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Business and immigration coalitions call for changes to the H-1B lottery. Visa Bulletin priority dates jump forward. And the State Department gears up to begin a domestic visa renewal pilot program for some H-1B holders. Get this news and more in the new episode
Danish immigration authorities released updated income statistics, which will apply to residence and work permit applications submitted from Jan. 1, 2024. Key Points: An applicant’s salary and terms of employment must correspond to Danish standards to be granted a residence and work permit for both first-time and extension applications. Danish authorities
The government announced new fees for legalizing public documents starting Jan. 1, 2024. Key Points: Documents may be legalized by submitting them to the Legalization Office and may be required for many international transactions as well as immigration purposes. The new fees, effective Jan. 1, 2024,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will increase premium processing fees on Feb. 26. Under a rule published Thursday, fees will increase as follows: Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. Premium processing fees for all Form I-129 requests for classifications other
The U.S. Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security published a fact sheet this week on how employers can avoid violating the law when using proprietary or commercial electronic programs to complete the Form I-9 or E-Verify process. Key Points: Companies often use commercial or proprietary Form I-9 software programs to
The government of Latvia approved an increase in the national minimum wage for 2024 to EUR 700. Key Points: Currently, the national minimum wage is set at EUR 620 and will increase on Jan. 1, 2024 The adopted Regulation applies to both employers and employees. Additional Information:
Finnish authorities announced that immigration offices are experiencing a significant backlog in processing applications based on family ties. Key Points: Officials stated that about 11,800 outstanding applications currently await a decision. The number of applications has risen dramatically over the last two years, increasing about 50%
The State Department on Thursday announced it would extend interview waiver authorities for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants. Interview waivers have played a key role in helping reduce State Department processing backlogs. In announcing the extension, the department also put in place
The Department of Labor has asked for public input on whether to revise its list of Schedule A job classifications that do not require permanent labor certification. Key Points: In October, President Biden issued an Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, which included
Irish authorities announced sweeping changes to key immigration programs Wednesday, including what the government called the “largest ever expansion to the employment permits system.” Officials also announced they would increase minimum salary thresholds. Key Changes to the Employment Permits Scheme Critical Skills Occupations List. Eleven roles were added to the Critical
The government of Portugal has announced delays in issuing resident permits, and appointments are not available for any type of residence permit application. Key Points: There is uncertainty about when new appointment slots will become available, and the anticipated new online portal for scheduling appointments has not yet launched. Authorities have
The State Department will allow a limited number of H-1B holders to renew their visas in the United States under a pilot program, the details of which were unveiled Wednesday. Key Points: The pilot will run from Jan. 29 to April 1, 2024, and will be open to a total of
Leading business and immigration organizations have called on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to implement proposed changes to the H-1B lottery ahead of the upcoming H-1B cap season. In October, USCIS published a wide-ranging proposed regulation that would have broad consequences for the H-1B program, including shifting to a
The Canadian government announced that starting Jan. 11, 2024, public documents within the scope of the Apostille Convention will need only an apostille to be authenticated for further legal use. Key Points: • Canada officially acceded to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (also known
Philippine officials reiterated that registration on the eTravel system is mandatory and must be completed within 72 hours of intended travel. Key Points: • As BAL previously reported, the Philippine government is expanding its eTravel system, requiring more travelers to register when entering or leaving the country. • Inbound travelers must register on
A Federal Register notice about a State Department pilot program to revive domestic visa renewal for a limited number of nonimmigrant visa holders has cleared review at the White House Office of Management and Budget. Key Points: Details of the pilot program are still not publicly
The State Department updated current passport processing times, showing reduced wait times for both routine and expedited services. Key Points: As of Dec. 18, processing times are now six to eight weeks for routine applications and two to three weeks for expedited applications, according to the
The Thai cabinet extended a policy that allows Japanese tourists to enter Thailand for 30 days without a visa including for business visits. Key Points: The extended policy will be in effect from Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2026. The current visa-free entry policy only applies to Japanese tourists. Immigration
Finnish authorities announced that applicants for citizenship or residence cards can now book appointments for early 2024. Key Points: Officials stated that the appointment service will also be updated starting Jan. 2, 2024. The time required for renewing a residence card, applying for citizenship or submitting