Belgium – Enforcement of Administrative Fines for Some Infringements
Posted on July 15, 2016
Pursuant to the Belgian Foreigners’ Act, administrative fines of 200 € can be imposed by the federal immigration office for some, in general, minor infringements. Some examples of the infringements are: For a short term stay (< 3 months), EU,… Read more »
Belgium – Increased Processing Time for Family Reunification Applications by Third Country Family Members
Posted on July 15, 2016
Effective July 8, 2016, processing times for family reunification applications by third country (non-European Union, non-European Economic Area, and non-Swiss) family members of third country nationals has been extended. The maximum processing time of 12 months (the current 6 months… Read more »
Bulgaria – New Labour Act Establishes Simplified EU Blue Card for Highly-Qualified IT Specialists, and Sets New Rules for Intra-corporate Transfers
Posted on July 15, 2016
On 21 May 2016, the Labour Migration and Labour Mobility Act entered into force. The new Act consolidates existing rules and supersedes previous legislation, and brings Bulgarian laws in this field in line with existing European Union (EU) law. The… Read more »
European Union – Visa Waiver Program Threatened
Posted on July 15, 2016
A July 12 deadline was set among the United States and Canada to decide upon its visa waiver program with the European Union. The EU has lifted visa requirements for the United States and Canada, however, the two countries have… Read more »
France – Minimum Salary Increases for EU Blue Card
Posted on July 15, 2016
The French government has increased the minimum salary requirements for European Union (EU) Blue Cards, effective 20 June 2016. Blue Card holders in France must now be paid at least €53,836 per year (up from €53,331) or €4486 per month… Read more »
India – U.S. Adds India to the Global Entry Program
Posted on July 15, 2016
An agreement was signed on June 3 between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Barack Obama to add India onto the Global Entry program. The purpose is to facilitate the movement of business travelers easily between the two… Read more »
Netherlands – Knowledge Migrant Workers Job Search Expanded
Posted on July 15, 2016
Foreign nationals working in the Netherlands as knowledge migrants can now remain in the country for a period of three months after their employment contract has ended while their residence permit is still valid. Regardless of the reasons of the… Read more »
Russia – Work Permits Scrutinized by Russian Authorities
Posted on July 15, 2016
Immigration authorities in Russia are scrutinizing work permit and HQS applications. The requirements that the Russian authorities are scrutinizing work permit applications are as to whether the pages of the labor contracts are bound correctly, enumerated, and verified with a… Read more »
United Arab Emirates – Family Visas Can No Longer Be Put “On Hold”
Posted on July 15, 2016
Effective immediately, family members of principal residence visa holders can no longer apply to have their family residence visas put “on hold” if the principal changes employer and needs to apply for a new visa. Previously, when a principal residence… Read more »
United Kingdom – New Online Portal to Simply Applying for Visitor Visas
Posted on July 15, 2016
The United Kingdom launched a new system called “Access UK” to facilitate the application process of visitor visas to the UK. The new system is available in other languages, will allow the applicant to book the biometric appointment online, and… Read more »