A Russian visa center will open in Helsinki in the coming days and there will be three more – in Turku, Lappeenranta and Mariehamn – all scheduled to open next month.
The centers will make things easier for Finns applying for Russian visas. But they will only accept documents, while decision-making on visas will remain the prerogative of diplomatic missions.
The Executive Yuan passed a draft amendment Thursday that simplifies the process for foreigners seeking residency in Taiwan in an attempt to attract foreign talent into the country. A new article was added that stipulates that if a foreigner enters Taiwan on a “four-in-one” employment pass, which incorporates a visa, work permit, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit, he or she will not be required to apply for an ARC again with the National Immigration Agency (NIA) upon arrival in Taiwan.
The ARC is the identification card issued to foreign residents in Taiwan. Under current regulations, a foreign professional who wishes to work in Taiwan has to apply for a work permit from the Council of Labor Affairs and a resident visa from a Taiwan embassy or representative office overseas before applying for an ARC from the NIA within 15 days of arrival in the country.
As Taiwan is expected to enter a zero population growth era from 2022, an important issue for the government to consider when formulating its immigration policy in the future is how it can attract foreign talent to make up for a shortage of homegrown talent resulting from a decline in the country’s fertility rate, said Premier Wu Den-yih.
Wu said the most important job for the government at present is to allow more non-resident foreigners to enter the country, relax restrictions on the residence rights of overseas-born children of Taiwanese nationals, simplify the process for foreigners applying for residency, and strengthen the management of international marriage brokers.
According to the draft amendment, overseas-born children of Taiwanese nationals can now apply for residence or settlement in Taiwan at any age. Previous regulations stipulated that only those over the age of 20 are eligible to file for application.
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is in the process of creating an ‘eMigrate’ system as a mission-mode e-governance project to streamline the emigration process and eliminate the loopholes in the current unorganized system.
“At present, it is not possible to keep track of every emigrant. With the formation of a separate ministry in 2005, the involvement of touts has been reduced but not completely eliminated. The eMigrate system will begin in a couple of months and will be implemented in phases over three years,” said KN Shrivastava, additional secretary and financial advisor, Ministry of External Affairs.
There are 25 million Indians working in 50 countries, and over 5 million unskilled and semi-skilled people in the six Gulf countries besides a sizable number in Malaysia, followed by Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
Close to 50 employers from the above countries are participating in a two-day conference beginning here today, organized jointly by the MOIA, AP government and the Overseas Manpower Corporation of Andhra Pradesh.
Shrivastava said the recruitment of labor was mainly through recruiting agents at present, which was exploitative for workers and cumbersome for employers. The MOIA was formed to address the labor problems, and a new legislative and regulatory framework would be introduced soon.
A new Immigration Management Bill has been drafted to replace the existing Immigration Regulation Act 1983. It has also taken up skill upgradation programmes for unskilled or semi-skilled labor. The ministry is mulling bilateral understanding with all Gulf countries and Malaysia.
The passports division of the External Affairs ministry would create seven ICT-enabled passport seva kendras in the state by August, three of which are to be in Hyderabad, to curb malpractices. The MOIA has set up an Indian Workers Resource Center with a toll-free 24-hour helpline in Dubai, a similar helpline in Delhi and regional migration resource centers. A Rs 25-lakh Indian Community Welfare Fund has also been created to provide support services to emigrant labour.
The EU Commission has given EU member states until 1 July to implement the blue card directive. Starting on 1 June 2011, highly skilled workers from outside the European Union can apply to work in Bulgaria under the EU Blue Card scheme. The blue card would allow a skilled worker with a job offer to take employment in member states under the directive. It may also be possible to work in more than one EU member state using the same Blue Card.
The Blue Card aka Blue European Labour Card is an approved EU-wide work permit (Council Directive 2009/50/EC) allowing high-skilled non-EU citizens to work and live in any country within the European Union, excluding Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom, which are not subject to the proposal. The term Blue Card was coined by the think tank Bruegel, inspired by the United States’ Green Card and making reference to the EU flag which is blue with twelve golden stars.
The Blue Card proposal presented by the European Commission offers a one-track procedure for non-EU citizens to apply for a work permit, which would be valid for up to two-years, but can be renewed thereafter. Those who are granted a blue card will be given a series of rights, such as favorable family unification rules. The proposal also encourages geographic mobility within the EU, between different member states, for those who have been granted a blue card. The legal basis for this proposal is Article 63(3)(a) and (4) of the Treaty of Rome, which states that the Council shall adapt measures on immigration policy concerning “conditions of entry and residence and standards on procedures for the issue by Member States” and measures “defining the rights and conditions under which nationals of third countries who are legally resident in a Member State may reside in other Member States”.
“[One of the] requirements for a non-EU citizen to get a blue card are a higher education certificate,” said Hristo Simeonov of the Bulgarian Ministry of Social Policy and Labour.
Many European companies, including Bulgaria, are experiencing shortage of highly qualified and highly skilled workers. Citizens of countries such as Ukraine, Serbia, Russia, Turkey, Croatia, and Moldavia may soon find it easier to work in Bulgaria, and in other Countries in the EU.
The Philippine Embassy explained recently about new Philippine immigration regulations on travel to the Philippines by foreign children who are under 15 years old, unaccompanied by their parents, or not coming to visit a parent. These children traveling individually or in groups to the Philippines have to notify the Commission of Immigration in writing their intent to travel to the Philippines at least 72 hours before arrival, the Philippine Embassy said.
An inquiry emailed to the Philippine Immigration Department on the new immigration regulations has not received a reply at press time. On the special Philippine medical visas for foreigners as reported in the foreign press, Charge D’ Affaires Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat said yesterday the Philippine Embassy has not received any guidelines from the Philippine Bureau of Immigrations.
Consul General Raymond Balatbat said the new regulations from the Philippine Department of Immigration amends an old law barring the entry of minor children who are not accompanied by their parents, or not visiting their parents in the Philippines.
The new regulations allow the travel of children under 15 years old to the Philippines subject to certain conditions. If those children have to be admitted to travel to the Philippines, there is a need for an intent to travel letter to be sent directly to the Philippine Bureau of Immigration in Manila, and not to the Philippine Embassy in Brunei.
We can still help by doing parallel (services),” Consul General Balatbat said. They can apply in Manila and furnish us with the same documents. We have Bruneian youths travelling to Manila to join cultural or sports activities, who are accompanied by the organizers, head of delegations, or chaperoned by persons who are not their parents.
“If the foreign child/children arrive in the Philippines without notifying the Commissioner of Immigration, they can still enter the Philippines provided the minor’s guardian or legal representative presents copies of the minor’s passport and attaches the accomplished Waiver of Exclusion (WE) forms obtained from the Immigration Duty Supervisor (IDS) in the Philippine port of entry.
“The minor’s guardian or legal representative has to pay a 3,120 Philippine pesos (around B$100) fee for each unaccompanied minor to the authorised cashier, present the payment receipt to the IDS, who shall direct an Immigration officer to admit the minor/s,” Balatbat said. The letter of intent to the Commissioner of Immigration should include a request for the minor’s waiver of exclusion and the relinquishment of exclusion fees, copies of the minor’s valid passport, visa (if required), return ticket, and letter of invitation from a parent or sponsor from the Philippines.
Finding merit in the request, the Commissioner of Immigration issues an order waiving the minor’s exclusion, and may also waive the exclusion fees. Otherwise a waiver fee of 3,120 Philippine pesos shall be imposed.
The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh has announced its schedule for outreach consular services missions, commonly known as the “Embassy on Wheels” (EOW), for the year 2011.
While the schedule is tentative, the Embassy will exert its best to stick to the schedule, provided that venues are confirmed and approval of the host government are obtained for each consular mission.
The following is the tentative schedule of the outreach activities:
27 – 28 January 2011 – Al Khobar
10 – 11 February 2011 – Al Jouf
24 – 25 February 2011 – Al Khobar
24 – 25 March 2011 – Al Khobar
14 – 15 April 2011 – Hail
28 – 29 April 2011 – Al Khobar
19 – 20 May 2011 – Al Khobar
9 – 10 June 2011 – Sana’a, Yemen
23 – 24 June 2011 – Al Khobar
7 – 8 July 2011 – Buraydah
21 – 22 July 2011 – Al Khobar
11 – 12 August 2011 – Al Khobar
15 – 16 September 2011 – Jubail
29 – 30 September 2011 – Al Khobar
20 – 21 October 2011 – Al Khobar
3 – 4 November 2011 – Sana’a, Yemen
17 – 18 November 2011 – Al Khobar
8 – 9 December 2011 – Al Khobar
Starting January 2011, the EOW will adopt the appointment system for its passport services. This is to avoid the inconvenience associated with the long queues during the past EOWs. The new appointment system is free of charge and the applicants shall enlist themselves directly through email or text.
For email, passport applicants should e-mail eowappointment@philembassy-riyadh.org and indicate the applicant/s full name, contact number, and their city in Saudi Arabia. They can also reserve a slot thru text message by sending the following format: EOW(space)full name(space)city in Saudi Arabia to 0540269731 (example: EOW Juan Santos Dammam).
Family applicants must indicate all the names of its members, otherwise only one slot would be provided to them. One week before the scheduled EOW, the list of those who would be served during the EOW passport services will be posted on the Embassy website (www.philembassy-riyadh.org).
Those who could not be accommodated for the particular EOW outreach mission will be automatically listed for the next EOW outreach mission. The next EOW is tentatively scheduled on 27-28 January 2011 at the International Philippine School in Al Khobar (IPSA) in Al Khobar, Eastern Region.
The Consulate of Vietnam has officially been inaugurated in Nagoya city, Aichi prefecture with the Chairman of the Central Japan International Airport Co. Ltd. (Centrair), Yukihisa Hirano, being appointed as the honorary consul.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan, Nguyen Phu Binh said Nagoya is a major economic centre in central Japan and the expanded area of Nagoya accounts for 1 percent of global GDP. The appointment of Mr Yukihisa Hirano as the honorary consul is of great significance for promoting relations between the two countries, Mr Binh emphasised.
Under the Vietnamese Foreign Minister’s decision issued in September, two Japanese citizens were appointed honorary consuls. Mr Yukihisa is located in Nagoya city while Taro Nakajima, President of the Kushiro Coal Exploitation Company is located in Kushiro city in Hokkaido prefecture.
Mr Hirano said he would do his best to promote exchange activities with Vietnam especially when Vietnam Airlines has opened a direct air route from Centrair to Hanoi and HCM City.
Situated on Honshu island, Nagoya is the centre of Japan’s third biggest urban area in Chukyo with a total population of 8.74 million and an area of 326.45 km2. Vietnam has now set up three diplomatic representative offices in Japan, including an embassy in Tokyo and two consulate generals in Osaka and Fukuoka.
UK’s Migration Advisory Committee today recommended that the number of migrant workers coming into Britain from outside EU be cut between 13-25 per cent next year.
The MAC submitted a 300-odd page report to the government in which it has said that the number of visas issued both under tier 1 and tier 2 categories in 2011-12 should be between 37,400 and 43,700, that would represent a 6,300 to 12,600 reduction over the 2009.For the Tier 1 General route, in order to achieve the Government’s policy objective, the MAC suggested a reduction in the number of entry clearance visas issued, compared to 2009, in the range of 3,150 to 6,300 and a limit on the number of Tier 1 entry clearance visas in the range of 8,000 to 11,100 in 2011-12.
For the Tier 2 shortage occupation, RLMT (resident labour market test) and intra-company transfer routes, the MAC has recommended a reduction the number of entry clearance visas issued, compared to 2009, in the range of 3,150 to 6,300 and a limit on the number of Tier 2 entry clearance visas in the range of 29,400 to 32,600 in 2011/12. This limit excludes extensions, switchers and dependants.
The MAC report sets out to answer the question raised by the the Home Secretary who wrote to the MAC Chair commissioning the following question: “At what level should limits on Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the points-based system be set for their first full year of operation in 2011/12, in order to contribute to achieving the government’s aim of reducing net migration to an annual level of tens of thousands by the end of this Parliament, and taking into account social and public service impacts as well as economic impacts?”
Submitting the report today the Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, David Metcalf, said, “It is not possible to reduce net migration to the tens of thousand by limiting work-related migration alone. The Committee assumes that work-related migration takes 20 per cent of the total cut – its fair share – which implies that family and student migration must take the other 80 per cent.”
The MAC report is only recommendatory in nature. The final decision on the exact cap imposed on non-EU immigrants will be decided by the government. The final decision is expected by end of December this year. The Conservatives, the main party in the current coalition government came to power with one of its promises being setting a cap on immigration.
Business lobby CBI, reacting to MAC recommendations tabled today said,“The committee rightly accepts that those coming to the UK with a job offer should have priority, and this has been something that businesses have consistently called for. It is also important that companies with an international operation can transfer their own staff, as required, on a temporary basis, and we would like to see these ‘Intra-Company Transfers’ exempted from the cap.”
The report submitted by UK Migration Advisory Committee today revealed that India topped as the largest source of migrants into UK under five different categories. Indians topped the list under Tier 1 General (41 per cent of total approvals), Tier 1 Post-Study Work Route (31 per cent), Tier 2 General (24 per cent) and Intra-Company (68 percent) transfers and finally Tier 2 Dependents (45 per cent). The data relates to approved applications between the first quarter of 2009 and first quarter of 2010.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said yesterday Cambodia and Thailand would sign an agreement next week allowing nationals from each country to cross the border without having to obtain a visa.
He said the agreement would be signed during the two-day Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit in Phnom Penh, which begins November 16. “At the ACMECS meeting we have planned to sign this exemption for ordinary passport holders,” he said.
Thani Thongpakdi, deputy spokesman for the Thai foreign ministry, said he hoped the agreement would be signed “as soon as possible”. “Thai nationals and Cambodian nationals [currently] need to get visas [to cross],” he said. “This agreement is about exempting that.”
He said procedures for crossing the border remain in place, stating that nationals must still pass through designated border gates. Koy Kuong said yesterday Cambodia has signed similar pacts with ASEAN members Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the Thai newspaper The Nation yesterday quoted Thawatchai Samutsakorn – commander of the Thai troops stationed near the Preah Vihear temple – as saying that he would push for the Preah Vihear border gate to be reopened before the New Year so that tourists could visit the temple from the Thai side.
But Koy Kuong said the gate would only be opened when Thai troops withdrew from the temple. “Samdech [Hun Sen] stated clearly that if Thailand made the situation normal again, the border gate can open anytime,” he said. “It was closed when Thailand sent troops to invade Cambodia.”
Relations between Thailand and Cambodia soured in July 2008 when the temple was listed as a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Both countries claim a 4.6-square-kilometer zone adjacent to the temple. Thai parliamentarians are set to meet next month to discuss agreements made between the two countries to undertake joint demarcation and demining projects and to redeploy troops in the area.
Immigration New Zealand head Nigel Bickel says sponsors will need to meet more specific eligibility criteria and be willing to take real responsibility for ensuring people they sponsor don’t become a burden to New Zealand taxpayers.
More specific rules for people sponsoring family and friends to visit or live in New Zealand come into effect from the end of this month. The changes are about ensuring that New Zealand citizens and residents who sponsor friends and family to come here are fully aware of their obligations.
From 29 November, sponsors will be required to sign an undertaking that they will be responsible for all aspects of ‘maintenance, accommodation and repatriation’ (or deportation if required) of the sponsored person – rather than being able to choose just one aspect. This includes responsibility for all ‘third party’ costs, such as health costs. More specific criteria for sponsors are also being introduced.
For temporary entry visas, this broader obligation will be in place for the whole time the sponsored person is in New Zealand. For resident visas, the obligation will be in place for a specific period.
Another change allows organizations (companies, charitable trusts and societies) and government agencies to sponsor individuals in some circumstances. These new categories of sponsors will be eligible to support visitor visas and also work-to-residence and residence-from–work visas under the ‘talent’ category (arts, culture and sports). The new sponsorship rules are part of changes related to the Immigration Act 2009, which come into effect from 29 November this year.
“The Act creates a new, strengthened framework for sponsorship that better protects sponsored individuals and New Zealand taxpayers by ensuring sponsorship requirements and obligations are applied consistently across different categories,” Mr Bickle says.
The new Act does not make any changes to the categories under which people apply to come to New Zealand to visit, study, work or live. Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs Chief Executive Dr Colin Tukuitonga says it is important for sponsors to understand the new rules.
“Many Pacific families sponsor relatives to come to New Zealand. The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs will be working alongside Immigration New Zealand to help our Pacific communities understand the minimum criteria to be a sponsor and the associated obligations,” Dr Tukuitonga says.
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