As an update, EU institutions have adopted the proposed Directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union establishing a framework to improve the adequacy of minimum wages and increase the access of workers to minimum wage protection. The Directive does not require the EU Member States to in…
As an update, draft legislation on the employment of foreign nationals that was announced in July 2022 is still with the government for drafting and has not yet been passed to Polish parliament, which was expected to occur in September 2022. Changes to the initially announced measures are therefore…
Effective immediately, UAE employment residence permit applicants in free zones are no longer eligible for a permit with a three-year validity; instead, the maximum validity has been shortened to two years. This stems from the recent amendment of immigration regulations which reduced UAE residence p…
As an update, since September 22, 2022, eligible Belarussian and Ukrainian citizens can apply for a long-term D visa in Poland, where they are normally required to apply abroad. This includes applicants from Belarus applying for humanitarian visas while already holding another valid Polish humanitar…
• The Malaysian government has launched a new short-term Social Visit Pass program called PLS@XPATS, which allows foreign nationals to work in Malaysia for up to 30 days. • Foreign nationals seeking to perform certain work in specific sectors are eligible to apply online for work authorization unde…
In an effort to develop Saudi Arabia’s education sector and attract foreign talent, the Council of Ministers has announced a ‘Study in Saudi Arabia’ program and a new self-sponsored student visa category which is expected to be available to nationals of over 160 countries. The new visa will be divid…
• Entrants have until Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at noon EST to register online at the State Department’s official lottery website. • Lottery applications must conform to the State Department’s strict requirements.
Hong Kong SAR Chinese born in the years 1992-1995 have until October 6, 2022 to apply for a new Smart Identity Card, while those born from 1996-2000 can apply from October 7, 2022-December 10, 2022, and those born on or before 1954 have until January 14, 2023 to apply for a new card. The Hong Kong S…
Employers have until October 31, 2022 to file third quarter notifications for salaries paid to highly-qualified specialists (HQS). The notification must state the salary paid to HQS from July 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022. The reported HQS salary should be no less than RUB 167,000 per calendar…
Third-country nationals who are managers of companies (defined as ‘an expert requiring exceptional professional knowledge, skills, abilities, knowledge, qualifications, and experience necessary for operation or management’) can now apply for a long-term D visa instead of temporary residence to work…
Soaring wait times for visas in India have left professionals, families and companies with few acceptable choices.
Fragomen announces the opening of its fifth office in the Middle East as it enters the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with an office in Riyadh.
Nomadic, a Fragomen Technologies, Inc. company, is honored with the Technology Innovation: Traveller Experience award at the Business Travel Awards Europe 2022.
• Ecuador introduced a two-year temporary residence visa for digital nomads, which offers foreign nationals who own a company or work for or provide services to a company or person outside Ecuador the option to reside in and work remotely from Ecuador without local sponsorship. • The visa is availab…
Don’t be afraid to voice your ideas even if your firm hasn’t identified a problem or asked for your opinion.
Companies seeking to apply for work permits for East African nationals in Kenya are now exempt from paying the work permit government fees. This includes nationals of Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia…
Fragomen is a proud sponsor of the Asian Australia Lawyers Association (AALA) National Cultural Diversity Summit. The theme of this year’s Summit is “Many Cultures, One Voice” and is scheduled to be…
• A stopgap spending measure passed by Congress will fund the U.S. government – including E-Verify and the Conrad 30 program – through December 16, 2022, as Congress considers federal budget legislation to fund the government for the full FY 2023. President Biden is expected to sign the stopgap meas…
Fragomen announces the launch of the Responsible Business Practices Group to be led by firm veteran Partner Lisa Koenig. The group aims to develop comprehensive global responsible business frameworks and initiatives across five key pillars of ESG, CSR, diversity, equity & inclusion, pro bono and wel…
The Royal Oman Police has discontinued the use of the residence permit sticker endorsed in passports, which foreign nationals receive as proof of residence status in Oman, and will now issue a digital residence permit and Residence Identity Card as proof of residency. The aim of this change is to fa…