Entries for 2012
CANADA - Seattle Consulate Prepares to Eliminate In-Person Applications
May 15, 2012 - Starting June 1, 2012, the Canadian Consulate in Seattle will no longer accept in-person applications for work permits or Temporary Resident Visas, and will only return applications by mail or courier. The Seattle Consulate is jo...
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RUSSIA - Language Exam to be Required for Work Permits
May 15, 2012 - A Presidential Decree released May 7, 2012, has called for implementing an exam that covers Russian language, history and basic Russian law knowledge for work permit applicants. This new provision does not affect Highly Qualified...
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UNITED STATES - Secretary Napolitano Consults with Businesses Regarding US-Canada Immigration
May 14, 2012 - Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano met with a select group of companies today in Washington, D.C. to discuss the United States Beyond the Border (BTB) Action Plan. The goal of the BTB Action Plan is to strengthen sec...
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UNITED STATES - USCIS Updates Cap Usage for Fiscal Year 2013
May 14, 2012 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, as of May 11, 2012, it has received approximately 36,700 H-1B petitions counting towards the congressionally-mandated 65,000 limit. USCIS also confirmed that it ha...
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UNITED STATES - US Department of State on EB1 and EB2 Visa Availability
May 14, 2012 - Demand remains excessive for EB2 immigrant visas requested by Chinese and Indian nationals with priority dates earlier than the current April 15, 2007, cutoff date. As a result, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that t...
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AUSTRALIA - Fringe Benefit Tax - Amendments Now in Effect for Living-Away-from-Home Allowances
May 11, 2012 - As previously outlined in our bulletin on November 30, 2011, a number of fringe benefits were reviewed because of reported abuses.
The Australian Federal Government's budget, delivered this week, has outlined changes to tax benefits u...
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UNITED STATES - USCIS Updates Cap Usage for Fiscal Year 2013
May 7, 2012 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, as of May 4, 2012, it has received approximately 32,500 H-1B petitions counting towards the congressionally-mandated 65,000 limit. USCIS also confirmed that it has ...
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MALAYSIA - New System Delays Employment Pass Processing
May 2, 2012 - “Occasional system disruptions and data discrepancies” in the new processing system at Immigration Putrajaya are causing delays and case backlogs. As a result, processing times for Employment Passes (EP) have increased up to five weeks ...
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UNITED STATES - USCIS Updates Cap Usage for Fiscal Year 2013
April 30, 2012 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, as of April 27, 2012, it has received approximately 29,200 H-1B petitions counting towards the congressionally-mandated 65,000 limit. USCIS also confirmed that i...
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PHILIPPINES - Revised Document List Released for Claiming ACR I-Card
April 26, 2012 - Effective April 19, 2012, when a third-party representative claims an Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card (ACR I-Card) on behalf of a foreign national, the representative must also present a notarized authorization letter...
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