Settly’s Post

Ever topical, always complex, yet explained again with clarity and brevity. Great update here from our immigration gurus Darren Stevenson, Ella Taylor-Fagan and Tom Mintern - well worth checking out if you have global mobility considerations.

As part of the Government’s plan to reduce net migration to the UK, the Home Office has announced a number of unprecedented changes to the Immigration Rules concerning the sponsored Skilled Worker route and family migration. In our latest insight, Darren Stevenson, Tom Mintern and Ella Taylor-Fagan outline the key changes and suggested next steps for employers to take: https://lnkd.in/er2qkdKA

🌐👥 What can we expect from the new New Zealand Government on immigration? By Iain Macleod, Managing Director. It's early days, and the ink is barely dry on the coalition agreement, but the expectations for massive and rapid change are palpable. You only had to witness the frenzy of last Friday when the media, desperate for news, published an 'announcement' that there were to be three significant changes to immigration policy, including the abandonment of the median wage requirement for 'SMC' applicants. 📰 🤔I checked to see if this was the new Government's policy.    👥💬I am reliably informed that what was announced it is not. 🛑 Further, I am told that there will be no 'big bang' changes to immigration policy. I was told that the chaos and mayhem of the past 15 months of constant, often conflicting policy changes, usually made on the hoof with little thought to the consequences, 'is over.'    We can expect a more reasoned, consultative process to replace it. 🔄   I imagine we may see a freeze on the planned increase in the median wage to secure a work visa while the Government works out how it might unpick that and replace it with something else. Currently, most applicants for work visas must be paid $29.66 per hour, but that is being raised in the New Year to $31.61. 💼💰 #newzealandimmigration #policymakers #consultative

New hiked up skill and salary thresholds are set to put the brakes on work-related immigration after the Easter break. Tougher criteria will apply, but as always, it isn’t straightforward, and employers may struggle to make sense of the new landscape. Matthew Davies, Partner and Head of Business Immigration and Tracie Udall, Partner put the latest changes into context and perspective, and set out the key points. Read more - https://lnkd.in/d_Qx4uAv #WeAreWrightHassall #BusinessImmigration #ImmigrationNews #Immigration

New Zealand Immigration - Proposed Changes "I'll be taking a paper to Cabinet in the next couple of weeks to make sure that we are getting the balance right between the highly skilled workers that we need and making sure that we're able to have the absorptive capacity in New Zealand to make sure that we can actually have the infrastructure and the housing, healthcare and education services we need to make sure that we can look after everybody." https://lnkd.in/gAQ7u5de

Australia is a dynamic and ever-evolving country, and its immigration policies reflect the changing needs of its economy and society. One of the most significant areas of change recently has been in the realm of Employer Sponsored Visas. These updates are designed to address skill shortages, protect worker rights, and ensure that Australia remains an attractive destination for skilled migrants. In this article, we will explore the latest changes in detail and discuss their implications for employers and employees alike. Read More At...... https://lnkd.in/gTfs33Wk

December was an extremely busy month for immigration in/to the European Union! 🇪🇺 Latest news on the recast of the Single Permit Directive 👇🏻 📑 The basics The Single Permit Directive (Directive 2011/98/EU) is a piece of EU legislation that simplified the procedure for non-EU nationals to obtain both a work permit and a residence permit in a single application. The Directive also sets out basic rights and benefits for non-EU workers with single permits. However, delays, procedural issues and other serious problems, including labour exploitation of non-EU nationals in some cases, have led to a recast (a reconsideration with the aim of improving it!). 📆 What has now happened In December 2023, the EU reached a political agreement on the revised Single Permit Directive, marking a significant step towards its adoption. The updated rules streamline the procedures. In addition, it grants more rights for third-country workers and their equal treatment compared to EU workers. The proposal is part of the 'skills and talent' package which has as an objective to attract the skills and talent the EU needs. 🌟 What will it mean? - A third-country worker will be able to submit an application from the territory of a third-country or, according to the agreement reached between the co-legislators, from within the EU if they are a holder of a valid residence permit. No more need to leave and re-enter! - The application procedure becomes unified and standardised across Member States! - Issuing a single permit should be made within three months after receipt of the complete application and this period must also cover the time needed to check the labour market situation (if applicable). However, the issuance of the entry visa is not within this timeline. - Single permit holders will have the possibility to change employers, subject to a notification. A minimum period of time during which the single permit holder is required to work for the first employer may be applicable. - In case of loss of employment, holders are allowed to remain in the country if the total period of unemployment does not exceed three months during the validity of the single permit or six months after two years of the permit. - The Directive strengthens mechanisms for enforcing labour rights and preventing exploitation. 🛂 Though politically agreed upon, the revised Directive now needs to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, then go through a legal-linguistic revision process. More to come! #EuropeanUnion #immigration #globalmobility #immigrationlawyer #immigrationlaw #immigrationservices #Europe #workpermit #residencepermit

In our bi-monthly Immigration newsletter for November 2023, our Head of Immigration, Imelda Reddington, reports on the proposed date for the new civil penalties impacting employers and landlords. Also, a recent U-turn, the Migration Advisory Committee have presented proposals to the Government to consider scrapping the Shortage Occupation List together. Additionally, I discuss the reintroduction of the CAP on supplementary work for health and care workers and finally discuss the importance of renewing your sponsor Licences. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eWNJNXed #immigration #immigrationlaw #employers #landlords #government #occupation #sponsor

Really good idea to create one system to grant employment permits and immigration permissions rather than separating the two processes and slowing down the arrival of skillled workers to Ireland. Also, allowing spouses of employment permit holders to hold a work permission is a much needed addition.

White House Reveals Workplace Immigration Plans for Rest of Year “The Biden administration in the second half of 2024 intends to finalize its revamp of the H-1B visa program, amend the H-2A and H-2B seasonal worker programs, and propose a rule updating the Schedule A list of occupations exempt from the PERM labor certification process, according to the White House’s latest regulatory agenda. This article outlines the regulatory changes the Biden administration is planning for employment-based immigration in the remainder of 2024. Note, however, that agency agendas feature goals that are often postponed and sometimes never come to fruition. Add to that the intensifying focus of an election year and the knowledge that any regulatory plans left unfinished could be abandoned—and regulations could be reversed—if Republican Donald Trump wins the White House later this year.” For more detail read, please visit SHRM@https://lnkd.in/eqHhCC7y