On May 26, 2021, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an extension of its remote I-9 verification policy that provides flexibility for employers conducting remote reviews of I-9 supporting documentation. This extension applies to employees hired on or after June 1, 2021, and remains in effect until
On May 24, 2021, the US State Department announced that US citizens overseas with U.S. passports which expired on or after January 1, 2020, may be able to use these expired passports to return directly to the United States until December 31, 2021. According to the US State Department, US citizens qualify for this exception if all of the following are true:
Lockdown in the UK is easing at last. We can meet up with friends, family and work colleagues who we have only seen virtually over the last few months. Perhaps go for a meal……but will our favourite restaurants be able to re-open?
The UK hospitality industry has been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis. Since March 2020, these businesses have been forced to close during the various periods of lockdown, often leading them to letting staff go unless they could retain them under the furlough scheme. According to the Office for National Statistics, 335,000 jobs were lost in the catering industry in the year to March 2021 alone. A number of these positions had previously been filled by overseas nationals, many of whom have left the UK. It has now been reported that a number of restaurant owners are now having issues recruiting staff.
However, help is potentially at hand due to the changes made to the UK immigration system on 1 December 2020.
In line with many countries around the world, in order to combat the spread of Covid-19, the EU placed restrictions on travelers entering from non-EU countries. With increasing numbers of people now being vaccinated, some countries are slowly coming out of lockdown with restrictions on non-emergency travel easing.
Earlier this week, EU Member States came to an agreement regarding entry of visitors from outside of the EU. The agreement is still pending final approval but it is anticipated that EU countries will soon allow entry to visitors who either have been fully vaccinated with an EU approved vaccine or are from a “safe list” of third countries that have met certain criteria.
Continue Reading EU Getting Ready to Re-Open Borders to Travellers
In response to the rise of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan, the country’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced the implementation of new entry restrictions for foreign visitors. Specifically, foreign nationals without a valid Alien Resident Certificate (ARC card) will be temporarily barred from entry to Taiwan. This means holders of visitor or residence visas with COVID-19 special permits, as well as transit travelers, will be banned from entry, including those travelers who plan to apply for ARC cards following arrival in Taiwan. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis for emergencies and on humanitarian grounds. This travel ban is in effect from May 19 to June 18, 2021.
Continue Reading In Response to Rising COVID-19 Cases, Taiwan Further Bans Foreign Visitors
In order to comply with illegal working rules, all employers must check that their employees have the legal right to work for them in the UK. If it later transpires the employee does not possess the requisite immigration permission, failure to have carried out a right to work (“RTW”) check, may lead to an employer being charged with a civil or criminal penalty depending on the circumstances.
On 21 April, the Home Office announced that the Covid-19 adjustment to the RTW would come to an end on 17 May 2021. The end of the adjustment means that employers would once again have to see an individual’s original documents to comply with the RTW requirements. We discussed this change in our article: UK Right to Work Checks: Sunset of the Covid-19 Concession and Brexit Impact | The Mobile Workforce
The Home Office have announced today that the Covid-19 adjustment will now continue to 20 June. This will assist a number of employers with employees who are continuing to work from home in line with current government guidance.
Continue Reading Ending of Covid-19 Adjustment to UK Right to Work Checks Postponed
Earlier today, April 30, 2021, the White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced that the United States will restrict travel from India starting on Tuesday, May 4, in response to the surge of coronavirus cases and variants being observed in the country. “The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in India,” said Psaki.
Continue Reading United States to Restrict Travel From India Amid Record Numbers of Coronavirus Infections and Fatalities
On April 26, 2021, the Secretary of State made a national interest determination regarding categories of travelers eligible for exceptions under Presidential Proclamations (PPs) 9984, 9992, and 10143 related to the spread of COVID-19. As a result of this determination, national interest exceptions (NIEs) from the regional COVID-19 travel bans in effect for Brazil, China, Iran, and South Africa now align with those already in place for the regional bans barring travel from Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the Schengen Area.
Continue Reading National Interest Exceptions to COVID-19 Travel Bans from Brazil, China, Iran and South Africa Aligned to Standards in Place for Schengen, UK, and Ireland
India has reported the highest number of COVID-positive cases in any single day, in any country, since the pandemic. New strain variants first identified in India have also appeared in other countries. In reaction, multiple countries across the globe have announced restrictions on travel from India, and more are likely to follow in quick succession,
Effective April 1, 2021, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has again extended its remote I-9 verification policy that defers the physical presence requirements of the employment verification process. Under a policy first introduced on March 20, 2020, the requirement that employers inspect employees’ Form I-9 identity and employment eligibility documentation in-person applies only