC), which are aimed at both supporting the Member States in implementing the Directive and helping “those arriving to have a consistent and effective level of rights…”