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Effective January 11, 2025, Italy now requires the collection of biometric data, including fingerprints, from applicants for Schengen visitor (type C) and national entry (type D) visas. Biometrics will be collected during in-person visa appointments at Italian embassies and consulates. Implementation of the fingerprinting requirement comes as part of a broader immigration overhaul under Italy’s Decree Law 145/2024, which aims to modernize the country’s work visa procedures.Continue Reading Italy Updates Biometric Requirements for Visa Applications

On January 10, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the addition of Romania to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Under the Visa Waiver Program, qualifying foreign nationals may travel to the United States as tourists and business visitors for up to 90 days without first obtaining a visitor visa from a U.S. embassy or consulate. Travelers are still required to apply for and receive advance permission for travel through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). The addition of Romania follows prior expansions of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, with the additions of Qatar, Croatia, and Israel since 2021.

DHS expects ESTA’s online and mobile applications to open to Romanian citizens on or around March 31, 2025.Continue Reading Romania Added to U.S. Visa Waiver Program

As of January, 1, 2025, Israel will require travelers to provide either a valid visa or “Marom ETA-IL” (Electronic Travel Authorization) approval to enter the country. ETA-IL applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to Israel. However, the Israeli government recommends that travelers submit their applications at least 72 hours prior to booking flights, hotels, and/or similar expenses related to their travel.

Travelers applying for the ET-IL authorization will receive a reply within 24-72 hours, and if their application is approved, will be allowed to enter Israel for business visits and tourism for up to ninety (90) days at a time. The ETA-IL will remain valid for multiple entries over a two-year period or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever is sooner. This announcement was previously made in 2024, but was postponed to give travelers the proper time to prepare for this new requirement. Israel’s introduction of the ETA-IL system comes as the European Union seeks to implement its own electronic travel authorization scheme for visa exempt nationals, which is expected to launch in 2025.Continue Reading Israel Launches Electronic Travel Authorization System – Marom ETA-IL

European Union Commissioner of Home Affairs Ylva Johansson has announced that the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) will launch on November 10, 2024. EES is intended to function as an automated electronic system for registering the entry and exit of non-EU nationals traveling for short stays in the Schengen Area. The system is meant to replace passport stamping for most short-term visitors. EES will track each time an individual crosses an external Schengen border, collecting biometric data and enabling officials to better address overstays. The EU’s launch of the EES system comes as the bloc is preparing for the start of the much delayed ETIAS electronic travel authorization program in 2025.Continue Reading EU Announces Start Date for Electronic Entry/Exit System

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Following our previous article on the rollout of eVisas in the UK, the UK Government has confirmed that all those who hold Biometric Residence Permits (“BRPs”), which are credit card sized identity documents which hold a migrant’s biographic data, biometric information and details of their UK immigration status, which expire on 31 December 2024, may now register for a UK Visas and Immigration (“UKVI”) account to access their eVisa. Previously, only those who had received an e-mail inviting them to register for a UKVI account were able to create one.Continue Reading UK Government continues rollout of eVisas to BRP holders

The European Commission has adopted a new set of rules that enable Indian, Saudi, Bahraini, and Omani nationals to obtain short-stay Schengen visas with longer validity periods. Under the new rules, Indian nationals may be eligible for two- and five-year multiple entry visas, based on their travel history. Saudi, Bahraini, and Omani nationals residing in their respective home countries are now eligible for five-year multiple entry visas. The expansion of visa validity periods reflects the EU’s determination that these nationals pose low migratory and security risks. The moves are expected to facilitate travel to Europe by reducing the frequency with which qualified nationals must apply for new short-stay visas.  Continue Reading EU Opens New Schengen Visa Options for Indian and Middle Eastern Nationals

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New Immigration Rules came into force in the UK on 4 April 2024 which affect employers who sponsor workers under the Skilled worker or Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker routes. Continue Reading Raising The Bar: New UK Immigration Rules Increase Salary Thresholds For Sponsored Workers

Effective February 29, 2024, the Canadian government has reimposed visa requirements on certain Mexican nationals. Under the new rule, Mexican nationals traveling by air who hold a U.S. nonimmigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa within the past ten years will be eligible to apply for electronic travel authorization (eTA) to visit Canada. Mexican nationals who do not meet those requirements will need to apply for a Canadian visitor visa. Canada had previously lifted visa requirements for Mexican nationals in 2016.Continue Reading Canada Updates Entry Requirements for Mexican Nationals

On January 1, 2024, the South Korean government launched a pilot program for digital nomad (or “workation”) visas. The pilot program will allow foreign nationals who work remotely for overseas corporations to live and work in South Korea for up to two years. With the introduction of the pilot program, South Korea joins several other countries – including Spain, Italy, Romania, Iceland, the United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia – in seeking to attract an increasingly mobile class of global talent through digital nomad visas.Continue Reading South Korea Opens Pilot Program for Digital Nomad Visa

As of March 2024, the Schengen Area will partially expand through the lifting of air and sea border controls with Bulgaria and Romania. This marks the ninth expansion of the free movement zone, which most recently added Croatia in January 2023. Land border controls with Bulgaria and Romania will remain in place for the time being and the two countries will continue issuing national entry visas rather than Schengen visas. In announcing the expansion, the European Commission – the executive arm of the European Union – emphasized that discussions on lifting land border controls will continue in 2024.Continue Reading Schengen Area Expands to Include Air & Sea Travel to Bulgaria & Romania