When It's More Than Just A Business Trip

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Yanna Evangelista discusses the value of partnering with your immigration advisor at the onset of an international assignment.
Hi I’m Yanna and I am a manager based in Singapore. My consultants and I manage the high volume of immigration applications for multi-national companies, small medium enterprises, regional and local clients, and we assist them to facilitate the transfers of foreign employees and family members into Singapore. We also assist with student pass applications and permanent residency solutions for private and individual clients.
With influx of foreign talent which continue to come to Singapore, the immigration and checkpoints authority and the ministry of manpower work together to exercise proper assessment when granting entry into these individuals. In recent years we’ve been noticing rigorous tightening in work authorization requirements and in our capacity as corporate immigration advisors we partner with our clients in ensuring we give them proper guidance and the right approach is taken to ensure compliance.
One of our recent cases is on the refusal of entry for one of our employees in Singapore. The employee had been travelling to Singapore and a number of locations on a business visa while his employment pass application was still in process. On his third visit he was stopped at immigration, questioned, and eventually asked to depart on the speculation that he was undertaking responsibilities behind the parameters of a business visa. Had we been informed; we would have been able to prepare him and provide him relevant advise on the likelihood of being questioned due to the frequency of his business travels. We would therefore recommend to consult your immigration advisors in order for us to provide appropriate guidance for such instances. We were looped in by the client and were tasked to help clear the record.
We addressed the situation by having several discussions with clients and stakeholders by helping prepare the supporting documentation for the appeal, having several discussions with the authorities, and subsequently monitoring the outcome.
We are pleased to share that the employment pass has since been obtained after a few months of tedious efforts. We are also pleased to confirm that the employee has already moved to Singapore and has commands to employment.
Hi I’m Yanna and I am a manager based in Singapore. My consultants and I manage the high volume of immigration applications for multi-national companies, small medium enterprises, regional and local clients, and we assist them to facilitate the transfers of foreign employees and family members into Singapore. We also assist with student pass applications and permanent residency solutions for private and individual clients.
With influx of foreign talent which continue to come to Singapore, the immigration and checkpoints authority and the ministry of manpower work together to exercise proper assessment when granting entry into these individuals. In recent years we’ve been noticing rigorous tightening in work authorization requirements and in our capacity as corporate immigration advisors we partner with our clients in ensuring we give them proper guidance and the right approach is taken to ensure compliance.
One of our recent cases is on the refusal of entry for one of our employees in Singapore. The employee had been travelling to Singapore and a number of locations on a business visa while his employment pass application was still in process. On his third visit he was stopped at immigration, questioned, and eventually asked to depart on the speculation that he was undertaking responsibilities behind the parameters of a business visa. Had we been informed; we would have been able to prepare him and provide him relevant advise on the likelihood of being questioned due to the frequency of his business travels. We would therefore recommend to consult your immigration advisors in order for us to provide appropriate guidance for such instances. We were looped in by the client and were tasked to help clear the record.
We addressed the situation by having several discussions with clients and stakeholders by helping prepare the supporting documentation for the appeal, having several discussions with the authorities, and subsequently monitoring the outcome.
We are pleased to share that the employment pass has since been obtained after a few months of tedious efforts. We are also pleased to confirm that the employee has already moved to Singapore and has commands to employment.
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Awards
Fragomen is recognized with multiple honors at the 2026 FEM Americas EMMAs, including Outstanding Agility & Crisis Management as a Service Provider and Thought Leadership – Best Survey or Research Study of the Year for the Worldwide Immigration Trends Report 2026.
Blog post
Destination Services Director Christine Sperr examines how housing market reforms, rent stabilization measures and cost-of-living dynamics in Saudi Arabia are influencing workforce mobility, compensation planning and long-term settlement strategies under Vision 2030.
Visas
Manager Dr. Adela Schmidt explains how German authorities assess past travel and business activities and why suspected unauthorized work during prior visits can lead to visa refusals and temporary entry bans.
Podcast
Partner Cosmina Morariu and Senior Director Leah Rogal discuss the mission of Fragomen’s Center for Strategy and Applied Insights and how it helps organizations and governments navigate evolving immigration policy and global talent mobility challenges.
Fragomen news
Fragomen and Papaya Global announce a strategic partnership combining workforce technology and immigration capabilities to help organizations simplify global mobility, enhance compliance and manage cross-border workforces through a more integrated, technology-enabled approach.
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Latin America & the Caribbean Managing Partner Leonor Echeverria explores how Latin America’s evolving immigration landscape offers accessible and flexible residence pathways for foreign nationals, highlighting key visa options, regional trends and the growing role of digital modernization across the region.
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Senior Associate Stephanie Weaver and Associate Julia Manacher continue their discussion on immigration law in popular culture, examining how television and media portray immigration processes and the realities behind common immigration storylines.
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Partner Kevin Miner discusses how proposed H-1B salary threshold increases may raise employer costs and influence hiring strategies for specialized talent across industries.
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Partner Rajiv Naik highlights the importance of transparency, clear guidance and human oversight as AI use expands in UK immigration tribunals.
Video
Senior Associate Tuğba Özyakup outlines how Europe’s Entry and Exit System (EES) introduces digital tracking of non-EU short-stay travel across the Schengen Area, requiring more proactive planning, accurate record-keeping and awareness of increased border processing times to avoid delays and overstay risks.


