Fragomen Immigration Update: April 10 - 17, 2014

In immigration news this week, Canada will change how it selects and processes permanent residence applications in 2015, under the recently announced Express Entry program. Under Express Entry, foreign nationals seeking to immigrate to Canada will be matched with employers seeking to fill positions based on regional needs. Canada will also implement a new policy on April 1, 2015 requiring temporary foreign workers who have worked in the country for four years and who do not fall within certain exempt categories to depart Canada. These workers may not be able to re-apply for a work permit for up to four years. 

Long-term foreign workers in Nigeria who have not already done so must apply for a residence card by April 30 or face possible deportation. Nationals of ECOWAS member countries and short-term workers of three months or less are exempt from this requirement. Russian national workers in Ukraine must now apply for a residence permit for stays beyond 90 days. 

In Ecuador, a new two-year residence permit with shorter processing times and fewer document requirements will be available to eight MERCOSUR nationalities later this year. The permit will grant work authorization without requiring company sponsorship. Effective April 19, 2014, Australia will apply a surcharge to credit card payments for any Visa Application Charge or other immigration-related fees. 

These items and other news from China, Colombia, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States follow in this edition of the Fragomen Immigration Update.

 

Important Updates in Immigration This Week

United Kingdom, April 17, 2014

Minimum Salary Levels Increased for Tier 2 Workers

Minimum salary requirements for Tier 2 foreign nationals working in the UK increased by approximately one to three percent on April 6, 2014.

To view entire article, click here.

 

Ukraine, April 17, 2014

Stricter Requirements for Russian National Workers

Russian national workers must now obtain a residence permit for stays beyond 90 days.

To view entire article, click here.

 

Canada, April 16, 2014

Four-Year Limits on Stay for Temporary Foreign Workers Become Effective in April 2015

From April 1, 2015, temporary foreign workers who have worked in Canada for four years and who do not fall within certain exempt categories will be required to depart Canada and may not be able to re-apply for a work permit for up to four years. Employers should begin working with their immigration counsel now to develop strategies to meet future staffing needs.

To view entire article, click here.

 

Nigeria, April 16, 2014

April 30 Deadline for Residence Card Applications

Long-term foreign workers who have not already done so must apply for the Nigerian residence card by April 30 or face possible deportation. Nationals of ECOWAS member countries and short-term workers of three months or less do not need to apply for the residence card.

To view entire article, click here.

 

Australia, April 16, 2014

New Surcharge for All Immigration Fees Paid by Credit Card

Effective April 19, 2014, credit card payments for any Visa Application Charge or other immigration-related fee will incur a surcharge. The surcharge will range between 1.08% and 2.91% depending on the credit card used to pay the fees.

To view entire article, click here.

 

Ecuador, April 15, 2014

New Residence Permit Introduced for Select MERCOSUR Nationalities

A new two-year residence permit with shorter processing times and fewer document requirements will be available to eight MERCOSUR nationalities later this year. The permit will grant work authorization without requiring company sponsorship.

To view entire article, click here.

 

Canada, April 12, 2014

New Processing Model for Permanent Residence Program

Canada will change how it selects and processes permanent residence applications in 2015, under the recently announced Express Entry program. Under Express Entry, foreign nationals seeking to immigrate to Canada will be matched with employers seeking to fill positions based on regional needs.

To view entire article, click here.

 

Other Immigration News This Week

United States: USCIS Updates H-2B Cap Count - USCIS continues to accept H-2B petitions for employment start dates in the second half of FY 2014. The agency reports that as of April 11, 2014, it had received filings on behalf of 20,589 H-2B beneficiaries for the second half of FY 2014. Of these, 17,382 had been approved and 3,207 remained pending. The cap for each half-year is 33,000, but USCIS accepts filings in excess of the cap because some cases will be denied or withdrawn and because employers may ultimately employ fewer H-2B beneficiaries than reflected in their petitions. 

China: Visa-Free Transit Through Xi’an Soon Available to Select Nationalities - Nationals of 51 countries transiting through Xi'an Xianyang International Airport will be allowed to formally enter China without a visa and visit for up to 72 hours. Eligible travelers must hold a valid passport, visas for their onward destination countries (unless visa-exempt for those countries) and confirmed onward air tickets. Xi'an’s border security department has not announced an exact implementation date yet. Similar programs are in place in Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Shanghai, and Shenyang. 

Colombia: Visa Applicants from Venezuela Temporarily Exempt from Passport Requirements – The Colombian government has temporarily relaxed passport requirements for Venezuelan nationals applying for a Colombian visa. In July 2013, Colombia began to require that all visa applicants hold a passport with two blank visa pages and a minimum remaining validity of six months. Upon filing for a Colombian visa, Venezuelan applicants can be exempted from the passport requirements by presenting proof of a passport renewal in process. Venezuelan passport processing continues to be unpredictable amidst mounting political demonstrations and unrest. 

Italy: Eased Requirements for EU Blue Card Applicants, Scientific Researchers – EU Blue Card applicants and scientific researchers now face reduced requirements in Italy. EU Blue Card applicants require one less step in the diploma validation process: only the validation from an Italian consulate (called “declaration of value”) will be needed. The Ministry of Education validation is no longer required; processing of this validation ranges from one to three months. 

Scientific researchers applying for work authorization have more flexibility in choosing who can sponsor their research and no longer need to prove Italian language skills for long-term residence permits or a certain level of accommodations for accompanying family members.

 

Global Immigration News Links 

• The White House lists the economic costs of inaction on immigration reform. President Obama cautions Congress on the negative repercussions of inaction on immigration reform, but is hopeful that House Republicans will act once the primaries are over.
• House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other immigration reform advocates question whether race is a factor in the GOP’s reluctance to move forward on a comprehensive immigration reform bill.
• The Lords Science and Technology Committee said that inflammatory rhetoric in the media and politics towards immigration is deterring foreign students from studying in the U.K.
• Australia’s Tourism & Transport Forum is proposing a new premium visitor visa processing model which would allow wealthy travelers to pay an extra fee in order to skip long immigration and customs lines.
• Saudi Arabia will begin to impose fines and possible jail time for companies that employ foreign nationals without valid work authorization.
• The President of Sri Lanka said that companies need more foreign workers with work visas to fill labor shortfalls, even with over 10,000 currently working on tourist visas.

 

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