Due to the pandemic, some of the Visa Application Centres (VACs) around the world have been closed due to local restrictions. The UK government advise to go on the TLS website (for Europe and Africa and part of middle east) or the VFS global website (for other countries) which allows you to get information about
The UK government is phasing out the post office biometrics services. As a result, as of 31st July 2021 visa applicants will no longer be asked to provide their biometrics at the post office. Instead, the UK government has set up 7 Service Support Centres (SSCs) where applicants will be directed to provide biometrics or
It is clear that the pandemic has reshaped the way that people live including the way people travel. With many countries in and out of lockdowns and restrictions changing from month to month, a lot of people are taking “staycations” or holidays closer to home. In some countries such as China, quarantine rules for visitors
A right to work check should be conducted before an individual starts working with you. This is because you need to be satisfied that the individual has a legal right to work in the UK. On 1st January 2021 new rules came into force for EU nationals residing and working in the UK. EU, EEA
In March 2020 China suspended entry for foreigners; however, now, business travel to China is slowly increasing. The current requirements for the business travel visa (M visa) are that you must either have: an “invitation letter” (known as a PU letter) or have a valid APEC business travel card to be able to apply for
Essential skills visa updates New Zealand has made some amendments to the Essential Skills visa including the following: The duration of the visa has been increased to 12 months for those who earn below the average wage. The “stand-down” period for essential skills visa holders instructs individuals to leave New Zealand for 12 months after
Increase in wages The Fair Work Commission increased the minimum wage in Australia on 1st July 2021. The increase in the minimum wage has been staggered across industries in order to allow certain industries time to recover as a result of the pandemic. As such the last industries to increase wages for staff are the
The UK government has issued new guidance on the right to work checks which came into force on 1st July 2021 for EEA citizens proving their right to work in the UK. Updates have been made to the acceptable documents allowed to be used to prove right to work, including passports, a current document issued
On 1st July 2021, the UK rolled out the new Graduate visa route which gives people permission to stay in the UK for 2 years after successfully completing an eligible course in the UK. The advantage of this visa is that international students who want to stay in the UK can do so without having
The Australian government has announced 22 new occupations to be added to the Australian Priority Migration Skilled Occupation list. The Australian Priority Migration Skilled Occupation list is a list of 41 critically skilled occupations which the Australian government is giving priority processing. There is a requirement for these workers as Australia aims to recover
Originally, immigration law involving sponsorship and sponsored workers was based on migrants working in offices. Now, the pandemic has changed the work dynamic and more people are working remotely, which begs the question, how does remote working affect immigration compliance for sponsors? When employees are working from home, it can be difficult to
Children who are born in the UK are entitled to apply for British citizenship by registration under Section 1(3) British Nationality Act 1981 if they meet a certain criteria. They must be: born in the UK not British citizens at birth because at the time neither parent was a British citizen or settled
Keep up-to-date with the latest notable global immigration changes in the Netherlands, Canada and Russia. Netherlands immigration changes For those UK nationals who are living in the Netherlands currently, the deadline has been extended to apply for a new residence document. For UK nationals who arrived in the Netherlands before 1st January, in
Employers have a responsibility to carry out right to work checks on employees to ensure that they have immigration permission to work in the UK to prevent illegal working. In another post, we talk about the UK government right to work checks that are in place for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals living and
The Home Office announced a new plan for immigration: legal migration and border control strategy statement. In another post we gave an overview of the proposals, in this article, we will discuss the notable changes to UK immigration at UK borders. There is a proposal for electronic travel authorisation including pre-clearance for
