Important Updates
Important Updates
October 29, 2025 | Republic of Korea (South Korea)South Korea: K-Star Visa for Science and Tech Talent Implemented
October 29, 2025 | United Kingdom, United StatesGames Industry: US H-1B Visas: Alternatives to a $100,000 Fee
October 29, 2025 | United Kingdom, BelgiumPeople Management: How Will EU Travel Rule Changes Impact Employers?
October 29, 2025 | Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia: Increased Saudization Requirements for Certain Private-Sector Healthcare Roles
October 29, 2025Saudi Arabia: Mandatory Health Insurance Prior to Temporary Work Visa Issuance
October 29, 2025 | Republic of Korea (South Korea)South Korea: K-Star Visa for Science and Tech Talent Implemented
October 29, 2025 | United Kingdom, United StatesGames Industry: US H-1B Visas: Alternatives to a $100,000 Fee
October 29, 2025 | United Kingdom, BelgiumPeople Management: How Will EU Travel Rule Changes Impact Employers?
October 29, 2025 | Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia: Increased Saudization Requirements for Certain Private-Sector Healthcare Roles
October 29, 2025Saudi Arabia: Mandatory Health Insurance Prior to Temporary Work Visa Issuance
October 29, 2025 | Republic of Korea (South Korea)South Korea: K-Star Visa for Science and Tech Talent Implemented
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Weekly Immigration Update: November 4–10, 2022

November 10, 2022

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In immigration news this week:

  • Worldwide: As we enter the endemic phase of the COVID-19 era, travel restrictions and health requirements are waning based on growing vaccination initiatives. We are tracking related updates on our COVID-19 website.
  • United States: Foreign nationals planning to travel internationally and return to the United States this holiday season should consider several factors, including evolving COVID-19 policies worldwide, updated U.S. vaccination requirements, and continued reduced operations at many U.S. consulates.
  • Malta: The Start-Up Residence Program is now available to innovative individuals or scale-ups seeking to develop and build their business in Malta.
  • Canada: On November 16, Canada will be transitioning to the 2021 version of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system used to define occupations, which replaces the 4-digit NOC codes with 5-digit NOC codes.
  • United Kingdom: The UK government has implemented improvements that relate to salary reductions, government notifications and fees for employers sponsoring Skilled Workers and foreign nationals under the Global Business Mobility route.
  • United Arab Emirates: Following the introduction of new immigration regulations in July 2022, certain measures have become effective, including changes to residence permit validity, overstay fines and sponsorship requirements.
  • European Union/Ukraine: Norway temporarily suspended the requirement for those with refused residence permits to leave the country. See our consolidated alert for details.

These items and other news from Canada, the European Union, the Middle East, Panama, Qatar, Romania, South Africa, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Vanuatu follow in this edition of the Fragomen Immigration Update.

Important updates in immigration this week

United Kingdom, November 10, 2022
Improvements Related to Salary Reductions, Government Notifications and Fees Implemented

The UK government has implemented three key improvements for employers sponsoring Skilled Workers and foreign nationals under the Global Business Mobility route:

  • A change of employment application is no longer required for salary reductions due to temporary reduction in hours for individual health reasons;
  • Employers are no longer required to notify the Home Office of delayed start dates for foreign nationals, unless the delay is more than 28 days; and
  • Effective January 1, 2023, employers will be exempt from paying the Immigration Skills Surcharge when sponsoring certain EU senior or specialist workers assigned to work for less than a three-year period

To view entire article, click here.

 

Canada, November 9, 2022
Transition to 2021 National Occupational Classification System

  • On November 16, 2022, Canada will be transitioning to the 2021 version of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system.
  • The 4-digit NOC codes from the current system used to define occupations will be replaced by 5-digit NOC codes that better distinguish between occupation and skill types under new Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) categories

To view entire article, click here.

 

Malta, November 9, 2022
Start-Up Residence Program Launched

  • The Maltese government recently launched the Start-Up Residence Program, intended for innovative individuals or scale-ups seeking to develop and build up their business in Malta.
  • The program has minimum investment requirements and is available to those operating in manufacturing, software development, industrial services, healthcare, sustainability practices, or the provision of services not readily available in Malta.
  • Successful applicants, including employees and family members, will be granted a three-year residency permit with automatic work authorization. The permit is extendable for an additional five years.

To view entire article, click here.

 

United States, November 7, 2022
Travel Guidance for the Holiday Season

  • Foreign nationals planning to travel internationally and return to the United States this holiday season should consider several factors, including evolving COVID-19 policies worldwide, updated U.S. vaccination requirements, and continued reduced operations at many U.S. consulates.
  • If you will need to apply for a visa while abroad, be prepared for limited consular appointments in certain regions, possible delays in visa issuance, and potential appointment cancellations due to changing COVID-19 local conditions.
  • Ensure that all of your travel documentation is accurate and contains sufficient validity to minimize reentry issues.

To view entire article, click here.

 

United Arab Emirates, November 4, 2022
Updates on New Visa Schemes and Regulations

  • Following the introduction of new immigration regulations in July 2022, certain measures have become effective, including changes to residence permit validity, overstay fines and sponsorship requirements.
  • Additionally, certain visa categories of the newly-implemented Advanced Visa System are now open to applicants, including the Visit Visa for Exploring Job Opportunities, Visit Visa for Exploring Business Opportunities and the Green Residency Visa (Green Visa).
  • Several parts of the new visa schemes and regulations remain unclear or have not been enforced yet, but further developments are expected in the coming months.

To view entire article, click here.

Other weekly news briefs

Canada, November 7, 2022
Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Forthcoming

Middle East, November 4, 2022
FIFA World Cup Entry Details Announced

Panama, November 10, 2022
Reduced Investment Amount Concession for Certain Permanent Residence Applicants Extended

Panama, November 10, 2022
Temporary Suspension of Visitor Visas for Indian Nationals

Qatar, November 9, 2022
Relaxed Requirements for 2022 FIFA World Cup Visas

Romania, November 4, 2022
Amendments to Work Authorization Policy

South Africa, November 10, 2022
Visa Waiver to be Implemented for Kenyan Nationals

Sweden, November 8, 2022
Update to Passport Control Requirement for Residence Permit Applications

United Arab Emirates, November 4, 2022
Dubai Virtual Working Program Merged with Main UAE Program

United Arab Emirates, November 4, 2022
Introduction of Golden Pension Plan

United Arab Emirates, November 8, 2022
Implementation of Unemployment Insurance Scheme

United States, November 4, 2022
October 2022 DOL PERM and PWD Processing Times

Vanuatu/European Union, November 9, 2022
European Council Fully Suspends Visa Waiver Agreement

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.

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