Immigration Digest: Six-Month Work Permit Launched in Argentina

European Union – Partial Suspension of the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia

On 5th May 2022, the European Commission released guidelines for the partial suspension of the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia. The new policies will impact the following individuals:

• Members of Russia’s national and regional governments and official delegates.
• Russian citizens holding a valid diplomatic passport.
• Russian business travellers and representatives of business organisations.

Under the suspension, the above travellers can no longer receive privileged access to the European Union. These travellers must provide documentary evidence for travel and pay the standard visa application fee of 80 euros. The suspension will not impact Russian citizens and they will still benefit from the Visa Facilitation Agreement as before.

For the latest updates, check the government of the European Commission’s website here.

Argentina – New Six-Month Remote Work Permit Launched

On 21st May 2022, the government of Argentina announced the launch of a new six-month work permit for remote workers. Applicants will be eligible for the short-term permit providing they are foreign nationals exempt from the requirement of an entry visa, and they are employed outside of Argentina.

Applicants can apply via the National Immigration office of Argentina. They are required to provide evidence of a work contract, income, resume, and any other information regarding their professional and educational experience. The permit can be extended once for an additional six-month period.

For further updates, check the government of Argentina’s website.

Indonesia: Updates to the Single-Entry Visit Visa

The government of Indonesia has announced it has reduced the extension of single-entry visit visas. Previously, the single-entry visit visa could be extended by four 30-day periods.

Under the new conditions, foreign travellers holding single-entry visit visas issued before 16th April 2022 will be eligible to apply for and extend the visa once for 60 days. Single-entry visas issued after 16th April 2022 will not be permitted for an extension. In this case, they must apply for a new single-entry visa.

For more information, click here.

Netherlands – Delays in Appointments and Issuance of Work Visas

The government of the Netherlands has announced there are currently prolonged waiting times for appointments with the country’s immigration authorities and processing of work and residence permits. The processing delay has been caused by an increase in application submissions.

To combat the delays and inconvenience for applicants, the government has extended the business hours of the Immigration and Nationalisation Service (IND) to include Saturdays. It is also considering the possibility of delivering residence documents to an applicant’s home address in exceptional circumstances.

For the latest updates, check the government of the Netherlands’ website here.

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – Electronic Viaiver Status Introduced for Travel tosa W the UK

From 1st June 2022, citizens of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain can apply to travel to the UK for tourism, business, study, or medical treatment for up to six months without the need to apply for a visit visa prior to their travel.

The Home Office has confirmed both countries will join other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in receiving electronic visa waiver status. An electronic visa waiver permits the holder to travel to the UK without a visa, providing they complete an online waiver every time they visit. This will involve a small fee, but it is faster than applying for a visa as there is no requirement to provide biometric information, attend a visa application centre or hand in the holder’s passport prior to travel.

The announcement has been introduced to help strengthen the UK’s partnership with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain whilst boosting the economy.

To apply online for the electronic visa waiver, click here.

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