ICYMI: July 26-Aug 7

Let's start our bi-weekly update with a sobering data point. From HR Morning, a 2024 Gartner study found that 73% of HR leaders believe their managers and executive teams aren’t equipped to lead change. That's a scary number. An inability to manage change can cause an organization to stagnate and become less competitive. Knowing this, it seems like the first step to improving this metric is to be aware of what changes are taking place around you. 

Since our last ICYMI post 2 weeks ago, there have been a number of global changes that are likely to affect global mobility programs. Let's take a look:

1. France: On top of the Olympics, France has a big immigration update. According to EIG, effective July 17, 2024, residence applicants are required to sign a contract stating that they respect the principles of the French Republic. The Republican Integration Contract (CIR) must be signed and is valid for a period of one year. Signatories agree to respect the principles and values of the French business and the French Republic and to follow with seriousness and diligence the training which are requested of them.
    
2. Scotland: Per Euronews, trains in Scotland could be delayed or cancelled due to proposed strikes. ScotRail's 1,300 drivers are going to vote on whether to go on strike or take other action. They are in a pay dispute with union Aslef. ScotRail runs trains between big tourist destinations like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Inverness.
    
3. Netherlands: Another possible public transport strike has been announced in the Netherlands' biggest cities on 12 September, with more walk outs possible. This threat comes ahead of the Cabinet's budget proposal, which workers hope will include plans to allow those in physically demanding jobs to retire earlier. Services in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam may be impacted.
    
4. Portugal: From Fragomen, the Portuguese government has announced that all immigration visas and permits will remain valid until June 30, 2025, in an effort to clear a backlog of visa and permit applications. A similar extension previously went into effect in 2024.
    
5. Italy: Italy's high-speed trains operated by Trenitalia and Italo will take longer to reach their destinations in August, or will be cancelled, due to railway maintenance works. The contruction will be carried out on the busiest long-distance rail routes in Italy, including Milan-Bologna, Rome-Florence and Turin-Milan-Venice, with disruption also expected on the Alpine passes affecting cross-border connections with Switzerland. Rail traffic is currently suspended between Verona and Vicenza until August 20. 
    
6. Canada: Canada has introduced special measures for Canadian citizens and foreign nationals impacted by wildfires throughout the country. As a result, the government will allow Canadian citizens and permanent residents directly affected by wildfires to get free replacement documents. These include permanent resident cards, Canadian citizenship certificates, Canadian passports, and other travel documents that are lost, damaged, destroyed, or inaccessible due to wildfires. 
    
7. United States: The H-1B visa is the U.S.’s premier high-skilled worker visa, in high demand by Indian and Chinese origin professionals, among others. Most of these are employed by the tech sector. According to this announcement, USCIS will conduct a second random selection for regular cap from previously submitted FY 2025 H-1B Cap Registrations, The first round ran from April 1-June 30. This additional lottery is taking place because USCIS did not receive enough H-1B cap petitions during the initial 90-day filing period to meet the 65,000 regular quota for FY 2025. USCIS will announce when it has completed the second lottery selection process and has notified all employers of all new selections. The exact date for the second lottery is upcoming, but expected soon. Also, take a look at all of the U.S. cities that will pay you to move there!
    
8. Malaysia: Per EIG, Malaysian authorities have increased or introduced MYXpats Service Fees to take effect from September 2024. This is due to recent improvements in application processing times, new features introduced online, and the Pass endorsement launched at KLIA 2 (Kuala Lumpur International Airport – Terminal 2). Fee details are in the link above. The fee amounts stated are solely for expatriate (and dependent) application charges, and exclude any other immigration fees.
    
9. China: China expanded its visa-free transit policy on July 15, 2024, for foreign nationals entering via specific airports. The maximum period of stay permitted under the transit policy is 144 hours. The policy now includes:
   
   - Zhengzhou Airport in Henan Province
   - Lijiang Sanyi International Airport In Yunnan Province
   - Mohan Railway Port, and Kunming Changshui International Airport, both in Yunnan Province
   - Additionally, this policy extends to nine cities: Kunming, Lijiang, Yuxi, Pu’er, Chuxiong, Dali, Xishuangbanna, Honghe, and Wenshan. 
   
   Citizens of 54 countries with valid travel documents and a connecting ticket to a third country can stay in these areas without a visa. Travelers can engage in tourism, business, and family visits during this time. However, work, study, and journalism require a pre-arrival visa.
10. United Kingdom: A last minute add on the riots occurring in the UK. According to Reuters, riots have erupted at anti-immigration protests in towns and cities across Britain in the last week, with attacks by far-right groups on hotels housing asylum seekers and on mosques. There have since been riots in more than 20 places across Britain, from Sunderland in northeast England and Manchester in the northwest, to Plymouth in the southwest and Belfast in Northern Ireland. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the violence was the result of "far-right thuggery". You can get further details here.