Immigration news updates for AMER and EMEA regions
Americas
Canada: Updated guidance for Intra-Company Transferees
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has updated its guidelines for processing Intra-Company Transferees (ICTs), effective October 3, 2024. These changes aim to clarify eligibility criteria, streamline the application process, and ensure the program’s focus on transferring skilled workers within multinational corporations (MNCs).
Key updates include:
- Clarified MNC Definition: Clearer guidance on what constitutes an MNC to ensure ICTs are used for genuine transfers within multinational entities.
- Refined Specialized Knowledge Requirements: A more precise definition of “specialized knowledge” to better assess applicants’ unique and essential skills.
- Reinforced Eligibility Criteria: Consolidated criteria to make requirements clearer for applicants.
- Focus on Genuine Transfers: Emphasis on transferring key employees with specialized knowledge rather than general workforce.
- GCMS Documentation: Reminder for officers to include all relevant evidence in the Global Case Management System (GCMS).
The guidelines also update ICT provisions under various Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to standardize the application process.
The ICT program, part of the International Mobility Program, allows employers to hire foreign workers without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), making it a more attractive option for transferring skilled employees.
These updates align with IRCC’s broader efforts to reduce the proportion of temporary residents in Canada from 6.5% to 5% over the next three years. Additional measures include reducing the number of study permits and post-graduation work permits (PGWPs) issued, and revising the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), including suspending low-wage stream applications in high unemployment areas.
Overall, these changes aim to maintain the integrity and effectiveness of the ICT program, benefiting both multinational corporations and the Canadian economy.
This summary was prepared using information from the Canadian Visa Point
United States: Biden administration to not extend the CHNV temporary parole program
The Department of Homeland Security has stated that the Biden administration will not renew the legal status for migrants who were allowed to enter the U.S. through the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) temporary parole program.
The Biden´s administration opened the temporary parole program in late 2022 in an effort to discourage illegal border crossings. It allowed Venezuelan nationals to fly into the U.S. to live and work for two years if a U.S.-based person agreed to sponsor them.
The program was expanded in early 2023 to include Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants.
More than 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have flown to the U.S. since the program’s launch.
The parole status for certain Venezuelan migrants who came to the U.S. through the program in Oct. 2022 began expiring this month and will not be extended.
Parole periods for Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans will permanently expire in early 2025.
This summary was prepared using information from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Disclaimer: The above information is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have any further inquiries regarding the applicability of this information, please contact Roberta Carnaccini (Global Director of Immigration).
Europe, Middle East and Africa
Sweden: Swedish citizeship rules change for people in vulnerable situation and Nordic citizens
The Swedish government has shared additional information about amendments to the Citizenship Act that affect young people and Nordic citizens.
The Swedish government is introducing new requirements for young people seeking Swedish citizenship, emphasizing the need for an orderly lifestyle. Applicants aged between 15 and 21 years old who apply through the notification process must meet these criteria.
The Swedish Migration Agency will now consider the applicant’s current circumstances and any events that occur after the citizenship application has been submitted. Factors such as unpaid debts and criminal convictions will be considered in the decision-making process.
Additionally, Nordic citizens will now need to contact the Swedish Migration Agency directly for all citizenship matters. Previously, they could acquire Swedish citizenship through their local county administrative board. The government is also making changes for those seeking to renounce their Swedish citizenship. Starting on October 1, an individual may be refused to be released from their Swedish citizenship if there is suspicion that they do not genuinely wish to be released. Alongside the stricter requirements for acquiring Swedish citizenship, the protection of citizenship is being reinforced. Additionally, the fee for notifying citizenship will be raised to SEK 475 (approximately USD $46). The “Become a Swedish citizen” section on the government’s website has been updated to include these new regulations.
This summary was prepared using information from the Swedish Immigration Agency
Disclaimer: The above information is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have any further inquiries regarding the applicability of this information, please contact Roberta Carnaccini (Global Director of Immigration).
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