Month: October 2013

MALAYSIA: i-Pass MDeC submissions

October 31, 2013

Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) i-Pass applications, which used to be submitted directly to the Malaysian Immigration Department, must now be submitted to the Immigration Unit wihtin the MDeC itself. The MDeC is a government sponsored initiative established to support…

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SCHENGEN AREA: Short-stay visa calculation changes

October 29, 2013

From the 18th of October short-stays in the Schengen Area have been clarified for non-EU citizens by changing the calculation for the maximum period from months to days. Short-stay visas can now be utilized for a maximum duration of 90…

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Temporary Migrants to pay a œ200 levy per year for NHS treatment

October 24, 2013

On the 3rd of October a report entitled "Quantitative Assessment of Visitor and Migrant use of the NHS in England: Exploring the data" was commissioned by the Department of Health. This report estimated that the cost to the NHS from…

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A fresh look at attaining a right of permanent residence in the UK

October 23, 2013

On 17 October 2013, we saw an exciting Judgment from the Upper Tribunal confirming that permanent residence in the UK for EEA nationals and their family members can be attained even though they were overseas during a portion of their...

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AUSTRALIA: 457 Visa Program

October 18, 2013

Recent legislation in Australia has seen a crackdown on the popular 457 visa program available to foreign workers. The change in legislation came after the Labor party, headed by former PM Julia Gillard, and unions, such as the Construction Forestry…

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Better, stronger, faster: The civil penalty scheme rebuilt

October 15, 2013

Earlier this month we highlighted the recent introduction of the Immigration Bill and the proposed changes to the current civil penalty scheme to prevent the employment of illegal workers. We had reported that the Home Office intends to ‘strengthen and...

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SINGAPORE : Fair Consideration Framework and new Qualifying Salary

October 15, 2013

On the 23rd of September it was announced by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) that there will be new rules in 2014 which will require large companies to give fair consideration to nationals of Singapore through advertising before hiring foreign…

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Statement of Change in Immigration Rules October 2013

October 15, 2013

On Friday the 6th of September, a written ministerial Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules was laid in Parliament by the Minister of State for Immigration, Mark Harper. The changes will cover a variety of Immigration categories, including Tier 1,…

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Registered Travellers Scheme

October 11, 2013

The Home Office has recently announced that they have introduced a scheme called the Registered Traveller Scheme. The Scheme, which is now open for people to register, will be initially operated at Heathrow and Gatwick and will allow certain travellers…

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How the Home Secretary’s speech could affect UK immigration rules

October 10, 2013

On the 30th September the Home Secretary, Theresa May, gave a speech at the Conservative Party conference, with an emphasis on immigration and the Human Rights Act. This blog looks the key points raised and how it's likely to affect UK...

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