Last week, K2’s Immigration Experts were joined by Johnathan Hammond, JD. and Cheryl Geiser, Esq. from Klug Law Firm as they hosted a Global Immigration Virtual Round Table.
Facilitated by Christine Burton from K2’s US office, this VRT gave the perfect opportunity for our network to get up to speed with the immigration news coming out of the US, South America and Singapore. Being an open and interactive session, attendees were encouraged to ask any questions, which were then answered by our experts.
You can view a recording of the Global Immigration VRT here. Or if you would like a written round-up of each of the subject areas, continue reading below.
Immigration Updates for the US.
Presented by Julie Seifert, Johnathan Hammond and Cheryl Geiser.
- The US Department of State has recently started allowing state-side visa renewals, expanding the process to H and L classifications.
- Israel has recently been added to the Visa Waiver Program.
- US Government shutdown on November 17th, 2023. This will affect multiple agencies, and the DoS may decrease appointment availability. Customs and border control should run normally, as should the USCIS.
- The USCIS is actively working to decrease EAD processing times, and have made significant advancements on this front.
- There are a high number of registrations for the H-1B lottery. Last year, there were over 750,000 registrations, whilst there are only 85,000 spaces.
- Wait times in the consulate should go down in 2024
Immigration Updates for Latin America.
Presented by Carolina Carnauba, K2 LATAM Immigration Lead.
- For good documentation management when it comes to the submission of pre-work permits, make sure you hold the following documents when entering LATAM countries:
- A recent copy of birth and marriage certificate, as well as any diplomas
- 90 day recently issues PCC
- Legalised apostille
- If travelling with children, bring their vaccine cards
- Allow 4 – 6 months of processing time for your permit into South America (generally speaking, can be different depending on country or type of permit)
- Brazil is facing delays, due to having refugee applications and work permit application in the same mix. Please inform your employees on processing times in Brazil.
- Mexico, Argentina and Colombia require a company registration (Corporate Sponsorship)
- If travelling to Brazil with a family, coming with family reunion visa will make the process easier.
- If working as a visitor for no more than 90 days in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, there is a specific registration process for working as a tourist.
Immigration Updates in Singapore.
Presented by Jesper Albrekt, K2 APAC Immigration Lead.
- The Compass Framework – from 1st September 2023, all new Employment Passes must score at least 40 points, dictated by the Compass Framework. Watch the VRT, or click here to read everything you need to know.
- The ONE Pass was introduced on 1st January 2023 for Singapore to attract top talent in business, arts, culture, sports, academia and research. This has a five-year validity and is exempt from the Compass Framework.
Concluding the VRT, K2 Global Account Director Eric Pengelly presented to the attendees the launch and subsequent developments of the K2 Foundation. You can learn all about the Foundation, including K2’s expedition to Nepal later this month, which is raising money for the Foundation, here.
