There have been some recent changes to the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa programme, which allows qualifying applicants to have a holiday in Australia and work there to help fund their trip.
AUSTRALIA – Changes to Working Holiday Maker Visa Programme
Effective immediately, the Investigations Police (PDI) and the Immigration Department have implemented a new online appointment-booking system for all immigration-related processes.
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CHILE – New Appointment System for Immigration Procedures
Effective 1 November 2018, the Shanghai authorities have launched a new online application service for foreign nationals eligible for the 144-hour transit visa exemption, arriving at one of Shanghai’s airports.
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CHINA – New Online Application Service for Shanghai 144-Hour Transit Visa Exemption
This news alert was prepared using information provided by Newland Chase China.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has released further information about its upcoming new Visa and Citizenship Application Service (UK VACS). While the Home Office promises a more streamlined, intuitive process, implementation delays are likely, and applicants considered higher risk are likely to be subject to stricter scrutiny.
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Regulatory Decree no. 9/2018, published on 11 September 2018, took effect on 1 October 2018.
As well as implementing the 2017 amendments to the immigration law which transposed certain EU Directives into Portuguese law (see our previous alert here, the decree seeks to simplify visa application and residence permit procedures and to reduce processing times.
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PORTUGAL – Visa and Residence Procedures Simplified
Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) now requires BOI-promoted companies applying for work permits or long-term visas at the Bangkok One-Stop Service Centre (OSSC), or in Chiang Mai or Phuket, to submit applications via its new Single Window online system for streamlined initial and renewal work permit and visa applications.
The implementation date was brought forward from 2 October 2018 to 31 July 2018. In all other provinces, applications must still be made with hardcopy supporting documents and old-style work permit booklets will still be issued.
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Between 23 July and 31 August 2018, the Ministry of Interior will migrate its business permit and expatriate quota records to a new online portal called eCitBiz.
All affected companies should update their records and migrate to the new platform by 31 August 2018.
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