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The Mexican government requires companies that employ foreign nationals to update their corporate registration certificate (CRC) after filing their taxes each respective fiscal year. Key Points: Companies employing foreign workers must update their CRC with the National Immigration Institute (INM) no later than April 30, 2025. The tax filing deadline is
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today that Australia is now an official Global Entry partner country, making Australia one of 19 partner countries whose citizens can apply for Global Entry membership. Key Points: Australian Global Entry applicants undergo rigorous and recurring vetting by both
The Home Office announced a temporary exemption from obtaining an electronic travel authorization (ETA) for certain passengers transiting airside. Key Points: As BAL reported, effective Jan. 8, all eligible non-European travelers are now required to obtain an ETA prior to travel
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated policy guidance to clarify how it evaluates eligibility for the second preference employment-based (EB-2) classification for immigrant petitions filed with a request for a national interest waiver (NIW). Key Points: The new policy guidance addresses: How USCIS considers
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 Jan. 1, 2025, the department was adjudicating PERM applications filed in September 2023 and earlier and reviewing appeals for reconsideration filed
The Edakunni v. Mayorkas settlement, in which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agreed to simultaneous adjudications of “bundled” H-4 and L-2 applications for dependent status and employment authorization, is set to expire on Jan. 18. Key Points: Under the 2023 Edakunni v. Mayorkas settlement, USCIS
The Home Office announced that the first-round ballots for the 2025 Youth Mobility Scheme for Taiwanese youth will open on Feb. 4. Key Points: Beginning Feb. 4, travelers ages 18 to 30 from Taiwan can apply for the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot. The ballot window will
The South Korean government launched a new digital residence card for foreign nationals. Key Points: The Ministry of Justice launched a new digital residence card on Jan. 10 for permanent residence and overseas Korean residence cards that has the same validity as a physical residence card.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has not officially announced the exact start date of the H-1B fiscal year (FY) 2026 cap season, but there are important reminders regarding the H-1B electronic registration process and H-1B cap season that employers should
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published a Federal Register notice providing updated procedures for submitting a Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, accompanied by a permanent labor certification, application for Schedule A designation or
The Canadian government announced changes to open work permits (OWP) for family members of temporary residents. Key Points: As BAL initially reported, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada originally announced their intention to change OWP eligibility for family members of international students
Finnish authorities announced the Finnish Immigration Service is now fully responsible for processing residence permits for employed persons. Key Points: As BAL previously reported, a pause on decision-making was previously announced for certain residence permit applications during the transfer of responsibility.
Danish immigration authorities announced new fee rates, including a decrease in the fees for processing applications for a residence permit in the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration’s (SIRI) areas of expertise. Key Points: Foreign nationals who apply for a residence permit on the basis
The State Department announced records set by the Bureau of Consular Affairs under the Biden-Harris administration, including U.S. passport and visa services. Key Points: Since 2021, the State Department has issued 90 million U.S. passports, bringing the number of valid U.S. passports in circulation to an
The U.S. State Department released the February Visa Bulletin. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced filings for employment-based preference categories must use the Final Action Dates chart, which will remain the same as January except for China and India. Final Action
The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department announced the designation of Romania as a participating country in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Key Points: The designation was awarded because Romania demonstrated a “significant whole-of-government effort” to meet all program requirements, which included: Entering into
The Canadian government announced pools for the 2025 International Experience Canada (IEC) season are now open. Key Points: The IEC program allows international youth aged 18 to 35 (18 to 30 in some countries) from over 30 eligible countries the opportunity to travel and work in
In this week's episode, Gabe Mozes and Jeff Robins introduce BAL’s newest office in Atlanta and litigation service group while diving into their deep experience in immigration. Explore more episodes of the BAL Immigration Report podcast, available on
As we prepare for President-elect Trump’s second term, we expect to see some of the same policies and immigration trends from his first term. One of those is a significant increase in Form I-9 audits and worksite enforcement investigations. Employers can best prepare by understanding how to correctly fill out