Weekly Immigration Update: September 16–22, 2022

Iceland: Issuance of Residence Cards Limited – Due to supply chain issues, Icelandic immigration officials are limiting the issuance of residence cards to individuals with documentary evidence of travel needs. Residence card applicants who are delayed in receiving a card can use their residence card approval letter as proof of residence during this time, though this letter cannot be used to re-enter Iceland after travel. Affected applicants are advised to schedule travel well in advance in order to obtain a residence card in time for travel.

Paraguay: Yellow Fever Vaccination Required for Certain Travelers Entering and Exiting Paraguay – Effective immediately, all travelers between the ages of one and 59 arriving from, or departing for Bolivia, Brazil, Peru or Venezuela must present a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter or exit Paraguay. Those who have not received a vaccination against yellow fever at least 10 days before their trip may not be allowed to board their flight or may be refused entry to or exit from Paraguay. Nationals and residents of Paraguay and travelers who are unable to receive the vaccine due to medical reasons (with documentation issued by a certified medical professional) may opt out of the vaccination requirement to enter Paraguay but must be monitored by health authorities for 10 days upon arrival. The government is implementing this measure in response to outbreaks of yellow fever in these countries. Please contact your Fragomen representative for case-specific advice if you plan to enter Paraguay or exit from Paraguay to these countries.  

Peru: Delays in Adjudication of Consular Visa Applications – Foreign nationals applying for consular initial visas (including consular Resident Worker Visas and Appointed Worker Visas) are currently experiencing adjudication delays at the National Superintendence of Immigration. Some foreign nationals are currently experiencing processing times of three months or more for visa approvals (up from the legal standard processing time of 30 business days), and one month or more for post-approval issuance of local identification cards (up from the usual one week). Foreign nationals require a local identification card to be enrolled in local payroll. As a result, foreign nationals and employers seeking to apply for a visa through a consular process should gather documents and submit their immigration applications earlier than usual and should expect delayed work and payroll start dates during the next several months. In-country visa applications are currently unaffected. Fragomen is informing affected applicants of possible delays and will report on relevant developments.

Peru: Technical Issues with Online Visa Application System Causing Delays – The National Superintendence of Immigration’s online visa application system, “Agencia Digital,” is currently experiencing technical issues, preventing applicants from filing initial and renewal visa applications. In Peru, all immigration processes are online and in-person visa applications are not available. ,Processing delays for all visa applications, including in-country and consular visas, can therefore be expected for the next few weeks until the system is fully restored. Fragomen is actively monitoring the system and contacting affected clients and will report on relevant updates as appropriate.

Qatar/South Korea: Visa Waiver Agreement Signed – The Qatari and South Korean governments have signed a bilateral agreement allowing visa-free entry. Under the waiver, Qatari nationals will be able to enter South Korea under a tourist visa for up to 30 days and carry out business activities limited to market research, business meetings, consultation, signing a contract, or small-scale international trading. They must obtain a K-ETA to conduct the above-mentioned activities. If they seek to stay longer than 30 days, then they should obtain a consular visitor visa (likely C-3-4 visa, or another visa issued at the discretion of the consular post). South Korean nationals will be able to enter Qatar for up to 90 days without a visa. It is not clear whether South Korean nationals can conduct business activities under the agreement in Qatar. This agreement aims to develop stronger economic ties between the two countries.

Slovakia: Streamlined In-Country Status Change Proposed, Among Other Changes – The Slovak government is proposing to allow foreign nationals to stay in Slovakia based on a pending temporary residence permit application, which would make it easier for visa-exempt nationals to change status to work authorized in-country. Currently, these individuals must have sufficient remaining allowable stay on their visa-exempt passport to cover their stay from the date of arrival in the Schengen area until permit approval, making in-country status change challenging in practice. Visa nationals would still be required to await approval abroad. The legislative proposal would also introduce stricter review for self-employment renewal and for employees changing their status to self-employed, in order to combat reported misuse of the self-employment permit. The proposal would also formalize online filing options and implement stricter border checks, among other changes. It is not yet clear whether the proposal will be adopted by parliament in its current form. If approved, the proposed measures are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2023.