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The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC), gave notice that record deletion from the Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system starts at midnight on March 20. Key Points: The deletion of records within FLAG
The April Visa Bulletin shows a major retrogression of more than two years in the EB-5 unreserved visa category preference for both China and India. Key Points: China retrogressed from July 15, 2016, to Jan. 22, 2014. India retrogressed from Jan. 1, 2022, to Nov. 1,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a new “alien registration” process as part of implementation of an executive order issued by President Trump in January. The interim final rule (IFR) was published in the Federal Register on March 12 and
Singaporean officials announced significant updates to the Work Permit and S Pass that will take effect between July 1 and Sept. 1. Key Points: The Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Dr. Tan See Leng announced that the ministry will remove the maximum period of employment restrictions for
The New Zealand government announced additional changes to the Active Investor Plus Visa to simplify the investment process. Key Points: As BAL reported, the government previously announced changes to the Active Investor Plus Visa beginning April 1, including two simplified investment
The State Department announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided updated guidance to panel physicians removing the requirement that immigrant visa applicants receive the COVID-19 vaccination, effective March 11. Key Points: Panel physicians will no longer determine that an immigrant visa applicant is
The Australian government updated their visa processing times webpage to highlight the median processing times for key programs. Key Points: The government stated that in most instances they have reduced the time it takes to finalize visa applications and that visa processing times have already improved
The Canadian government announced an extension of the temporary refusal policy that applies to certain Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications for low-wage positions in Montréal and Laval. Key Points: In September 2024, the government announced the suspension of receipt of LMIA applications under the Temporary
The U.S. State Department released the April Visa Bulletin. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced filings for employment-based visa preference categories must use the Final Action Dates chart, which shows advancement across all EB-2 and EB-3 visa categories. Final Action Dates:
On Monday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Lori Chavez-DeRemer as the new U.S. Secretary of Labor. Key Points: The Senate confirmed Chavez-DeRemer with a majority vote of 67–32. In 2022, Chavez-DeRemer was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District and served on
The Labor Department has posted updated processing times for permanent labor certification (PERM) applications and prevailing wage determination (PWD) requests. PERM Processing Times: As of March 1, the department was still adjudicating PERM applications filed in November 2023 and earlier and reviewing appeals for reconsideration filed
Hong Kong immigration authorities announced a new fee structure for visa applications under specified schemes. Key Points: Effective Feb. 26, principal applicants under specified admission schemes and their dependents are now required to pay an application fee and a corresponding visa issuance fee according to a
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provided notices in the Federal Register that public comments are open or have been extended for certain new proposals and revisions to information collection processes pertaining to immigration forms and medical records. Key Points: Notice on
The Home Office updated their guidance on the good character requirement, specifically certain factors that are taken into account when assessing whether a person meets this requirement when applying for British citizenship. Key Points: The requirement for a person to be of good character in order
Finnish authorities provided additional information on the current backlog of applications for immigration on the basis of family ties as well as the reason for the processing delay. Key Points: Currently, more than 15,000 applications are awaiting a decision, and officials stated that they are making
Today, President Trump’s executive order (EO) designating English the official U.S. language was officially published in the Federal Register, stating agencies can still provide existing multilingual services. Key Points: EO 14224, signed on March 1, establishes English as the official language
The Canadian government announced the Express Entry category-based draws for 2025, which include a new education category. Key Points: Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for those seeking to immigrate permanently through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades
The European Council announced a general approach has been reached on a regulation that would allow member states to gradually introduce the Entry/Exit System (EES) system over a period of six months. Key Points: Euronews reported that interior ministers reached an
The 2025 federal election in Germany was highly anticipated, as individuals and governing bodies around the world recognized the potential implications of the outcome. BAL shared a synopsis of the election outcome in our 2025 Global Election Hub, but the following provides more context around how Germany’s government is