Immigration Insights

POLAND: Almost 200 Occupations Now Exempt from Labour Market Testing

August 3, 2018

Effective 1 July 2018, new regulations in Poland allow non-EU nationals to apply for work permits for almost two hundred occupations without the requirement to first obtain confirmation from the labour office.

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NEW ZEALAND: Building and Construction Visa Proposed

August 2, 2018

The New Zealand Minister of Immigration has proposed changes to immigration policy to make it easier for the building and construction industry to employ migrants to overcome a shortage of about 30,000 workers. The proposed changes are expected to be in place by early 2019.

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UNITED STATES: New Policy Threatens Deportation If Visa Extension is Denied

August 2, 2018

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a new policy expanding the issuance of Notices to Appear (NTA) and the beginning of formal deportation of those denied visa extensions, changes of status, or whose visa expires during application, including those on H-1B visas and F-1 visas.

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Global Immigration Weekly Roundup – 30th July 2018

July 30, 2018

Discover the latest immigration news and updates from around the globe with your weekly newsletter from Newland Chase. In this week’s edition, we bring you news from the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan and Ireland.

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Global Immigration 101: Visa-Free and Visa-on-Arrival

July 27, 2018

What are visa-free and visa-on-arrival? Can you use them for international business trips? A discussion of differences, processes, pros, and cons for business travelers from one of the leading international business travel and corporate immigration providers.

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Australian Immigration | Rise of the 485 Visa

July 27, 2018

ABC reported on 26 July 2018* that a record number of Students are remaining in Australia on Graduate 485 visas (with work rights) once they have completed their studies. This is not surprising to the writer. Why? Because these visas are an easy option when everything else has become so much harder.

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KAZAKHSTAN: Deadline for Quota Applications is 1 August 2018

July 27, 2018

The deadline for submitting quota applications for employing foreign nationals in Kazakhstan in 2019 is 1 August 2018.

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IRELAND: Update – Major Delays Continue for Irish Residence Permit Appointments in Dublin

July 26, 2018

There continue to be significant delays in obtaining appointments for Irish Residence Permit (IRP) registration for non-EEA nationals in Dublin. The delays are expected to persist for at least the rest of this year.

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UNITED KINGDOM: Updated Guidance for Tier 2 and Tier 5 Sponsors

July 26, 2018

Effective 18 July 2018, the United Kingdom Home Office has updated its guidance for sponsors of Tier 2 and Tier 5 of the points-based system.

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Global Immigration Weekly Roundup – 23rd July 2018

July 23, 2018

Discover the latest immigration news and updates from around the globe with your weekly newsletter from Newland Chase. In this week’s edition, we bring you news from Spain, Vietnam and Slovakia. Plus there are updates from Slovenia, Russia and Ireland.

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VIETNAM: Some Provinces Now Require Residence Card Cancellation Before Departure

July 20, 2018

The immigration authorities in some provinces in Vietnam are requiring foreign nationals who are terminating their assignments and leaving the country to surrender and cancel their Temporary Residence Card (TRC) prior to their departure.

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SPAIN: Stricter Salary Criteria for Highly-Qualified Workers Under the Entrepreneur’s Act

July 17, 2018

Effective immediately, the Spanish authorities appear to be requiring a higher minimum salary for residence authorisations for highly-qualified workers under the Entrepreneur’s Act (14/2013).

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SLOVAKIA: Shortage Occupations Lists are Published; and Processing of Single Permits is Delayed

July 17, 2018

The Slovak authorities have published lists of occupations with labour shortages during the past calendar year, for districts where the average unemployment rate was lower than 5%. These occupations are now exempt from labour market testing.

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SLOVENIA: Croatian Worker Restrictions Lifted from 1st July 2018

July 17, 2018

The Slovenian government has lifted work restrictions for Croatian workers, effective 1 July 2018. Croatian nationals now have the same access to the Slovenian labour market as nationals of other EU Member States.

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GHANA: Petroleum Commission Announces Company Audits

July 17, 2018

The Petroleum Commission has launched a series of inspections of companies in the upstream sector in the Western Regime of Ghana, between 9 and 20 July 2018.

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RUSSIA: Update – New Address Registration Rules

July 16, 2018

New rules for the registration of foreign nationals in Russia, from 8 July 2018, mean that employers will no longer be able to register their foreign national employees at the company address, and that employers or landlords will be responsible for carrying out the registration.

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Global Immigration Weekly Roundup – 16th July 2018

July 16, 2018

Discover the latest immigration news and updates from around the globe with your weekly newsletter from Newland Chase. In this week’s edition, we bring you news from Hong Kong, Indonesia and New Zealand plus there are updates from Switzerland, China and Canada.

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INDONESIA: Further Details of Upcoming Regulations for Hiring Foreign Workers

July 13, 2018

Further details are now available of the proposed new regulations for hiring foreign workers in Indonesia. Note that there is still no implementation date for the new system.

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HONG KONG: Immigration Authority Allows Dependent Visa Applications for Same-Sex Spouses

July 13, 2018

On 10 July 2018, the Hong Kong Immigration Authority confirmed that it has implemented an “interim arrangement” allowing dependent residence status for same-sex spouses with eligible sponsors, pending a review of its dependent immigration policy.

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NEW ZEALAND: Recent Immigration Updates

July 12, 2018

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has implemented changes to immigration procedures. Partners and dependent children can now make their visa applications online; the minimum income has been updated for certain Essential Skills visa holders; and INZ will no longer place physical visa labels in passports.

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