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October 2016

PEREGRINE NEWS
Welcome to the Peregrine News digest for October 2016!
We are pleased to inform our clients that none of the Immigo or Immiguru servers are susceptible to
an attack that attempts to exploit the "Dirty COW" security vulnerability, as we have updated all of
our servers to the latest secure, patched version of the Linux kernel.

Table of Contents
INDIA EVIDENCE OF LOCAL OPERATIONS REQUIRED AT HYDERABAD FRRO
SOUTH AFRICA LAUNCH OF AUTOMATED BIOMETRIC POLICE CLEARANCE POSTPONED
NEW ZEALAND VISA STATUS CHANGES FOR NATIONALS OF SOUTH AFRICA, MAURITIUS AND THE SEYCHELLES
SAUDI ARABIA SIGNIFICANT VISA FEE INCREASES IMMINENT [UPDATED]
SWITZERLAND INCREASED QUOTAS FOR NON-EU/EFTA WORK PERMITS IN 2017
AUSTRALIA 457 VISA HOLDERS ALLOWED TO STAY FOR LESS TIME AFTER JOB ENDS
UNITED STATES USCIS ANNOUNCES FEE INCREASE
KUWAIT MINIMUM SALARY INCREASE FOR DEPENDENT SPONSORSHIP
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INDIA Evidence of Local

Operations Required at
Hyderabad FRRO

SOUTH AFRICA Launch of

Automated Biometric
Police Clearance Postponed

Effective immediately, the Foreigners

Regional Registration Office (the FRRO)
at Hyderabad requires evidence of the visa
sponsor's local business operations in
Hyderabad.

The Department of Home Affairs has

postponed the introduction of an automated
biometric criminal records check system,
without announcing a new launch date.

How does this work?

The automated system, originally due to be

launched on 1 October 2016, is meant to
replace hard-copy police clearance
certificates. These are currently required for
temporary residence visa and permanent
residence applications by foreign nationals
over the age of 18 who have previously
resided in South Africa for 12 months or
more.

Companies sponsoring foreign nationals for

employment visas in India are required to
submit business registration documents in
support of FRRO registration or employment
visa extension applications.
Usually a registration certificate, including the
companys registered address and issued by
the Registrar of Companies, is used for this
purpose.
Now, however, if the sponsoring company is
supporting an application for an employment
visa in Hyderabad but its registered address is
not in Hyderabad, it must provide proof that it
is a registered entity operating in Hyderabad.
This may be registration under the Shops and
Establishment Act of Telangana State (which is
a mandatory requirement for most entities) or
any other relevant Telangana State
Government body.

Action Items
Companies sponsoring foreign
nationals to work in Hyderabad
must ensure that they submit the
correct registration documents in
support of the applicants FRRO
registration and employment visa
extension applications.

Background

Obtaining a hard-copy South African police

clearance certificate can take several months
and severely delay application processing. The
postponed system would significantly reduce
application processing times.
The planned new system would use
applicants fingerprints, recorded digitally at
VFS visa application centres and checked
against a South African police database, with
the results sent directly to the Department of
Home Affairs for processing. It would not be
available for applications submitted outside
South Africa.

Action Items
Allow plenty of time for
temporary residence visa and
permanent residence applications
requiring a South African police
clearance certificate;

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 Check with a South African

immigration provider for the
latest news about the
introduction of the automated
police clearance system.

NEW ZEALAND Visa

Status Changes for
Nationals of South Africa,
Mauritius and the
Seychelles
Effective 21 November 2016, the New Zealand
government is set to introduce visitor visa
requirements for all South African passport
holders, while passport holders from
Mauritius and the Seychelles will no longer
need a visitor visa to travel to New Zealand
for up to three months at a time.

Nationals of South Africa

From 21 November all South African passport
holders will need to obtain a visa before
travelling to New Zealand. Currently, visitors
from South Africa do not need to apply for a
visa before travelling to New Zealand, with
genuine visitors being granted a visitor visa on
arrival.
The Government is introducing these changes
as a result of an increase in the number of
ineligible passengers who do not meet New
Zealand entry instructions.
The cost of a visitor visa online is $165.00
(NZ). Immigration New Zealand (INZ)
recommends that applicants apply for a visitor
visa about six weeks in advance of their
intended travel dates.

Nationals of Mauritius and the

Seychelles
From 21 November 2016 passport holders
from Mauritius and the Seychelles will no
longer need a visitor visa to travel to New
Zealand for up to three months at a time.
Health and character requirements still apply
to all non-New Zealand visitors and visitors
from visa waiver counties are still required to
provide travel tickets or evidence of onwards
travel arrangements and evidence of funds to
support themselves while in New Zealand.

Action Items
Nationals of South Africa,
Mauritius and the Seychelles
should note the changes to the
visa requirements from 21
November 2016.

SAUDI ARABIA Significant

Visa Fee Increases
Imminent [Updated]
Effective 2 October 2016, The Ministry of
Labour in Saudi Arabia has announced a sharp
increase in visa application fees, and
introduced new fees in some cases. These
increases will significantly raise costs for
visitors and foreign nationals living and
working in Saudi Arabia, and their employers.

[UPDATE]
Note that different rates apply in USA, Britain,
the Schengen States and Turkey. For a
breakdown of consular visa application fees in
these countries, see this infographic.

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VAT registration number: 111 7916 32
Peregrine Immigration Management Ltd, Registered in England and Wales: 7569415

[UPDATE]
US nationals will be exempt from the fee hike,
and will continue to be issued five-year
multiple-entry visit visas for a fee of SAR 500
(USD 133) as per existing bilateral
agreements.

Action Items
Employers of foreign nationals
living and working in Saudi Arabia,
or travelling there for business,
should review their plans to take
into account the recent visa fee
hike.

SWITZERLAND Increased
Quotas for non-EU/EFTA
Work Permits in 2017
The Swiss government has decided the quotas
for highly qualified workers from nonEuropean Union (EU)/European Free Trade
Agreement (EFTA) countries, as well as for
assignees from EU/EFTA countries.
The quotas for non EU/EFTA nationals have
been increased by 500 per category compared
to the previous two years, whereas those for
assignees from EU/EFTA countries remain at
the same level.

Which work permits are affected?

The quotas are imposed on a national, rather
than per-company, basis, on B permits, which
are long term residence permits, valid for up
to five years, and renewable.

2017 Quotas for Non-EU/EFTA

Nationals
In 2017 companies in Switzerland can recruit
foreign national specialists from non-EU/EFTA
countries up to the following national quotas:
4500 L permits;
3000 B permits.
The increase in permits for non-EU/EFTA
nationals follows complaints from some
cantons that their quota has already been
used up this year.
However, the number of L and B work permits
issued for non-EU/EFTA nationals in 2017 will
still be 1000 fewer than before the 2014 vote
that called for a curb on foreign immigration.

2017 Quotas for EU/EFTA National

Assignees
The quotas for assignees from EU/EFTA
countries to Switzerland for more than 90 and
for more than 120 days have remained the
same as for 2015 and 2016:
2000 L permits;
250 B permits.

Action Items
Note the new quotas for 2017 and
expect a continuation of the strict
qualifying criteria seen in 2015
and 2016;
Employers should plan to submit
work permit applications in good
time to avoid issues.

Once the B permit quotas are reached,

applicants are issued with L permits instead
valid for up to 12 months and convertible into
a B permit after two years.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE

VAT registration number: 111 7916 32
Peregrine Immigration Management Ltd, Registered in England and Wales: 7569415

AUSTRALIA 457 Visa

Holders Allowed to Stay for
Less Time After Job Ends
Effective 19 November 2016, the period that a
subclass 457 visa holder can remain in
Australia after their employment ceases will
be reduced from 90 days to 60 days.
This will apply to new subclass 457 visas
granted on or after 19 November, subject to
approval of the change by the Governor
General.

Action Items
Employers in Australia sponsoring
457 visas on or after 19
November should take this
change into account in their
employment contracts and should
ensure the 457 visa holder is
aware of the change.

UNITED STATES USCIS

Announces Fee Increase
Earlier this week, USCIS announced that,
effective 23 December 2016, it will increase
the filing fees to be paid by employers and
individuals when submitting applications and
petitions for adjudication.

Action Items
Employers and individuals should
plan accordingly, and, where
possible, submit applications prior
to the effective date of the fee
increase.

KUWAIT Minimum Salary

Increase for Dependent
Sponsorship
The Kuwaiti Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has
announced that, effective 19 October 2016, it
has increased the minimum monthly salary
requirements for foreign nationals sponsoring
spouses and dependents for family and visit
visas.

Minimum Salary Changes

The minimum salary increases will apply as
follows:
For residence sponsorship:
KWD 450/month
(up from KWD 250/month)
For visit visa sponsorship:
KWD 200/month
(up from KWD 150/month)

Exemptions

USCIS has indicated that the fees increase (the

first in six years) is necessary to reflect their
increased processing costs.

It should be noted that foreign nationals who

are currently living in Kuwait with their
dependents under the previous salary
requirements will not be subject to the new
rules.

The upcoming new fees for some of the most

commonly submitted applications are listed
here.

The new policy exempts 14 occupations,

including certain positions from the following
fields:

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VAT registration number: 111 7916 32
Peregrine Immigration Management Ltd, Registered in England and Wales: 7569415

Airline
Athletic
Education and Academic
Financial
Legal
Media
Medical
Mortuary
Religious

Background
As the average monthly salary for foreign
nationals in the private sector is KWD 251,
even those in employment will have difficulty
reaching the required salary requirement to
sponsor their spouse and/or dependents.
Only a small minority of foreign nationals earn
enough to meet the new requirements. It is
expected that exceptions to the new
requirements will be considered on a case-bycase basis on humanitarian grounds.
The MOI have stated that they are aware that
this new policy may have an effect on the
local economy and labour market, as well as
on international relations, and therefore it will
be implemented gradually over a prolonged
period of time.

Action Items
Foreign nationals applying to sponsor
their dependents for residence or visit
visas in Kuwait should ensure that
they meet the new minimum salary
requirements.

MORE FROM PEREGRINE

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DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this immigration newsletter has been
abridged from laws, court decisions, and administrative rulings and should not be
construed or relied upon as legal advice. If you have specific questions regarding the
applicability of this information, please contact Peregrine 2015 Peregrine
Immigration Management Ltd.

This increase has been implemented in order

to reduce the number of expatriates living in
Kuwait. The MOI estimate that the number of
foreign nationals currently living in Kuwait
amounts to 70 percent of the countrys total
population.
Over 90 percent of private sector jobs are
performed by foreign nationals. However,
over the last 12 years, there has been a
significant increase in unemployed foreign
nationals, which has put a strain on the
availability of housing and public services.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE

VAT registration number: 111 7916 32
Peregrine Immigration Management Ltd, Registered in England and Wales: 7569415