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January 2015

PEREGRINE NEWS
This month we have added five new immigration processes to Immiguru.
We have also now made it possible for our clients to display their own company logos in
Immigo, a feature already available in Immiguru.
We hope you are able to join us for a webinar on Tuesday 3 February 2015 at 1.30pm (UK
time) to look at the recent changes to Russian immigration regulations.
Peregrine will be attending ERCs Global Workforce Summit on Wednesday 11 and Thursday
12 February, at the Lancaster London Hotel, central London.
Our global immigration software products, Immigo and Immiguru are showcased at
www.peregrine.im, where you can register for a free trial of both products.

Table of Contents
PHILIPPINES ALL FOREIGN NATIONALS WITH ACRS TO REPORT TO IMMIGRATION IN PERSON BEFORE 1 MARCH
2015
2
FRANCE 2015 MINIMUM SALARY INCREASES
3
GREECE TRANSLATION REQUESTS VIA AGENTS REQUIRE POWER OF ATTORNEY
3
SINGAPORE EMPLOYMENT PASS APPLICANTS WILL REQUIRE A NOTIFICATION LETTER TO START WORK
4
VIETNAM BUSINESS VISAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON ARRIVAL
4
MALAYSIA HIGHER SALARY THRESHOLD FOR SPONSORING DEPENDENTS, AND POSSIBLE DELAYS DUE TO 2015
EMPLOYMENT PASS PROJECTION PROCESSING
5
THAILAND NEW DOCUMENT CERTIFICATION REGULATIONS
6
LEBANON FOREIGN NATIONALS EXCLUDED FROM SOME PROFESSIONS
7
CHINA BEIJING ISSUES THREE-YEAR WORK PERMITS
8
NETHERLANDS MORE NATIONALITIES EXEMPT FROM TUBERCULOSIS TEST
8
COLOMBIA NEW VISA CATEGORY FOR MERCOSUR NATIONALS AND THEIR DEPENDENTS, AND NEW DEGREE
VALIDATION REQUIREMENTS
9
NETHERLANDS COURT RULES NO WORK PERMIT REQUIRED FOR JAPANESE NATIONALS
10
ROMANIA NEW MINIMUM SALARY FOR WORK PERMITS
11
INDIA PERSON OF INDIAN ORIGIN (PIO) SCHEME MERGED WITH OVERSEAS CITIZENS OF INDIA (OCI) SCHEME 11
AZERBAIJAN WORK PERMITS NOT REQUIRED FOR TRIPS OF UP TO 90 DAYS
12
ISRAEL RENEWAL OF 30 DAY SHORT EMPLOYMENT AUTHORISATION (SEA) PROGRAMME
13
MORE FROM PEREGRINE
13

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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

PHILIPPINES All Foreign


Nationals with ACRs to
Report to Immigration in
Person Before 1 March
2015
1 March 2015 is the deadline for foreign
nationals in the Philippines to report in person
to the immigration authorities, to avoid being
noted down as undocumented aliens.

Who Needs To Report?


All foreign nationals holding an Alien
Certificate of Registration (ACR) I-Card or
paper-based ACR are required to report
within the first 60 days of the year. Some
examples are:

9(g) Pre-arranged employees


9(d) Treaty traders
Special Work Permit holders
13(A) Permanent residence immigrant
visa holders

The parent or legal guardian of a registered


foreign national who is less than fourteen
years of age must report on their behalf.

Exemptions
Foreign nationals in the Philippines in an ACR
I-Card exempt category are not required to
report. Some examples are:
Special Non-immigrant 47(a)(2) Visa
holders;
Multiple-Entry Special Visa holders;
9(a) tourist visa holders.
Since 2014, the annual reporting requirement
cannot generally be completed on behalf of
the foreign national by a third party
representative. However, foreign nationals

may be exempt from personal appearance,


provided they:
appeared during the Annual Report
2014 with an accomplished 2014
Annual Report form;
pay the Express Lane fee of Php500
for non-appearance;
submit a Special Power of Attorney
(SPA) with valid government-issued ID
of legal representative; and
are without any deficiencies or
liabilities under the Philippine
Immigration Act of 1940, as amended
and the Alien Registration Act of
1950.

How To Report
Foreign nationals who are required to report
should attend either the Board of Immigration
(BI) main office in Intramuros, Manila, or a
regional office in their area of residence,
taking with them their ACR I-Card and/or
paper-based ACR, and a completed annual
report application form (see here), and pay a
fee of Php310.

Penalties for Failure to Report


A foreign national who fails to complete the
annual reporting requirement on time will be
subject to a monthly fine of Php200. Failure to
comply may also be subject to an
administrative fine and/or imprisonment, at
the discretion of the Commissioner of
Immigration.

Action Items
Ensure that your foreign national
employees or assignees in the
Philippines are aware of the
requirement to report in person
(unless exempt see above) by 1
March 2015.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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

FRANCE 2015 Minimum


Salary Increases
The French government has announced an
increase in the minimum legal monthly salary
requirement (SMIC), with effect from 1
January 2015, bringing it up to 1457.52EUR
per month (up by 8%, from 1445.38EUR per
month in 2014).
The SMIC is the minimum legal salary for all
workers in France. A change to the SMIC
affects minimum salary thresholds for some
types of work permit.

Salary Requirements in France


It is important to note that foreign nationals
locally hired in France must be paid salaries
comparable to what a French national in the
same position at the same company would
expect to receive. The new application forms
for work permits (see our alert here) make
this very clear.
Employees on assignment to France should be
also be paid according to their level of
expertise and experience, and salaries in all
cases should meet minimum requirements as
stated in the applicable French conventional
labour regulation (i.e. collective bargaining
agreement) applicable to the parent French
company.

Intra Company Transferees


The increase to the SMIC particularly affects
employees coming to France as intra company
transferees (i.e. using the Salari en Mission
route) as the minimum salary level for this
route is set at SMIC x 1.5; i.e. at least
26,236EUR per year. However, note that
again, the salary must be relevant for the
actual position and experience of the
applicant.

Background
SMIC increases every year in France. It is
calculated as an hourly rate, with the monthly
rate being worked out assuming a 35 hour
week. More information on historical SMIC
rates is available here.

Action Items
Review the salaries of applicants for
upcoming transfers to France,
particularly those following the intra
company transfer route, to ensure
compliance.

GREECE Translation
Requests via Agents
Require Power of Attorney
The Translation Service of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Greece has announced that,
from now on, any third party representative
submitting any document for translation on
behalf of an applicant of any nationality must
present a signed legal authorisation form
(power of attorney).

What is the Translation Service?


The Translation Service of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs provides certified translations
of documents as required in support of
various applications.

Action Items
Ensure that any third party
representative instructed to deliver
documents to the Translation Service,
pay translation fees or collect
completed translations holds a signed
power of attorney authorising the
representation.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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

SINGAPORE Employment
Pass Applicants Will
Require a Notification
Letter to Start Work
With effect from 16 March 2015, the InPrinciple Approval (IPA) letter will no longer
allow Employment Pass (EP) applicants to
start work. Instead, an applicant can only start
work once their pass has been issued and they
have received a Notification Letter (NL).
The new rule reflects recent faster EP
issuance times, but is likely to delay the date
that work can be started.

Background
Currently, the In-Principal Approval (IPA)
given to an EP applicant is valid for six
months. The IPA is meant as confirmation that
the work pass application has been approved,
and to allow applicants time to make plans to
come to Singapore to work.
On arrival, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
needs to be notified before the EP applicant
can start work with their employers.
Employers must notify MOM by requesting
for issuance of the work pass through
Employment Pass Online (EPOL).
In the past, as request for EP issuance
involved multiple steps and could take some
time, EP applicants were allowed to work on
the IPAs while waiting for the issuance of the
work passes. More recently, MOM says it has
streamlined the EP issuance process.
In view of this, from 16 March 2015 MOM will
require that issuance of work passes be
completed before the EP applicant can start
work, and the IPA letters will be amended to
reflect this change.

Action Items
Employers should begin the
Employment Pass issuance process as
soon as possible upon arrival in
Singapore.
EP holders should then proceed for
work pass card registration as soon as
possible, as the Notification Letter is
only valid for one month.

VIETNAM Business Visas


No Longer Available on
Arrival
Vietnams new immigration law, effective 1
January 2015 (see our previous alert),
requires all business travellers and those
intending to work in Vietnam to obtain a
business visa in advance from the Vietnamese
embassy or consulate in their home country.

What's Changed?
Previously, for qualifying nationals, it was
possible to obtain a business visa on arrival in
Vietnam, or to convert to a business visa post
arrival.
The new rules may delay entry for all
nationals travelling for business or work, due
to the higher volume of business visa
processing at Vietnamese embassies and
consulates abroad.

How to Apply
The applicants host company in Vietnam
must sponsor the application by applying for a
visa authorisation letter, or pre-approval
letter, in Vietnam, which will be sent directly
to the applicants home country consulate in
support of the application.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


VAT registration number: 111 7916 32
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In support of this application, the host


company must provide a detailed schedule of
the business or work activities that the
applicant will conduct while they are in
Vietnam.

Action Items
Allow extra lead time for assignments
to Vietnam, taking into account the
new rules, and the possibility of
delays during implementation.

MALAYSIA Higher Salary


Threshold for Sponsoring
Dependents, and Possible
Delays due to 2015
Employment Pass
Projection Processing
A higher salary threshold has been set for
Employment Pass (EP) holders employed by
Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status
companies and Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) companies
who wish to sponsor Dependant Passes (DP)
for their spouses or children.
Also, delays are expected in Expatriate
Services Division (ESD) Employment Pass
processing. Employers are required to submit
a new Employment Pass projection for 2015
before any applications can be submitted, but
were not previously warned about this.

New Salary Threshold for Dependent


Sponsorship
For Employment Pass (EP) holders employed
by MSC status companies and ICT companies,
who wish to sponsor Dependant Passes for
their spouses or children, the minimum
monthly salary is now RM5,000.

Who is Affected?
Employment Pass holders at MSC
status companies and ICT companies
who earn less than RM5,000 per
month will not be able to sponsor
Dependant Passes or long term Social
Visit Passes for dependent family
members.
An existing Employment Pass holder
at an ICT company or MSC status
company earning less than RM5,000
per month will face difficulties with
the renewal of any Dependant Passes
for their spouse or children unless his
salary has been increased to at least
RM5,000 by the time of renewal of his
EP. Otherwise, any dependents would
have to leave the country at the
expiry of their current Dependant
Pass.
Employment Pass holders without
dependents at MSC status companies
and those who carry out shared
services at ICT companies are only
required to be paid at least RM2,500
per month. EP holders who are not
sponsored by MSC status companies
or ICT companies are not affected by
this rule change.

2015 Projection Delays


The Expatriate Services Division (ESD) did not
notify employers in 2014 that they would be
required to file a new Employment Permit
(EP) projection for 2015 before any EP
applications could be filed; however, this is a
requirement.
The processing time for the projection is
approximately three weeks, and any company
submitting applications via the ESD, and which
has not yet submitted its projection for 2015,
should therefore allow at least this amount of

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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

lead time before submitting any Employment


Pass applications for 2015.
For MSC status companies and ICT companies
administered by the Multimedia Development
Corporation (MDeC), the MDeC normally
sends out reminders of the projection
requirement in December. As such these
companies are more likely to have completed
their projection before the New Year started
and to have avoided the delays.

Background
The Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) is a
Special Economic Zone in Malaysia designed
to promote development of the Malaysian ICT
industry. The Multimedia Development
Corporation (MDeC) administers Employment
Passes for MSC status Companies and other
ICT companies. Other Employment Passes and
expatriate services are managed by the
Expatriate Services Division (ESD), which
launched its online application services in
2014.

Action Items
Any employer intending to submit
Employment Pass applications for
foreign nationals in Malaysia in 2015,
which has not yet submitted its 2015
projection, should do so as soon as
possible to minimise delays.
ICT companies and MSC status
companies will have to consider the
salaries of Employment Pass holders
with dependent family members if
they want them to extend their EPs,
bearing in mind that the new
minimum salary requirement may
force their family to leave Malaysia.

THAILAND New
Document Certification
Regulations
Effective 19 January 2015, the Immigration
Department at the One Stop Service Center
(OSSC) in Bangkok requires that certain
corporate documents for initial or extension
applications for non-BOI (Board of
Investment) long-term visas or work permits
be officially certified by the relevant
government agency.
Previously, non-certified copies were
acceptable.
The new regulations are expected to cause
considerable inconvenience, expense and
delays in processing work permits and visas.

Who is Affected?
Non-BOI companies which qualify to use the
OSSC for visa and work permit applications
include certain Bangkok-based companies or
branch offices employing managers or
experts, representative or regional offices and
companies operating under the Petroleum Act
or the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand
Act.

Documents to be Certified
Copy of Financial Statement in Thai
containing balance sheet and profit
and loss statement for the previous
year, audited and signed by the
companys CPA (Certified Public
Accountant) and officially certified by
either the Revenue Department or
Ministry of Commerce.
Copy of form and receipt of previous
year corporate income tax return

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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

(P.N.D. 50 form), officially certified by


the Revenue Department.
Copy of form and receipt of monthly
salary withholding tax for the latest
month of all Thai and foreign
employees (P.N.D. 1), officially
certified by the Revenue Department.
Copy of form and receipt of monthly
Value Added Tax (VAT) return (Phor
Por 30 form) for the latest month,
officially certified by the Revenue
Department.
Copy of form and receipt of monthly
social security contribution for the
latest month of all Thai and foreign
employees, officially certified by the
Social Security Office.
Copy of form for submission of
audited financial statement for the
previous accounting year
acknowledged by the Department of
Business Development, Ministry of
Commerce (Sor Bor Chor 3 form),
officially certified by the Ministry of
Commerce.
Copy of form and receipt of personal
income tax return (PND 91) of the
employee for the latest year, officially
certified by the Revenue Department.

Background
The new regulations are being implemented
due to the number of fraudulent documents
that have been submitted in the past.
The One Stop Service Centre for Visas and
Work Permits aims to facilitate visa extension
and work permit applications, and enables
considerably reduced processing times for the
work permit and visa extension applications.

Action Items
Ensure that all necessary documents
have been officially certified by the
relevant authorities before
submission in support of non-BOI
long-term visa and work permit
applications at the OSSC.
Allow several additional days of lead
time to obtain certified documents
from the various authorities before
submitting applications.

LEBANON Foreign
Nationals Excluded from
Some Professions
In a decision issued 17 December 2015, the
Lebanese Minister of Labour reserved to
Lebanese nationals the exclusive right to
practice certain careers in Lebanon.
However, foreign nationals may be exempt
from this new rule if they are specialists or
technicians in positions that cannot be filled
by a Lebanese national. Moreover, any foreign
national currently holding a Lebanese work
permit will be allowed to continue to work in
Lebanon until the work permit expires.

Jobs reserved for Lebanese


Nationals
All jobs and business related to the
administration, banking, accounting,
education, publishing, engineering, medicine,
law and insurance sectors, are now reserved
for Lebanese nationals, including but not
limited to President, Dean, director, cashier,
accountant, secretary, sales or marketing
representative, teacher, engineer, nurse and
pharmacist.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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

Exemptions
The Minister of Labour can decide to exclude
foreign nationals from these provisions, if
they fulfill one of these criteria:
Specialist or technician performing
jobs that cannot be filled by Lebanese
nationals;
Director or representative of a foreign
company registered in Lebanon;
Lebanese resident since birth;
Of Lebanese origin or born to a
Lebanese mother;
The country of residence of the
foreign national allows Lebanese
nationals to perform the job that the
foreign national wants to perform in
Lebanon.

Foreign Joint Ventures and Cooperation


Projects and Wholly Foreign-Owned
Enterprises (WFOE), and Representative
Offices, may be granted an initial or extension
alien employment permit valid for up to three
years, provided that certain supporting
documents (see below) are valid for the
requested period.

Further Details
The supporting documents which require
sufficient validity include the employment
contract, the applicants passport and the
employers business licence (or Industrial and
Commercial Registration Certificate).

Palestinian and Syrian nationals are also


exempt from the provisions in certain
circumstances.

Note that residence permits in Beijing will


continue to be issued for no longer than
twelve months, and would therefore still need
to be renewed annually for an assignee
holding a multiple-year alien employment
permit.

Action Items

Action Items

Ensure that any assignee to Lebanon


meets one of the exemption criteria.
Current work permit holders applying
to renew their work permits will need
to prove they meet the exemption
criteria.

CHINA Beijing Issues


Three-Year Work Permits
At the end of December, the Beijing
authorities announced that, in certain
circumstances, alien employment permits
may be issued with validity of up to three
years, rather than the standard twelve
months.

Who Qualifies?

For qualifying alien employment


permit initial or extension
applications for assignments of longer
than twelve months in Beijing, ensure
that the relevant supporting
documents have sufficient validity.

NETHERLANDS More
Nationalities Exempt from
Tuberculosis Test
Effective immediately, the Netherlands
Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)
has published a new, expanded list of
nationalities which are exempt from
undergoing a tuberculosis (TB) test when
applying for a residence permit.

Foreign national employees of Foreign


Investment Companies, including China-

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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However, in practice the IND is still requesting


TB tests according to the previous rules.

What has Changed?


Previously, any nationality exempt from
obtaining an entry visa (MVV) was also
exempt from undergoing a tuberculosis test.
The new list includes an extra 26 nationalities
who do require an entry visa (MVV) but are
henceforth exempt from TB testing.
In addition, South Koreans are no longer
exempt from TB testing, even though they are
still MVV exempt.

Action Items
Ensure that any assignee of a
nationality which doesnt appear on
the exemptions list does undergo TB
testing within three months of
obtaining a residence permit in the
Netherlands.

COLOMBIA New Visa


Category for Mercosur
Nationals and Their
Dependents, and New
Degree Validation
Requirements
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombia
has recategorised the Mercosur visa, which
now also allows the family members of
Mercosur nationals to accompany them with
dependent status.
In addition, the Ministry of Education has
added new requirements for degree
validation applications.

TP-15 Visa
The Mercosur visa is now categorised as TP-15
and henceforth also allows family members to
accompany the Mercosur national as
dependents, with permission to reside or
study, but not to work.
Previously, non-Mercosur family members of
Mercosur visa holders could not obtain
dependent status and would therefore have
to apply for visas in their own right.
The TP-15 is a temporary residence visa with a
validity of two years and with work and/or
study permission. The visa can be obtained
post-arrival or in Colombian consulates
abroad. It is not tied to a particular employer,
and the holder may be employed locally, on
short-term transfer from an employer abroad
or self-employed.

Who Benefits?
Nationals of Argentina, Brazil,
Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Peru,
Ecuador and Bolivia may apply for a
TP-15 visa either on arrival, or at the
Colombian consulate in their home
country.
The TP-15 is not currently available to
nationals of Venezuela as, although a
Mercosur associate country, it does
not have any reciprocal immigration
process in place for Colombian
nationals.
Family members of any nationality,
who are economically dependent on
the principal applicant, can now
obtain dependent status under this
new category: This applies to spouses,
unmarried partners, children of 24
years or under and parents.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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

What is Mercosur?
Mercosur is a full customs union and a trading
bloc which comprises Argentina, Brazil,
Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Bolivia,
Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are
associate members, and Guyana and
Suriname have signed a framework
agreement with Mercosur.

Degree Validation
Effective 25 December 2014 the Ministry of
Education added new requirements for all
degree validation applications.
All bachelors degree validation
applications must now include the
bachelors degree diploma and
transcript, duly apostilled or legalized,
and the universitys curriculum for the
specific program for which the
application is being submitted.
More specific requirements were
added to the procedure for validating
degrees in medicine, law, accounting
and education.
The qualifications of engineers and other
technical professions, however, are still
validated by their respective professional
organisations in Colombia.

Action Items
Consider the TP-15 visa for Mercosur
nationals (apart from Venezuelans)
who wish to work in Colombia
accompanied by non-Mercosur
national family members.
Ensure that all bachelor degree
validation applications at the Ministry
of Education meet the new
requirements, and allow additional
lead time to have the degree diploma
and transcript duly apostilled or
legalized.

NETHERLANDS Court
Rules No Work Permit
Required for Japanese
Nationals
The Dutch High Administrative Court in the
Netherlands (Raad van State) has ruled in an
appeal judgement on 24 December 2014 that
Japanese nationals are allowed to work in the
Netherlands without the need to secure
Dutch work authorisation.

What is the Impact of the Ruling?


Although the Dutch labour authorities have
not yet officially responded to the Judgement,
(they are awaiting the official response from
the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment,
which lost the case) it is likely to have major
implications for Japanese nationals on the
Dutch labour market and for employers who
seek to hire Japanese nationals on a
temporary or permanent basis.
In short, this would entail that several Dutch
work and residence permit conditions (e.g.
intra company transfer or highly skilled
migrant conditions) will no longer be
applicable and a mere residence permit as
an employee would be sufficient for a
Japanese national to legally work in the
Netherlands.

Background
The judgement is based on the Treaty of
Commerce and Navigation between
Netherlands and Japan of 1913, which is
similar to the Treaty on Friendship,
Establishment and Commerce between
Netherlands and Switzerland of 1875,
whereby Swiss nationals are allowed to work
in the Netherlands without the need for a
Dutch work permit.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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The Court ruled that the same principles


should be applied regarding the Japanese
treaty, and that Japanese nationals should no
longer be subject to Dutch work authorization
when taking up employment in the
Netherlands.

Action Items
If you have Japanese national
assignees going to the Netherlands,
please talk to your Dutch immigration
adviser about the possibility that they
will not require a work permit.

ROMANIA New Minimum


Salary for Work Permits
Effective 1 January 2015, the Romanian
government has implemented new minimum
salary requirements for foreign nationals.

New Minimum Salary


The new minimum salary required for foreign
nationals with a standard work permit is 2415
RON/month (approximately 540 EUR/month
currently), which is equal to the national
median gross salary as set out in Law
no.187/2014. Highly skilled workers with a
Blue Card are required to be paid four times
this amount (approximately 2160 EUR per
month currently).

Action Items
Ensure that foreign nationals
employment contracts state that they
are paid at least the minimum salary
according to their work permit type.

INDIA Person of Indian


Origin (PIO) Scheme
Merged with Overseas
Citizens of India (OCI)
Scheme
The government of India has merged the
Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and the Overseas
Citizens of India (OCI) schemes.
An ordinance of 6 January 2015, amending
the Indian Citizenship Act, unified the two
schemes and, on 9 January 2015, the
immediate withdrawal of the PIO scheme was
announced, and all existing PIO card holders
granted OCI status, with lifelong multipleentry visas and exemption from police
registration procedures.

What Has Changed?


Effective 9 January 2015, all existing PIO card
holders are now deemed to be OCI card
holders. Other rules and procedures for
existing PIO card holders are yet to be
finalised.
Other changes announced by the Ministry of
Home Affairs are as follows:
The foreign national children of two
Indian citizens will now be eligible to
apply for OCI. Previously, only
children with at least one OCI parent
qualified for the OCI card;
The great-grandchildren of individuals
eligible for OCI will now also be
eligible to apply for OCI. Only children
and grandchildren of eligible OCIeligible foreign nationals were
previously eligible;
Foreign nationals married to OCI card
holders or Indian citizens, whose

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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marriage has been registered and has


existed for two years or more, will
now be eligible to apply for OCI
status. Previously, those married for
only one year were eligible;
Nationals of Afghanistan, Bhutan,
China, Iran, Nepal and Sri Lanka,
previously ineligible for the PIO card,
remain eligible for the OCI card.
Nationals of Pakistan and Bangladesh
remain ineligible.

Background
The Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Card
The PIO was first issued in 2002 to foreign
nationals who could prove their Indian origin
up to three generations before, and the
spouses of Indian citizens and PIO card
holders, as long as they had never been
citizens of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
China, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan or Sri Lanka.
The PIO was valid for 15 years until 30
September 2014, when its validity was
brought into line with that of the OCI (see
below).
The Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) Card
The OCI was first issued in August 2005, and
may henceforth be held by former Indian
citizens, those who can prove their Indian
origin up to three generations before, and the
spouses of Indian citizens and OCIs (for at
least two continuous years), and their minor
children.
The OCI is valid for the holders lifetime and is
accompanied by a lifelong multiple entry visa
to India, with no requirement to report to the
FRRO, regardless of length of stay.

AZERBAIJAN Work
Permits Not Required for
Trips of Up To 90 Days
Effective November 2014, foreign nationals
sent to work in Azerbaijan for less than 90
cumulative days per year in certain industries
do not need to obtain a work permit.

Who Qualifies?
Assignees in any of the following industries,
who have been sent to fulfill contractual
obligations to an Azeri client company or
assist with a short technical project, may
qualify for the work permit exemption:

Mining;
Manufacturing;
Power/gas/steam supply;
Information and communication;
Finance and insurance;
Education;
Transportation;
Water supply, sewage treatment.

It is advisable that there is an existing service


agreement or purchase order in place
between the sending company and the host
company in Azerbaijan. Assignees must
remain on home payroll and contract.

Action Items
For short-term assignments in the
above industries, check with your
adviser whether the assignee qualifies
for this new work permit exemption.

Action Items
PIO applications that are already in
progress should be resubmitted as
OCI applications.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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

ISRAEL Renewal of 30 Day


Short Employment
Authorisation (SEA)
Programme
The work permit unit and the Ministry of
Interior (MOI) in Israel have announced the
renewal of the 30 day Short Employment
Authorisation (SEA) programme, effective 26
January 2015.

Application Details
The application for the SEA work permit must
be supported by personal and corporate
documentation, including travel information,
a company affidavit and power of attorney,
authenticated in certain circumstances, as
required by the work permit unit and the
MOI. Government processing fees vary,
according to the length of the assignment.

This category was a pilot programme in 2014


and was briefly suspended from 23 December
last year due to the lack of formal regulations.
However, temporary trial period regulations
for the programme valid to mid-2015 have
now been published and applications may
once again be filed.

The processing time for SEA applications is a


few working days from submission,
approximately 8 weeks faster than a standard
consular B1 visa. Once in Israel SEA holders
can start work immediately, but within two
working days of entry they should apply for a
B1 work visa at the MOI, which should be
issued within two working days. Multiple
entry permits are an available option within
the permitted period.

What is the SEA?

Action Items

The programme enables urgent travel and


short, planned assignments to Israel for up to
30 days total in a year through an expedited
application process.
Instead of the standard B1 work visa process
of a work permit application, followed by a
work visa application prior to entry, successful
applicants for an SEA permit will obtain an
expedited work permit approval allowing
them to enter Israel and work immediately,
with no further applications. Note that a
separate application must be submitted prior
to each entry.
The SEA permit applies only to visa waiver
nationals. Individuals who are required to
obtain visitor visas at the Israeli consulate
prior to entry (including Indian, Chinese and
Turkish nationals), cannot apply for work
authorisation under the SEA programme.

Consider the SEA work authorisation


route for urgent, limited work trips to
Israel of up to 30 days in a year.

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 2014 Peregrine
Immigration Management Ltd.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE


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

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