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The Brazilian government announced a 7% increase to the minimum wage.
Key Points:
BAL Analysis: Businesses may see an increase in labor costs because of the new minimum wage. Employers should take the new wage minimums into account when planning their 2024 budgets.
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 Kazakhstani government announced the new 2024 foreign worker quotas for all work categories and regions.
Key Points:
Additional Information: Local executive bodies issued 14,500 thousand permits to employers in 2023, and currently 13,183 foreign citizens are working in Kazakhstan with such permits. Employers must provide information on the current number of foreign nationals employed and the number of foreign nationals the company intends to hire in 2024 when applying for their specific work permits.
BAL Analysis: Kazakhstan has settled the total quota at 0.23% of the country’s workforce, amounting to 22,000 workers. Companies are encouraged to take note of the quotas and any relevant exemptions and plan their international recruiting and hiring programs accordingly.
BAL joined a group of more than 50 top U.S. companies this week in signing a friend-of-the-court brief in support of protecting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The brief was filed in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the ongoing litigation challenging DACA. The Fifth Circuit is hearing the case after a federal judge in Texas issued a ruling declaring a Biden administration regulation to protect DACA unlawful. The administration has appealed that ruling. Oral arguments are expected later this year.
Proponents assert that DACA has remained a transformative policy, contributing an estimated $13.3 billion to the U.S. economy each year. If the program ends, not only would hundreds of thousands lose their immigration status and employment authorization, but companies would also lose valued employees and the national gross domestic product could contract by up to $460 billion, according the Coalition for the American Dream.
“By making hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients eligible for work authorization, [DACA] expands work opportunities for everyone,” the brief said. “DACA recipients played a particularly important role as front-line workers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, with unemployment at low levels and worker shortages plaguing many sectors of the economy, the contributions of Dreamers are more important than ever.”
The complete list of companies that signed the brief is available here.
As of Sept. 30, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reported that there were more than 544,000 active DACA recipients in the United States. Under a court order in the current litigation, the U.S. government is permitted to accept and process DACA renewals and related work and travel authorization requests; officials are not permitted to process first-time DACA requests.
BAL Analysis: The business community continues to show strong support for DACA and the crucial role Dreamers play in the U.S. economy. Given the uncertain environment, DACA recipients who qualify for a renewal are urged to apply for one as soon as they can. BAL will continue to follow the litigation challenging DACA and will provide updates as information becomes available.
Read more of the latest immigration news.
This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. 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 German government announced that Israeli nationals can remain in the country until April 26, 2024, without applying for a residence permit or an extension of their visa-free stay.
Background: The German Minister of the Interior emphasized the country’s solidarity with the people of Israel and said the ongoing situation factored into the decision. Other countries have recently enacted similar measures to support citizens impacted by the Israel-Hamas war. Canadian officials recently announced a new temporary resident pathway for Canadian citizens’ and permanent residents’ extended family members in Gaza. The United States also recently authorized visa-free travel for Israeli nationals and designated Israel into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which allows eligible travelers to apply online for authorization to travel to the United States through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.
BAL Analysis: The temporary measure should provide visa relief to Israeli citizens who are currently in Germany as officials aim to provide support to those affected by the conflict.
BAL updated its USCIS Fee Calculator following the posting this week of a final rule to increase immigration filing fees.
BAL Analysis: Developed by BAL Community, the USCIS Fee Calculator allows users to calculate the impact of filing fee increases on their immigration programs and is available on BAL.com under Insights. BAL will continue to provide updates and resources on the fee increases in the weeks ahead.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced this week that H-1B cap registration will open March 6.
Additional Information: USCIS first announced the dates of the filing window in a press release about the new regulation that makes changes to the H-1B selection process. The agency has explicitly stated that changes to the H-1B selection process are designed to “bolster integrity and curtail the potential for fraud while improving and streamlining our application processes … [making] H-1B selections more equitable for petitioners and beneficiaries.” This change has the potential to reduce the overall number of registrations and boost H-1B selection rates for employers.
The United Kingdom’s Electronic Travel Authorization pilot program is available to nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Additional Information: Individuals cannot use a passport issued by one of these countries to apply for an ETA if they are not a national of that country. An ETA will be valid for two years (or to the expiry of the holder’s passport, whichever is sooner) for multiple entries into the U.K. Individuals who are denied an ETA must apply for a Standard Visitor visa, Temporary Work – Creative Worker visa or transit visa.
BAL Analysis: Beginning Feb. 22, nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will be required to apply for an ETA before traveling to the U.K. By the end of 2024, an ETA will be required for all visitors who do not need a visa for short stays, including those visiting from European countries, Australia and the United States.
Finnish authorities announced the extension of Ukrainian residence permits granted on the basis of temporary protection until March 4, 2025.
Additional Information: Finnish authorities recommend that eligible individuals apply for a new residence permit card even though the current permit has been extended. Ukrainian nationals can apply for a new card as of Feb. 17, and the updated validity period of the residence permit will be printed on the new card. The fastest way to receive a new residence permit card is via online service.
BAL Analysis: The Finnish Immigration Service stated that it will send a letter confirming the extension of permits on the basis of temporary protection. Various non-EU countries have introduced similar protection programs, along with the EU temporary protection directive, and more countries are expected to extend protected status for Ukrainian citizens.
Singaporean officials announced the agreement with China for a 30-day mutual visa exemption policy will go into effect on Feb. 9.
Additional Information: Chinese travelers are currently required to apply for visas to visit Singapore, and Singaporean nationals have a 15-day visa exemption policy to visit China. Under long-standing agreements, holders of diplomatic, public affairs and service passports issued in China are exempt from visa requirements for a stay of up to 30 days in Singapore. Holders of all other Chinese travel documents must continue to apply for an entry visa before travel into Singapore until Feb. 9.
BAL Analysis: The mutual visa exemption policy is intended to further facilitate cross-border travel and economic development between Singapore and China. The new agreement should strengthen bilateral relations and economic ties between the two nations.
The Home Office announced dates for when new minimum wage thresholds for foreign worker visas will come into force.
Additional Information: The U.K. government stated that applications submitted before these deadlines will be assessed under the existing guidelines. The new threshold will start at £29,000 for minimum income on family visas and increase later in 2024 to around £34,500 and then to around £38,700 “by early 2025.”
BAL Analysis: The measures represent significant changes to the U.K.’s immigration system and are designed to reduce the number of migrants coming to the country. BAL will continue following the implementation of these measures and will provide updates as information becomes available.