ICYMI: More than just immigration updates!

We are bringing you the latest information impacting relocation and assignments into specific locations around the world. As you know, the global landscape is constantly evolving, and it is crucial for businesses and individuals to stay aware of the latest developments. Various factors, such as political, economic, and social changes, can significantly impact the feasibility and success of relocations and assignments.

By staying informed about the specific locations where your business operates or plans to expand, you can proactively address any challenges and make well-informed talent decisions. Understanding the local regulations, cultural nuances, and potential risks associated with certain regions can help mitigate potential obstacles and ensure a smooth transition for your employees. We encourage you to stay engaged with our updates and reach out to us if you have any questions or require further assistance.

Here are the updates:

1. China: The country has a new visa waiver scheme. Per Newland Chase, China is granting a visa-waiver to citizens of six countries, allowing them to visit China for periods up to 15 days for Business, Tourism, Family Visit, and Transit purposes. The waiver applies to citizens/passport holders from Germany, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, and Malaysia. China already allows short-term visa-free travel from some Asian nations, including Singapore.
    
2. United Kingdom: According to Envoy Global, the United Kingdom will increase minimum salary requirements and reduce pathways for dependent family members to live in the UK in 2024. These changes  are expected to make migration to the UK more difficult in the coming years and may have an impact on industries that currently rely on migrant workers. The new minimum salary rate (£38,700) is higher than UK workers’ current median average salary (by £4000)  and is more than the previous minimum of £26,200. While the UK Immigration Minister believes it will be good for the economy and bring more UK citizens into the workforce, industry bosses disagreed at a time when job vacancies in the UK remain close to a million and companies are repeatedly reporting difficulties in finding the skills they need. See this article for more from Relocate Magazine. This Sky News article explains that 300,000 people who came to the UK last year would not be have been able to under these new rules.
    
3. Switzerland: From Newland Chase - Switzerland has announced that 2024 quotas will remain the same for certain new work permit applications. Taking into account the persistent economic need for specialists from third countries, and the results of discussions conducted with the cantons and social partners, the federal authorities have decided to maintain the same number of B long-term permits and L short-term permits for non-EU/EFTA nationals. They offer some advice to get started now on submitting important applications and consider when possible to reduce short-term assignments to four months or 120 days per twelve-month period, which are not subject to quota availability.
    
4. India: Per Corporate Immigration Partners, India restored eVisa services for Canadian citizens holding ordinary Canadian passports on November 22, 2023. This service was temporarily unavailable due to diminished diplomatic relations. Continue to check the government of Canada’s website for the latest updates and information. 
    
5. United States: Per BAL, the U.S. State Department issued more than 10.4 million nonimmigrant visas last fiscal year, the most since 2015 and nearly a record. The increase in nonimmigrant visa issuance is welcome news, though visa services at some embassies and consulates remain delayed, especially for B1/B2 visitor visas. The State Department cited expanded interview waiver authorities as one reason for the increase in visa issuance; these authorities are set to expire at the end of the year, though the U.S. Travel Association and others have called for an extension. Per EIG, H-1B Domestic Visa Renewal Pilot Program is expected to start in February 2024. Also the US Department of Labor (DOL) has released its monthly processing time updates for permanent labor certification (PERM) applications. PERM processing times were eight days longer in November 2023 than they were in October 2023. By the end of November, average PERM processing times were 346 days for adjudication. The average processing time for audit review was 496 days, 241 days longer than the previous month.
    
6. Germany: Train strikes and bad weather have impacted travel, particularly in Berlin and Hamburg. If trains are cancelled, people can bump up or out their travel dates or postpone the journey. If your train has been cancelled, you can get a full refund with no deductions. Last week Munich was hit by days of heavy snowfall, disrupting travel for thousands of passengers. 
    
7. Denmark: Newland Chase shares that Denmark has shared information relating to work permit exemptions for affiliated companies. Employees are allowed to work in Denmark for two separate working periods – each of 15 working days within a 180-day period. These two working periods must be separated by a stay outside of Denmark of at least 14 days. See more details here. 
    
8. France: The Netherlands issued travel warnings for Paris, citing terrorism threats. They raised their travel advisory level to yellow indicating that travel is possible but not without risks. “Throughout France, and especially in Paris, please be vigilant for possible new violent attacks,” the ministry stated in its warning. In France, the terrorist threat level has been at its highest level since October after a teacher was killed and several people were injured in a knife attack at a school in northern France.                                                                                          
9. Canada: Every year before or on November 1^st, the government of Canada announces new immigration targets to share its projections on the number of permanent residents that will be admitted to Canada via the various immigration categories in the following year. In 2023, the government of Canada set out new policy changes and initiatives to increase immigration. For its 2024-2026 targets, the government of Canada has announced that, following the trajectory of its 2023-2025 plan, it will aim to welcome 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024, 500,000 in 2025 and plateau at 500,000 in 2026. See McCarthy Tetrault for more details.

Our friends at Crisis24 have also shared the following alerts that might impact your people:

• Belgium - Unionized public transport workers to strike and protest in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 12. Transport disruptions, heightened security likely.
• Peru - Peru maintains state of emergency on and near highways through at least Jan. 5th.
• Germany - Adverse weather forecast across much of the country through at least Dec. 14th.
• Iceland - Air traffic controllers at Keflavik International Airport and Reykjavik Domestic Airport, Iceland, plan strike 04:00-10:00 Dec. 12 and 14.
• India - Political rallies likely across Himachal Pradesh State, India, through mid-December. Increased security likely.
• Vietnam - Adverse weather forecast across northern mountainous regions through at least early Dec. 13
• United States - Severe weather forecast to continue across the northeastern US through early Dec. 12. Flooding possible. Hazardous travel conditions likely.