RELO NEWS
Following an April decree, the Ministry of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) has published related guidelines, which are effective immediately.
Notably, the guidelines address the new Short-Term Work Permit exemption and new documentary requirements for experts and specialists submitting Work Permit applications, among other changes. Implementation details remain subject to change and may differ among cities/provinces.
To comply with the EU Directive on intra-company transferees (ICTs), a proposed law that is set to be implemented in the coming weeks will introduce the new EU ICT Work Permit for non-EU foreign qualified managers and specialists and graduate trainees with at least a Master’s degree sent from a company outside the European Union to an entity in the same corporate group in Luxembourg for a period of more than 90 days.
Third-country nationals who are considered to have in-demand skills are now eligible for a new expedited two-to-three week Single Permit processing time, instead of the normal processing time of up to 14 weeks. Currently, expedited processing is only available to nationals of a neighbouring country of Hungary, however the list of eligible nationals may be expanded to all third-country nationals.
A new law implemented in March with initial provisions effective November 1, 2016 (with a transitional phase) and additional provisions effective January 1, 2017, significantly overhauls the French immigration system, and includes measures to attract skilled foreign talent and increase employer requirements to combat illegal immigration and illegal work.
The most significant changes affecting employers are explained below.
On or after January 1, 2017, Work Permit and Intracompany Transferee (ICT) Work Permit applicants will be subject to a simplified work authorisation process, including the removal of the labour market test and bank deposit requirements, among other simplifications. However, heads of branches and representative offices of foreign entities in Kazakhstan will no longer be exempt from the Work Permit requirement, and it is unclear whether a grace period will be introduced for those who will now require a Work Permit.
On or after December 26, 2016, according to a policy change, EU and non-EU employers seconding employees to Italy will be required to submit an online notification through the Labour and Social Policy portal, report any updates to their employees’ information within five days of the change, maintain employee documentation for up to two years after the assignment end date and appoint a company representative.
On January 1, 2017, the minimum base salary for several work permit categories will increase in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia.
• The minimum base salary for highly-skilled foreign workers applying for Type "B" work permits will increase to EUR 40,124 annually, up from EUR 39,824.
• The minimum base salary for senior management and executives will increase to EUR 66,942, up from EUR 66,442.
• The minimum base salary for EU Blue Card holders will increase to EUR 51,882, up from EUR 51,484.
Foreign nationals seeking to work in the Czech Republic for over 90 days must now separately obtain an Employee Card at a Czech consulate – which can take up to 90 days to process –after obtaining a work permit and prior to starting work in the Czech Republic, according to a new Ministry of Foreign Affairs guideline. They can no longer file an Employee Card application and a short-term work visa application simultaneously at a Czech consulate, which would allow entry once the short-term work visa was approved, which usually took 14 days.
A new law has been published that, when implemented, will eventually significantly modify work permitprocedures and criteria.
The most noteworthy changes include a new government agency that will use a points-based system to evaluate work permit applications, a new permanent work category and a new work permit exemption that may apply to seconded workers.
e elimination of the work permit exemption for Japanese nationals has been extended until January 1, 2017, instead of the original date of October 1, 2016.
Japanese nationals who already hold a residence permit that allows them to work without a work permit will be able to maintain their work permit exemption for the duration of their current residence permit. When they apply for an extension on or after January 1, they will again require work authorization
Effective immediately, new and renewal Residence and Work Permit applicants must earn a minimum annual salary of NOK 382,900 before taxes (approximately USD 45,754) if they hold a bachelor’s degree (up from NOK 381,000) or NOK 412, 600 before taxes (approximately USD 49,288) if they hold a master’s degree (up from NOK 410,500)
Following last December’s regulations that created different work permit schemes for expert activities that require academic qualifications and those that do not, the Work Permit Unit of the Ministry of Interior (WPU) has started implementing the requirements for work permit applications. The requirements also apply retroactively to pending work permit applications.
Foreign nationals must earn at least DKK 400,000 per year to qualify for a residence and work permit under the Pay Limit scheme if the work and residence permit application is submitted on or after June 10, 2016. Applications submitted prior to June 10 will be subject to the current DKK 375,000 threshold.
At an event hosted by the Toronto Board of Trade and the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy on May 24, 2016 to address Canada’s immigration policies and regulations from an economic standpoint, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Hon. John McCallum, announced potential immigration policy changes. A House of Commons committee is reviewing the existing temporary and permanent worker programs and the government plans to use the Committee’s recommendations to create policies that increase the number of economic immigrants and ensure national competitiveness.
The Indonesian Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is enforcing the requirement for foreign nationals to submit additional documents to apply for long-term work permit (IMTA) extensions. Although this was previously stated in the regulations, the MOM did not strictly enforce these requirements until recently.
The Canadian government is taking special measures until August 3, 2016 to assist foreign nationals affected by the wildfires in Alberta.
Applicants who submitted a Canadian travel document application and are expecting to receive it by mail should call 1-800-567-6868 to confirm the pick-up location or to provide an alternate mail location.
The implementation of the quota system that was planned for Azerbaijan has been delayed, according to a policy change by the State Migration Service. Quota requests will be accepted on or after May 15, 2016. A new online system that will announce the quotas is expected to be available on July 16, 2016 through the State Migration Authority’s website.
Residence permit applicants should expect delayed approvals due to the following issues at the Foreigners’ Office of Immigration, which issues residence permits:
Work permit applicants should expect delayed approvals due to changes to the internal operations system at the Ministry of Labor, which issues work permits.
Japan’s Immigration Bureau will be closed April 29 through May 5, 2016to observe the Golden Week holidays.
Golden Week is a combination of several public holidays: Showa Day, which falls on April 29, Constitution Memorial Day, which falls on May 3, Greenery Day, which falls on May 4 and Children’s Day, which falls on May 5.
