Search
Contact
Login
Share this article
Chinese officials announced the expansion of its visa-free policy to nationals of Denmark, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal and Slovenia.
Key Points:
Background: The Chinese government has introduced various measures recently to increase inbound travel from foreign tourists and drive business in its economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. As BAL previously reported, earlier this year tourists from Australia, New Zealand and Poland were also granted unrestricted entry to China until the end of 2025.
BAL Analysis: Visitors from 18 European countries can now visit China visa-free. The government is focusing on new visa-free schemes and enhancing tourism infrastructure to facilitate cross-border travel, increase inbound tourism to further economic development and encourage cultural exchanges.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.
Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.
The Sri Lankan government has reinitiated its previous electronic travel authorization (ETA) visa system.
Additional Information: The Supreme Court’s decision to suspend the eVisa considered fundamental rights petitions that challenged potential procedural violations and negative impacts to the Sri Lankan tourism sector. Travelers who have applied and obtained an eVisa from the new system will not be affected and will be able to utilize their visas if they applied before 5 p.m. IST on Aug. 2. BAL will continue following updates on the new eVisa platform and will provide more information as it becomes available.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that the Biden administration will not extend legal status for migrants who were permitted to fly to the U.S. under the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) temporary parole program.
Additional Information: DHS will provide parolees with notices instructing them to either apply for other immigration statuses or leave the U.S. FAQ on the CHNV program can be found here.
This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.
South Africa’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced a new Trusted Tour Operator Scheme, which will open in January 2025.
Background: Officials provided travel data to support the new initiative, including that Chinese tourists made over 100 million outbound trips in 2023 and that Indian tourists account for 3.9% and China tourists 1.8% of all international visitors to South Africa.
BAL Analysis: South African immigration authorities are hoping to reform the visa system to allow the Department of Home Affairs to serve as an economic enabler, supercharging job creation in the tourism sector. The program may be extended to other nationalities in the future. BAL will continue to monitor developments and will provide more information as it becomes available.
The U.S. Mission to India has released 250,000 additional visa appointments for Indian travelers, including tourists, skilled workers and students.
Additional Information: The U.S. Mission to India includes the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai, along with consulates in Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Over 1.2 million Indians have traveled to the United States so far in 2024, an increase of 35% over the same period in 2023. More than 6 million Indian nationals currently hold a U.S. nonimmigrant visa, with thousands more visas issued each day.
The Australian government’s ballot initiative for the Work and Holiday program for mainland China, India and Vietnam has commenced for program year 2024-2025.
Additional Information: As BAL previously reported, previous registrations lodged for the program in 2023 cannot be used for selection in the new program, and the pre-application process will apply only to first Work and Holiday subclass 462 visa applicants from China, Vietnam and India. Foreign nationals from these countries who have already been granted a first Work and Holiday visa can continue applying for a second or third Work and Holiday visa online. Information on the pre-visa application process is published on the department website.
BAL Analysis: The new initiative is specifically designed to address the number of Work and Holiday visa registrations, which significantly exceed the number of places available to the participant countries each year.
The Canadian government has updated its guidance for intra-company transfers (ICT).
Additional Information: IRCC officials stated that ICT should not be used to transfer an enterprise’s general workforce to affiliated entities in Canada. The government is also redefining “specialized knowledge” and whether certain positions require specialized knowledge. The government is releasing policy updates affecting temporary work permit applications, including the changes announced here for intra-company transfers.
BAL Analysis: Employers should be aware of these important changes. BAL will continue to monitor developments and will provide more information as it becomes available.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued updated policy guidance to clarify the types of evidence that may be evaluated to determine eligibility for the extraordinary ability EB-1 immigrant visa.
Additional Information: Further information on the extraordinary ability EB-1 immigrant visa is available here.
The Swedish government provided more details on changes to the Citizenship Act for young people and for Nordic citizens.
Additional Information: The government is also implementing changes for applicants who apply for release from citizenship. Effective Oct. 1, an individual may be denied release from their Swedish citizenship if there is reason to suspect that the applicant does not wish to be released. At the same time as the requirements for obtaining Swedish citizenship are increasing, the protection of citizenship is also being strengthened.
The introduction of these new amendments also includes an increase to the notification of citizenship fee, which will increase to SEK 475 (about USD $46). The “Become a Swedish citizen” section on the government’s website has been updated to reflect these new regulations.
The Malaysian government has introduced interim endorsement slips as a temporary substitute for long-term pass stickers.
Additional Information: The Malaysian government is also introducing a separate initiative to better manage applications within Expatriate Services Division Online. Beginning Oct. 1, the MYXpats Centre will automatically cancel any inactive applications that are not resubmitted within 90 days. Companies will receive notification emails at several stages before the cancellation occurs, but authorities will not process any refunds on the processing fees for canceled applications.
BAL Analysis: The Malaysian government intends for these initiatives to streamline immigration processes.