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  • New Zealand | Minimum wage, Ukraine resident visas, LQEA updates announced

    New Zealand has taken action to increase its minimum wage for seasonal workers, create a new Ukraine Resident Visa, and update its List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment (LQEA). Key Points On April 1, the minimum wage for Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers increases to NZ$25.47 (about US$15.50) from NZ$24.97, which

  • United States | Lawsuit aims to stop fee rule, increases set to take effect April 1

    Groups representing employers and visa applicants sued the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday, aiming to stop dramatic increases to immigration filing fees from taking effect.   Key Points: The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule on Jan. 31 to increase U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services filing fees for

  • United States | Reminder: H-1B cap registration closes at end of week

    Employers are reminded that registration for H-1B cap petitions for fiscal year 2025 closes this Friday. Key Points: H-1B registration opened at noon EST on March 6 and will run through noon EDT on March 22. During this time, petitioners for H-1B beneficiaries can use their U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

  • United States | PERM processing times updated

    The U.S. Department of Labor has posted updated processing times for permanent labor certification (PERM) applications. PERM Processing: As of Feb. 29, the department was adjudicating applications filed in February 2023 and earlier, conducting audit reviews on applications filed in December 2022 and earlier, and reviewing appeals for reconsideration filed in

  • United States | US visa statistics show continued increase in visa issuance

    Immigrant visa issuance continued to climb in fiscal year 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic totals, according to recently published State Department statistics. According to the Report of the Visa Office 2023, the State Department issued a total of 562,976 immigrant visas, up more than 14% from last year’s total of 493,448. Visa issuance

  • European Union | EU council moves toward new rules on visa-free travel

    EU member states’ ambassadors have agreed on a draft regulation that would let the EU suspend visa-free travel for countries whose citizens are exempt from visa obligations when traveling to the Schengen area. Key Points: Under the new mechanism, the EU would have the following new grounds to suspend the visa-free

  • United States | USCIS moves to speed up work permits for refugees

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced this week that it will implement a streamlined process to provide Employment Authorization Documents to eligible refugees after they are admitted to the United States. Key Points: The new process was soft-launched last year on Dec. 10 following a successful trial period. The new process

  • China | Visa-free entry scheme further expanded

    Chinese officials announced the expansion of their unilateral visa-free entry policy to six additional countries: Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Key Points: The government has enacted visa-free treatment to travelers holding ordinary passports from the six aforementioned countries on a trial basis. From March 14 to Nov. 30, 2024,

  • United Kingdom | Migration Advisory Committee recommends 21 occupations on new Immigration Salary List

    The United Kingdom’s Migration Advisory Committee recently recommended that 21 roles be included on the new Immigration Salary List. The ISL is set to replace the U.K.’s Shortage Occupation List, which was the official list of skilled jobs for which workers are deemed to be

  • Nigeria | Expatriate Employment Levy temporarily suspended

    The Nigerian government announced the temporary suspension of the Expatriate Employment Levy on March 8, pending further consultation with stakeholders. Key Points: Full implementation was set to launch on March 15 through April 15, 2024. The decision to suspend the EEL followed a meeting with the

  • United States | USCIS announces H-2B cap reached, publishes dates for supplemental visas

    USCIS announced Friday it had received enough petitions to reach the H-2B cap for the second half of the current fiscal year. Key Points: March 7 was the final receipt date for new, cap-subject H-2B petitions requesting a start date in the second half of FY2024; petitions

  • United States | April Visa Bulletin: Advancement in key categories, Final Action Dates to control filing eligibility

    The U.S. State Department released the April Visa Bulletin Friday, showing advancement in key employment-based categories. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that in April it will use Final Action Dates to determine filing eligibility. Final Action Dates Movement: EB-1 China EB-1

  • United States | Judge dismisses challenge to Biden administration humanitarian parole program

    A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Friday that challenged a Biden administration program that allows a limited number of nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the United States on humanitarian grounds. Key Points: In the fall of 2022, the Biden administration launched

  • Nigeria | Initiative imposes levy on companies hiring foreign workers

    The Nigerian government recently launched guidelines for the Expatriate Employment Levy initiative that applies to employers hiring foreign workers. Key Points: The EEL project was approved by the Federal Executive Council in May 2023 with a mandate that employers pay a levy for hiring foreign

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  • Episode 66: Immigration Bracketology with BAL's Sports & Immigration Team

      A lawsuit aims to stop U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services fee hikes. State Department data shows a continued increase in green card issuance. And with March Madness tipping off, the BAL Sports & Entertainment team creates a tournament bracket of their own. Get this

  • Episode 65: Biden parole program, H-1B and H-2B cap updates

    A federal judge dismisses a lawsuit challenging a Biden administration immigration program. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announces it has reached the H-2B cap for the second half of the fiscal year. And an H-1B cap update with BAL Senior Associate Matt Dillinger. Get

  • Though uncertainty remains, 57 percent say increases won’t hurt their global edge

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is poised to implement the biggest increase in immigration filing fees in years. BAL analysis indicates that larger companies could see fee increases of 115% to 175% once fees go up April 1. Small- and medium-sized companies will see their fees more than double. So

  • Episode 64: An interview with the Cato Institute’s David Bier

    H-1B registration opens. Canada imposes a visa requirement on some travelers from Mexico. And a new study from the Cato Institute shows that just 3% of immigrant applicants for green cards will receive them in 2024. Get this news and more in the new

  • Why National Interest Waivers are increasingly common in the green card process

    In light of ongoing uncertainties in the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) green card process, many companies are seeking to diversify green card strategies for their employees. One increasingly common option for many companies is the national interest wavier (NIW) green card process. Historically, PERM has been the most common pathway for

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