Weekly Immigration Update: July 22–28, 2022

European Union: Students and Researchers Directive Implemented in All EU Member States – Following Greece’s recent ministerial decree implementing the EU Students and Researchers Directive, all EU Member States have now implemented the Directive (except Ireland and Denmark, which opted out). This Directive aims to facilitate intra-EU mobility for researchers and students by reducing the administrative burden related to mobility in the EU Member States. The Directive sets up a specific intra-EU mobility scheme whereby a third-country national who is authorized to conduct research or studies through an organization in one EU Member State is entitled to enter, stay, and carry out part of the research activity or studies in another, or several other, EU Member States.

Ghana: Evisa to be Launched – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that an eVisa system will be launched by the end of 2022 for visa national tourists and business travelers, although details of the eVisa have not yet been released. Once the eVisa system opens, consular posts will issue eVisas to eligible travelers. The implementation of the eVisa system is aimed at facilitating the issuance of visas and preventing the entry of ineligible foreign nationals into Ghana.

Mauritius: Immigration Application Fees Increased – The Economic Development Board announced fee increases for immigration applications filed in the country. The new fees are effective immediately and are now in U.S. dollars. The new fees are as follows: Family Occupation Permit - USD 1,000 and USD 400 for dependents; Occupation permit (investor or self-employed person) - USD 1,000; Occupation Permit for professionals employed for two years, two to three years, three to five years, and five to 10 years - USD 400, USD 500, USD 800, USD 800, and USD 1000, respectively; Short-Term Occupation Permit with a validity of nine months or from nine months to three years - USD 300 and USD 150, respectively; permanent residence for investors, professionals, and their dependents - USD 3,000 and USD 2,000, respectively.

New Zealand: Increase in Immigration Application Charges Forthcoming - Effective July 31, 2022, the New Zealand government will increase application fees for all visas by an average of 43%. Key updated fees include: Skilled Migrant Category – NZD 4,890 (up from NZD 3,310); Accredited Employer Work visa – NZD 750 (up from NZD 595); Partnership Work Visa – NZD 860 (up from NZD 635); and Student visa – NZD 375 (up from NZD 275). Other fee changes are listed here.

Romania: Expanded Filing Locations for Work/Posting Permits – Effective immediately, employers and foreign nationals can now have their legal representative submit work/posting permit applications at any office of the General Inspectorate for Immigration. Previously, such applications could only be filed at the office with jurisdiction over the location of the employer’s headquarters. This change was made to better distribute the workload from immigration offices which were backlogged with applications.

Romania: Deadline Extension to Obtain Local Employment Work Permit – Foreign nationals can now apply for a long-stay visa for local employment within 180 days of when their employer obtains their work permit, up from 60 days. Furthermore, foreign nationals who obtained their long-stay visas prior to this rule change on May 5, 2022 are retroactively eligible to follow the new rule and use their visa to obtain a work permit within 180 days of issuance. Further, visas are now being issued by the National Visa Center within 20 days of application submission, up from 10 days. These changes only apply to local employment; deadlines and processing times for secondments and other categories have not changed.

United Kingdom: Online Travel Registration for Visa-Exempt Travelers Forthcoming – As a reminder, UK authorities remain committed to introducing an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme by 2024, similar to the U.S. ESTA system and the EU's forthcoming ETIAS system, requiring visa-exempt nationals to register online before travel. After successful registration, visa-exempt travelers will be checked upon entry using facial recognition systems, allowing entry without border checks or electronic passport gates. Travelers are expected to be subject to registration fees, although the government has not yet published fee amounts. News reports indicate that ETA registration may interact with the online electronic visa waiver application system (EVW II), currently available to visa-required citizens of Gulf states, but details on this interaction have not yet been published.