ITALY - No New Quotas Expected for Remainder of 2012
May 18, 2012 - Due to economic circumstances in the country, the Ministry of Interior has announced that no additional quotas are likely to be implemented for the rest of the year. In the same announcement, Minister Annamaria Cancellieri indica...
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CANADA - Seattle Consulate Prepares to Eliminate In-Person Applications
May 15, 2012 - Starting June 1, 2012, the Canadian Consulate in Seattle will no longer accept in-person applications for work permits or Temporary Resident Visas, and will only return applications by mail or courier. The Seattle Consulate is jo...
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RUSSIA - Language Exam to be Required for Work Permits
May 15, 2012 - A Presidential Decree released May 7, 2012, has called for implementing an exam that covers Russian language, history and basic Russian law knowledge for work permit applicants. This new provision does not affect Highly Qualified...
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UNITED STATES - Secretary Napolitano Consults with Businesses Regarding US-Canada Immigration
May 14, 2012 - Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano met with a select group of companies today in Washington, D.C. to discuss the United States Beyond the Border (BTB) Action Plan. The goal of the BTB Action Plan is to strengthen sec...
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UNITED STATES - USCIS Updates Cap Usage for Fiscal Year 2013
May 14, 2012 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, as of May 11, 2012, it has received approximately 36,700 H-1B petitions counting towards the congressionally-mandated 65,000 limit. USCIS also confirmed that it ha...
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UNITED STATES - US Department of State on EB1 and EB2 Visa Availability
May 14, 2012 - Demand remains excessive for EB2 immigrant visas requested by Chinese and Indian nationals with priority dates earlier than the current April 15, 2007, cutoff date. As a result, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that t...
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AUSTRALIA - Fringe Benefit Tax - Amendments Now in Effect for Living-Away-from-Home Allowances
May 11, 2012 - As previously outlined in our bulletin on November 30, 2011, a number of fringe benefits were reviewed because of reported abuses.
The Australian Federal Government's budget, delivered this week, has outlined changes to tax benefits u...
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UNITED STATES - USCIS Updates Cap Usage for Fiscal Year 2013
May 7, 2012 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, as of May 4, 2012, it has received approximately 32,500 H-1B petitions counting towards the congressionally-mandated 65,000 limit. USCIS also confirmed that it has ...
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MALAYSIA - New System Delays Employment Pass Processing
May 2, 2012 - “Occasional system disruptions and data discrepancies” in the new processing system at Immigration Putrajaya are causing delays and case backlogs. As a result, processing times for Employment Passes (EP) have increased up to five weeks ...
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UNITED STATES - USCIS Updates Cap Usage for Fiscal Year 2013
April 30, 2012 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, as of April 27, 2012, it has received approximately 29,200 H-1B petitions counting towards the congressionally-mandated 65,000 limit. USCIS also confirmed that i...
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PHILIPPINES - Revised Document List Released for Claiming ACR I-Card
April 26, 2012 - Effective April 19, 2012, when a third-party representative claims an Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card (ACR I-Card) on behalf of a foreign national, the representative must also present a notarized authorization letter...
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SWITZERLAND - UPDATE: B Permit Quota for EU-8 Nationals to be Adjudicated by Migration Offices
April 26, 2012 - After announcing that EU-8 nationals would be subject to a quota of 2,000 total B Permits for 2012-13, immigration authorities have released additional information regarding the B-Permit issuance for EU-8 nationals. Migration O...
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CANADA - UPDATE: Accelerated LMOs Launched This Week
April 26, 2012 - Processing for the much-anticipated Accelerated Labour Market Opinions (ALMOs) began Wednesday, April 26. After meeting a two-week advertising requirement, sponsoring companies can expect their ALMOs to be processed in approxim...
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PHILIPPINES - Amendments Announced for Alien Employment Permits
April 25, 2012 - The guidelines for receiving, renewing and revoking a Philippines Alien Employment Permit (AEP) were recently modified by Department Order No. 120-12. Please note the following changes regarding the AEP:
A brand n...
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UNITED KINGDOM - Increase in Allocation of Certificate Renewals Causes Delays
April 25, 2012 - Sponsors awaiting allocation of Certificates of Sponsorship (COS) for the 2012-13 year should expect to receive their new allocations by Friday, May 4, 2012, as long as their requests were submitted before April 6, 2012, according to...
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RUSSIA - Rejection Rate Rises for Late Work Permit Extension Requests
April 25, 2012 - In recent weeks, the Federal Migration Service has begun rejecting work permit extension requests from persons deemed as “Highly Qualified Professionals” (HQP) if the application arrives less than 30 days before the permit expires. &...
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UNITED STATES - USCIS Updates Cap Usage for Fiscal Year 2013
April 24, 2012 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, as of April 20, 2012, it has received approximately 25,000 H-1B petitions counting towards the congressionally-mandated 65,000 limit. USCIS also confirmed ...
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UNITED STATES - UPDATE: China and India EB2 Annual Limit Reached - No Approvals Until October 1, 2012
April 24, 2012 - U.S. Department of State (DOS) has confirmed that the annual limit in the EB2 category for foreign nationals born in India and mainland China has been reached for FY2012. The State Department notified U.S. Citizenship and Immig...
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CANADA - Buffalo and Detroit Consulates Phase Out In-Person Applications
April 20, 2012 - Effective May 7, 2012, the Canadian consulates in Buffalo, New York, and Detroit, Michigan, will no longer allow applicants to file their non-immigrant visa applications in-person and receive same-day adjudication services. Ins...
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SWITZERLAND - B Permit Quota Reintroduced for EU-8 Nationals
April 20, 2012 - In response to rising immigration levels by citizens of EU-8 countries, the Swiss Federal Council has invoked a safeguard clause in Switzerland’s Agreement with the European Union regarding the free-movement of people, thereby re-imp...
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ITALY - Restrictions for Non-EU Nationals Still in Place for Holiday Travel
April 19, 2012 - With the summer travel months arriving soon, non-EU nationals in Italy are encouraged to fully examine the country’s immigration restrictions before planning any holiday trips.
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UNITED STATES - USCIS Updates Cap Usage for Fiscal Year 2013
April 17, 2012 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, as of April 13, 2012, it has received approximately 20,600 H-1B petitions counting towards the congressionally-mandated 65,000 limit. USCIS also confirmed that i...
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GHANA - Advertisements, Training Program for Ghanaians Part of Tightened Requirements for Petroleum Sector Work Permits
April 13, 2012 - With the recent establishment of the Petroleum Commission, work permits for companies in the petroleum sector have undergone significant review, resulting in several new requirements and an overall emphasis on greater scrutiny for wo...
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UNITED STATES - USCIS Updates H-1B Cap Usage for Fiscal Year 2013
April 10, 2012 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that as of April 9, 2012, it has received approximately 17,400 H-1B petitions counting toward the congressionally-mandated 65,000 limit. USCIS also confirmed that it h...
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UNITED STATES - H-1B Cap Update
April 5, 2012 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) informally announced that it has received approximately 22,323 H-1B petitions. Of those, approximately 75 percent will be counted towards the congressionally-mandated 65,000 regu...
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