Category: News

Source: scmp.com

Published: 8 January 2024

Hong Kong’s revamped investment migration scheme has received an overwhelming response from wealthy families and high-net-worth individuals globally, according to a senior government official.

Many of these wealthy individuals have expressed interest in applying for residency in the city and setting up family offices here to manage their assets, according to the Undersecretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Joseph Chan Ho-lim.

“Since we announced the details of the new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme [CIES] last month, we have received very positive feedback from the intermediaries who found many wealthy clients want to migrate here,” Chan said in an exclusive interview with the Post.

“Many of them expressed interest in applying for residency in Hong Kong alongside their plans to set up family offices here. The trend will be a big boost for the city to develop into a global family office and wealth management hub.”

The new CIES, announced on December 20 and commonly known as the investment-migration scheme, offers a faster route to residency for people who invest at least HK$30 million (US$3.84 million) in the stock market or other assets, excluding residential real estate.

Chan said the previous round of the scheme had about 4,000 applicants every year. If the new scheme can attract a similar number, it could bring in about HK$120 billion per year to the stock, bond, fund and private-equity markets.

“This will be a big boost for the capital market and wealth-management sector,” he said. “It will also enhance Hong Kong’s role as an offshore yuan trading centre, as the new CIES will allow the applicants to invest in yuan-denominated assets.”

InvestHK, the government agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment to the city, will set up a dedicated team over the next few months that will work with the Immigration Department to handle the applications, Chan said.

The scheme, alongside a tax break introduced in May and other incentives such as the creation of art-storage facilities at Hong Kong International Airport, is part of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s pledge, made in his first Policy Address in October 2022, to attract 200 new family offices by 2025, on top of the more than 400 already set up here.

The government has not yet announced when it will start accepting the applications, but Chan said InvestHK, as well as the accountants, lawyers, banks and brokers, have all worked hard to prepare for processing the applications.

The wealthy families who have expressed interest in the scheme are people holding overseas passports from other Asian markets, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, according to the intermediaries, Chan said.

“The involvement of InvestHK will help provide information and guidance needed to make sure the application process is smooth,” Chan said.

InvestHK set up a family office team in June 2021, so it has the experience to serve wealthy migrants setting up family offices here, Chan said.

Hong Kong originally introduced the CIES after the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2003, but terminated it in 2015 because of speculation in the property market. The threshold of the previous scheme was initially set at HK$6.5 million and later raised to HK$10 million.

The new scheme’s threshold is three times of the previous one. In addition, the new CIES no longer counts residential property, but does include investments in yuan-denominated bonds and stocks, as well as private-equity funds.

Hong Kong is facing competition from Singapore as a regional family-office hub. Singapore’s population of family offices rose to 700 in 2021 from 400 in 2020 because of favourable incentives offered by the city state’s government, according to the latest government data.

The HK$30 million threshold in Hong Kong’s new investment-migration scheme is lower than Singapore’s, which requires a minimum investment ranging from S$10 million (about HK$59 million) to S$50 million.

“Hong Kong can compete with Singapore for wealthy families to set up here,” Chan said. “Hong Kong has the advantage of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, rule of law, free flow of capital and free convertibility of our local currency, as well as the scale of our capital markets.”

Source: globalcitizensolutions.com

Published: 5 January 2024

Migration is often influenced by political and economic factors, conflict, instability, and more recently, the impacts of climate change. The World Migration Day, on 18^th December was established to honor the contributions of migrants and recognize their rights, an occasion that aligns with the core values of unity, compassion, and understanding. In the true spirit of the holiday season, migration consultancy experts Global Citizen Solutions joined forces with Portugal based NGO, Lisbon Project, for an all-day event proving free consultation to local community members.

Over 65 people signed up for the Insight Hub on 18th December at the Lisbon Project headquarters, seeking guidance on various bureaucratic matters. An expert team of legal, rental and lifestyle specialists from Global Citizen Solutions offered one-on-one consultations advice on how to obtain a tax identification number, nationality and visa-related matters, rental agreements, business establishment, CV revisions and healthcare services in the country.  In addition, Global Citizen Solutions Head of People and Culture, Mónica Pinheiro ran two job market workshops providing key tools and training materials to empower the attendees with knowledge for their upcoming job interviews.  “The workshops provided an opportunity for community members to discuss their most common questions regarding Portuguese labor laws, work-related accidents, and parental leave for new mothers and fathers. Through our consultation, we aim to equip them with more tools to navigate the complex world of migration,” explains Mónica Pinheiro.

“Regardless of the motivations driving individuals to relocate, migrants and displaced populations embody some of the most susceptible segments of society. They frequently encounter restricted access to crucial services such as healthcare due to a lack of information on the systems of their new home. This special event aimed to provide our team´s collective knowledge as visa and relocation consultants to assist and support the community members of Lisbon Project who is grappling with bureaucratic challenges.” explains Patricia Casaburi, CEO at Global Citizen Solutions.

NGO Lisbon Project, a non-governmental organization based in Lisbon, boasts a thriving community of over 3000 members. Dedicated to providing high-impact, cost-effective programs that support migrants and refugees, the Lisbon Project is a beacon of hope and assistance. Their diverse range of programs includes language classes in Portuguese and English, employment workshops, entrepreneurship support, legal aid, and community-life initiatives.

“This special day serves as a reminder to celebrate diversity, promote inclusion, and acknowledge the resilience of those who have embarked on journeys to build a better life for themselves and their communities. We hope to expand this service and offer more collaborative experiences to migrants and refugees in and outside Portugal” concludes Patricia Casaburi.

“We are grateful to join hands with Global Citizen Solutions to bring this special Immigration Support Day to our community in this season of Christmas. At the Lisbon Project, we strongly believe in collaboration and this event is the fruit of values we hold dear: empathy, love, empowerment and at our core, community. Unfortunately, many of our community members are often faced with situations of fraud, misinformation and exploitation on the difficult yet courageous road of migration. This initiative has given our community access to reliable information and remind each participant that they are not alone. Empowerment is a gift that keeps on giving!”  points out Gabriela Faria, Founder and CEO at Lisbon Project.

Source: klaskolaw.com

Published: 4 December 2023

Internationally renowned employment-based immigration law firm Klasko Immigration Law Partners is excited to welcome Timothy D’Arduini as its newest attorney and partner. Tim joined Klasko Immigration effective Friday, December 1.

Tim is located in Washington, DC, and will be managing the firm’s new DC office location. He will be an essential part of the firm’s growth in the Mid-Atlantic region, and play a key role in sustaining and enhancing our national and international capabilities.

The Klasko corporate immigration team welcomes Tim’s notable corporate clients, as well as startups, emerging enterprises, and individuals. He will expand the global immigration and mobility practice at the firm, bringing expertise that will be an asset to the firm’s current clients. He also brings with him extensive compliance experience that will enhance the firm’s established worksite compliance practice area.

To read the full press release, please click here.

Source: bbc.com

Published: 1 December 2023

Hackers are increasing their attacks on Booking.com customers by posting adverts on dark web forums asking for help finding victims.

Cyber-criminals are offering up to $2,000 (£1,600) for login details of hotels as they continue to target the people who are staying with them.

Since at least March, customers have been tricked into sending money to cyber-criminals.

New research shows the sneaky tactics being used by the unknown hackers.

Booking.com is one of the largest websites for holidaymakers, but customers from the UK, Indonesia, Singapore, Greece, Italy, Portugal, the US and Netherlands have complained online about being victims of fraud through the website.

Cyber-security experts say Booking.com itself has not been hacked, but criminals have devised ways to get into the administration portals of individual hotels which use the service.

A Booking.com spokesman said the company is aware that some of its accommodation partners are being targeted by hackers “using a host of known cyber-fraud tactics”.

Researchers at cyber-security company Secureworks say hackers are first tricking hotel staff into downloading a malicious piece of software called Vidar Infostealer.

They do this by sending an email to the hotel pretending to be a former guest who has left their passport in their room.

Criminals then send a Google Drive link to the staff saying that it contains an image of the passport. Instead the link downloads malware on to staff computers and automatically searches the hotel computers for Booking.com access.

Then the hackers log into the Booking.com portal allowing them to see all customers who currently have room or holiday reservations. The hackers then message customers from the official app and are able to trick people into paying money to them instead of the hotel.

Hackers appear to be making so much money in their attacks that they are now offering to pay thousands to criminals who share access to hotel portals.

“The scam is working and it’s paying serious dividends,” says Rafe Pilling, director of threat intelligence for Secureworks Counter Threat Unit.

“The demand for credentials is likely so popular because it’s seeing a high success rate, with emails targeting genuine customers and appearing to come from a trusted source. It’s social engineering at its best,” he said.

Lucy Buckley was contacted through the Booking.com app in September by hackers using broken English, who convinced her to send them £200. She says they pretended to staff at the Paris hotel where she had booked a room, saying that she must pay the money or her reservation would be lost.

After she sent the money, the real hotel staff informed her they had no knowledge of the payment. Acting quickly, she managed to get a refund from her bank, which revealed her money had been sent to an account in Moldova.

A Booking.com spokesman said: “While this breach was not on Booking.com, we understand the seriousness for those impacted, which is why our teams work diligently to support our partners in securing their systems as quickly as possible and helping any potentially impacted customers accordingly, including with recovering any lost funds.”

Cyber-security expert and podcaster Graham Cluley was also nearly tricked into sending money to hackers.

He says Booking.com hotels should implement multi-factor authentication to make it harder for criminals to log in illegally.

“Booking.com has started displaying a warning message on the bottom of chat windows, but they could be doing much more than this. For instance, not allowing any links to be included in chat which go to websites that are less than a few days old would prevent freshly-made fake sites being used to trick customers into paying,” he said.

Source: IMC Staff Writer / 2M Radio

Published: 25 October 2023

The French Ambassador to Morocco, Christophe Lecourtier, announced on radio 2M, a Moroccan radio station, earlier this week that France has lifted all visa restrictions on Moroccan citizens. “Whoever fulfils the conditions necessary to obtain a visa will get his visa”, Lecourtier assured.

This policy change, as reported by Schengenvisainfo.com and echoed by other media such as Atalayar, Voice of Europe, and Morocco World News, is anticipated to lead to an 80% increase in the number of visas issued to Moroccans by the end of this year compared to the previous year. This development is unlikely to go unnoticed by other Schengen states.

This decision directly responds to the mounting complaints about unjustified visa rejections and perceived application rule severity. In 2021, France had curtailed visa issuances to Moroccans, citing concerns from French citizens about undocumented immigrants. This move faced criticism from Moroccans, who called for fair treatment and alignment with the visa restrictions applied to nationals of other countries seeking entry into the EU.

Ambassador Lecourtier affirmed the removal of strict visa restrictions, acknowledging their negative impact on France’s image.

Despite being among the top countries for Schengen visa applications in 2022, Moroccans encountered a high rejection rate. France and Spain played a significant role in rejecting numerous Schengen visa applications from Moroccans, contributing to 85% of total rejections in Morocco last year. Moroccans submitted a substantial 423,201 Schengen visa applications in 2022, incurring associated expenses totalling €3.8 million.

In a historical context, this recent decision holds particular significance. The diplomatic ties between France and Morocco have weathered various challenges over centuries, with the lifting of these visa restrictions signalling a positive turn in the relationship. From the French government’s perspective, this move addresses contemporary concerns and contributes to the broader narrative of the enduring and evolving connection between the two nations.

Source: fragomen.com

Published: 25 October 2023

The situation

The UK government’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme commenced operation today. It currently only applies to Qatari nationals, but will be incrementally expanded to other nationalities throughout 2024 in phases.

A closer look

• ETA required for visa-free travelers. Under the ETA system, all visa-free nationals (who are only allowed to remain in the United Kingdom up to six months per visit) will need to obtain digital permission to travel or transit through the country. Creative Workers coming to the United Kingdom for three months or less and relying on the Creative Worker Visa concession will also need to apply. 
• Incremental expansion. From today, Qatari nationals can apply for an ETA – which will be necessary for travel or transit through the United Kingdom for such nationals from November 15, 2023. The scheme is set to incrementally expand to other nationalities throughout 2024.
• Application process. Applications can be made online or via the ETA app, with applicants required to provide basic personal details, passport data, and a photograph. The application fee is GBP 10.
• Validity. ETAs are valid for two years (unless the applicant’s passport expires sooner) and allow multiple trips to the United Kingdom. The ETA allows visa-free nationals to come to the United Kingdom for the purposes of tourism, business or short studies for up to six months (each visit). The granted permission lasts for two years. 
• Exceptions. ETA requirements will not apply to Irish nationals; nor will they apply to non-Irish nationals lawfully residing in Ireland who are traveling to the United Kingdom from elsewhere in the Common Travel Area. Foreign nationals who have, or require, a visa (or equivalent permission) for entry into the United Kingdom will not be subject to ETA requirements.

Impact

• Additional planning and cost. Travelers, employees and employers will need to account for this additional procedural step and cost when making plans for travel or transit through the United Kingdom. ETAs can potentially take up to three days to process, and there is no appeal mechanism if an application is refused (necessitating either a new ETA application or a separate visa application).
• Monitoring of ETA validity. Travelers, employees and employers will need to track the continued validity of their, or their employees’, ETAs.

Background

• Digitalization efforts. The ETA is part of broader efforts by the UK government to make the country’s immigration system fully digitalized by 2025.
• Information, monitoring and security. The ETA system is intended to provide more accurate information regarding the number of people travelling to the United Kingdom and where they are travelling from, in turn improving border security.

Looking ahead

• Further expansion. From February 22, 2024, foreign nationals from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will also require an ETA to travel to the United Kingdom (which they will be able to apply for from February 1, 2024). The ETA scheme will then be incrementally expanded to other nationalities across 2024.
• ETIAS/EES. The commencement dates for the European Union’s similar digital entry-monitoring systems – the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) – have both been postponed, with EES now set for Q4 2024 and ETIAS for Q5 2025.

Source: cicnews.com

Published: 5 October 2023

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has just released the findings of its report on the processing of permanent residence applications by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The audit’s purpose was to determine if IRCC processed applications for permanent residence as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The OAG serves Canada’s parliament by conducting audits that provide fact-based, objective information and expert advice. Parliament uses these audits to measure the performance of government activities. The OAG also holds the federal government to account for its handling of public funds.

The OAG report was commissioned in the wake of IRCC’s inventory for permanent, temporary, and citizenship applications exceeding 2 million persons during the pandemic. This growth was accompanied by processing delays across all lines of business.

Data from the audit covers processing for PR applications under the following programs:

• Economic class: Federal Skilled Worker, Quebec Skilled Worker Program, and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
• Family class: Sponsored spouse and Partner Program and Dependent Children program
• Humanitarian class: Government-Assisted Refugees program and Privately Sponsored Refugee program

Findings

The OAG report concludes that “despite recent efforts to improve processing times and reduce backlogs that worsened during the pandemic, most people applying for permanent residence to Canada were still waiting a long time for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to process their applications, and people applying to refugee programs were the most affected.”   

It found that refugees were heavily impacted by long wait times. On average, privately sponsored refugees waited 30 months for a decision while overseas spouses or common‑law partners waited 15 months.

Further, the report notes that IRCC was assigning application workloads to regional offices without determining if the office had sufficient resources. It gives the example of the Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) office, which had an assigned workload that was five times greater than the Rome (Italy) office, even though both offices had a comparable number of staff.

There were also differences in the size and age of application backlogs by country of citizenship in seven of the eight permanent resident programs that were examined and that offices with large backlogs of refugee applications have been under-resourced for many years.

Finally, the OAG says IRCC did not monitor the implementation of its automated eligibility-assessment tool to assess whether the tool was reducing overall processing times for all applicants as intended or to identify and resolve any unintended differential outcomes for applicants.

Recommendations 

The report contains six key recommendations for improving processing times and clearing the backlog.  

• IRCC should create achievable and reliable service standards for all PR programs, including refugee programs. The OAG also says online information on processing times should be provided for all PR applications, taking into consideration the volume, and age, of applications already in inventory 
• IRCC should take immediate steps to identify and address differential wait times to support efficient processing in all PR programs.  Notably, the report says IRCC should create and launch a plan to collect race‑based and ethnocultural information from applicants directly to help address any racial disparities in wait times. 
• IRCC should evaluate backlogged applications to identify and act on processing delays within its control. This includes waiting for officer actions or follow-up. OAG further recommends that the department should also prioritize the finalization of older backlogged applications. 
• To improve the consistency of application processing times across its offices, IRCC should match the workloads its assigns with available resources. This should be supported with reliable information on capacity within its offices. OAG recommends immediate action to address application backlogs that have accumulated in certain offices with limited capacity. 
• IRCC should examine the outcomes in processing times related to the use of automated decision‑making tools and reduce these disparities as much as possible, including reallocating sufficient resources to applications that are directed to manual processing. 

IRCC should immediately implement online application portals for its refugee programs, while also working to complete its Digital Platform Modernization initiative

Minister’s response

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he welcomes the OAG report and highlighted that the findings from 2022 do not necessarily reflect the current IRCC backlog. He released a statement shortly after the report was published.

“Many lines of business are now back or close to being back to service standards,” he says. “As of September 2023, the department has processed over 80% of federal high-skilled applications within service standards that were received since July 2022. As well, more than 80% of spouses, partners and children (except for Quebec) applications received since April 2022 have been processed within service standards. We are also committed to monitoring and evaluating our use of technology to help process applications.”

He went on to say that since the audit was conducted, IRCC has continued to reduce the backlog by digitizing applications, hiring and training more staff and harnessing the use of automation technologies.

Service standards

IRCC has stated that it aims to process 80% of all applications within service standards, or the time it takes to make a final decision on an application. It says that the remaining 20% will take longer to process due to their complexity.

The length of time it takes to process an application can vary depending on the type. For example, an Express Entry application for permanent residence should be processed within six months, while family-class sponsorship takes a year.

An application that is not finalized within service standards is deemed backlog.

Current backlog for permanent residence

The most recently available backlog data from IRCC shows that there were 2,198,700 applications in inventory across all lines of business on August 31. Of these, 646,000 are for permanent residence and 291,000, or 45%, are in backlog.

IRCC noted that the data for August may be slightly lower than the actual numbers due to an (unspecified) technical issue.

Among economic class applicants, 12% of Express Entry applications, 27% of PNP Express Entry applications and 17% of spousal and dependent PR applications were found to be in backlog.

The Express Entry and spousal applications backlog of applications exceeds the service standard target of 20%. However, when targets were set for backlog reduction, IRCC had projected that PNP applications in the Express Entry program would be at 24% by August 2023.

What caused the backlog?

The all-time high for application backlog was in July 2022 when IRCC reported close to 2.7 million applications in inventory.

The backlog can be largely credited to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the height of the pandemic, IRCC was unable to process applications due to office closures. However, the department continued to accept applications across all programs.

IRCC eventually stopped holding Express Entry draws for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program in December 2020 and then put Canadian Experience Class draws on hold in September 2021. Candidates in the PNP continued to receive Invitations to Apply (ITAs).

Express Entry draws did not resume until July 2022. Around this time, IRCC began increasing processing capacity through measures like increased digitization and hiring more staff. Then-Immigration Minister Sean Fraser committed to a processing time of six months for all new Express Entry applications while remaining vague on how long it would take to process older applications.

Following a work-stoppage in April this year, Minister Fraser said that IRCC was back to a pre-pandemic service standard for permanent residence, family reunification and federal economic streams through the Express Entry system.

The number of applications in inventory has shown a slow but steady decrease since the high in July 2022 but has not dipped below the 2 million mark. In 2022, IRCC finalized over 5.2 million applications across all lines of business.

Immigration Levels Plan

The high volume of applications can also be attributed to Canada’s ambitious Immigration Levels Plan.

The Immigration Levels Plan sets targets for the number of permanent residents that Canada plans to admit for the next three years. For example, under the current plan for 2023-2025, IRCC will admit 465,000 permanent residents in 2023 and this target will rise to 485,000 in 2024 and up to 500,000 in 2025.

Higher targets mean that Canada must accept and process more applications. Therefore, IRCC must maintain a higher number of applications in inventory than would have been seen in the past.

A new Immigration Levels Plan is set to be released on, or by, November 1st this year for 2024-2026. Current Immigration Minister Marc Miller has said he does not anticipate that the new plan will show lower targets.

Source: fragomen.com

Published: 18 October 2023

On 25 October 2023, the UK government will implement an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme as part of its ambition to make the country’s border fully digitalised by 2025.

This will require travellers who do not usually require a visa to visit the UK to obtain digital permission to travel or transit through the country. The scheme will apply to Qatari nationals first (who can currently benefit from using the Electronic Visa Waiver scheme to visit the UK, a system that the ETA scheme will replace) for travel from 15 November (though applications for an ETA can be made from 25 October) and will then roll out to other nationalities in 2024 in phases.

The government has said ETAs will allow accurate information gathering regarding the number of people travelling to the UK and where they are travelling from. The intention is that border security will be enhanced by screening passengers before they travel and therefore allow for potential threats to be identified earlier.

The UK will not be the first or last country to introduce such a scheme. Most readers will be familiar with the ESTA scheme in the United States, and other countries such as Canada and New Zealand already have their own established schemes.

The EU will introduce its version, ETIAS, likely in 2025 (it was originally due to launch in 2024, but it has been reported that it is being delayed, as the new digital Entry/Exit System which ETIAS will rely on, has also been delayed.)

Who needs an ETA?

With limited exceptions (outlined below), all Europeans and other nationals who do not ordinarily need to apply for a visa to visit the UK and who will be either visiting or transiting through the UK will need an ETA. Creative Workers coming to the UK for three months or less and relying on the Creative Worker Visa concession will also need to apply.

However, the following will not need an ETA:

• British and Irish nationals;
• A non-Irish national who is lawfully resident in Ireland and is travelling to the UK from elsewhere in the Common Travel Area;
• Individuals who are required to apply for a visa to enter the UK will not need an ETA; and
• Individuals who already have a visa or alternative permission to enter the UK, such as status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Application process

Whilst the introduction of the scheme does represent an additional administrative burden, the application process is anticipated to be straightforward via an online form or an app. The cost of an ETA will be just £10, a minor additional expense when compared to a UK visa.

Travellers will likely be required to provide:

• Basic personal details;
• Passport data;
• A photo of themselves; and
• Security information.

An ETA will be valid for two years or until the applicant’s passport expires (whichever comes first) and will allow for multiple trips to the UK.

The application may be approved in minutes, but as it could sometimes take longer, it is recommended that it be completed at least three days before travel to the UK. If the application is refused, there are no routes to appeal the decision.

A new application could be submitted, but unless the underlying cause for the refusal is addressed, the individual would likely be better off applying for a visit visa where they can submit additional information and documentation to address any concerns the Home Office may have with their travel to the UK.

What should businesses and employers be thinking about?

The introduction of the ETA scheme will necessitate additional planning when it comes to travel to the UK. Outlined below are key areas of consideration.

Let’s CHAT about ETA!

C – Communication – Employers should ensure that all relevant stakeholders are aware of the ETA scheme. It could cause a great deal of business disruption and stress for the employee if caught unaware.

H – Help – Employers may also want to consider how much help and support they will be providing employees to obtain an ETA for business trips. Whilst the cost of an ETA is only £10, this may require an adjustment to the business’ travel expenses policies as well as resources made available to guide employees on the necessary steps to take.

A – Application – An ETA will be applied for either via the ETA app or through an online form and the authorisation will be issued electronically via email. It is likely to take between several hours to three days to process an application. Travellers will need to leave enough time to apply for their ETA prior to travel.

T – Track – An ETA will allow for multiple entries to the UK and will be valid for two years or in line with the applicant’s passport expiry, whichever comes first. Other jurisdictions have also introduced or plan to introduce similar schemes (US, Europe, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, to name a few). With multiple permissions to potentially juggle, it may be beneficial to track these statuses for your employees to ensure they are travel-ready.

Source: news.bloomberglaw.com

Published: 20 October 2023

A Department of Homeland Security proposal aims to clamp down on abuse of the annual H-1B visa lottery by selecting registrations based on unique beneficiary, regardless of how many registrations are submitted on their behalf.

The proposed regulations (RIN: 1615-AC70) released Friday also address guidelines for voluntary work-site visits as part of compliance reviews and requirements to file new visa petitions when employment details have changed.

The proposal also offers more flexibility for entrepreneurs aiming to launch start-ups while on H-1B visas. And it aims to address “cap-gap” issues that arise when student visa holders’ work authorization ends before the start date of their employment on an H-1B.

The Biden administration’s “priority is to attract global talent, reduce undue burdens on employers, and prevent fraud and abuse in the immigration system,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

Source: investing.com

Published: 19 October 2023

Jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will become an honorary citizen of Rome by early next year following a vote this week by its local assembly, the city’s former mayor Virginia Raggi said on Thursday.

Assange, 52, has been in London’s high-security Belmarsh prison since 2019 and is wanted in the United States over the release of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables in 2010.

His supporters see his prosecution as a politically motivated assault on journalism and free speech.

Washington says the release of secret documents put lives in danger.

The motion to make him a citizen of the Eternal City was spearheaded by Raggi, from the left-leaning Five Star Movement, and won cross-party support.

“Assange is a symbol of free speech which is essential for any genuine democracy,” Raggi, who ran Rome’s city hall between 2016 and 2021, told Reuters.

“He has been deprived of his own liberty for years, in awful conditions, for doing his job as a journalist,” she said.

The motion was approved on Tuesday, kick-starting a process that Raggi said she hoped could be completed by Christmas but may take slightly longer.

Other Italian cities have taken similar steps. The northern city of Reggio Emilia granted Assange citizenship last month, while Naples is set to follow shortly.

If extradited to the United States, Assange risks a sentence of up to 175 years in a maximum-security prison.