Global Employment Law - Global News & Commentary on Labor and Employment Issues Worldwide

United States: Report Finds Strong Immigrant Contribution to GDP
Foreign-born workers comprise approximately 20% of the U.S. population, and the study found that they are responsible for an equal percentage of economic output. Read the full post here (December 9)

United States: Certain Permanent Residence Applications on Hold Until New Vaccine Criteria Take Effect
US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it has temporarily held certain applications of individuals seeking to become lawful permanent residents until the new Centers for Disease Control vaccination criteria becomes effective on December 14, 2009. Read the full post here (December 8)

United States: January Contreras Appointed as US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Ombudsman
As Ombudsman, Contreras will be responsible for helping USCIS resolve obstacles to accessing services, identify areas in need of improvement, and recommend actions that will improve services. Read the full post here (December 8)

United Kingdom: Changes to Tier 1 of Points-Based System Recommended for 2010/11
The UK Border Agency announced that the Migration Advisory Committee has completed its review of Tier 1 of the UK's points-based immigration system. Read the full post here (December 8)

Croatia: Work Permit Availability Drastically Reduced for 2010
Only 902 new work permits will be approved for 2010, compared to 4,267 in 2009. Read full post here (December 4)

New Zealand: New Visa Scheme Unveiled for Young, Highly Skilled Workers
The "Silver Fern" policies, which will take effect in April 2010, create two types of permits. Read the full post here (December 3, 2009)

Canada: Express Business Visas for Indian Citizens
The new scheme will offer multiple-entry visas to Indian citizens, and business visa applications will be cleared within 24 hours. Read the full post here (December 2, 2009)

United Kingdom: Important Changes Regarding Biometric Travel Documents and Advertising Requirements for Tier 2 Job Openings
On arrival in the UK, border control will perform regular immigration checks on all foreign nationals seeking admission to the UK and then capture their fingerprints to verify that they match the fingerprints given when the foreign national started the process abroad. Read the full post here (December 2, 2009)

Kuwait: Unpaid Utilities Will Prevent Expatriates from Leaving Country
The Ministry of Interior will require foreign residents seeking to leave the country to obtain and present a clearance certificate demonstrating that they have paid their water and electricity bills. Read the full post here (December 1, 2009)

India: Recently Amended Visa Scheme Impacts Chinese Industrial Workers
India's visa scheme for Chinese nationals has resulted in a substantial decrease in the number of Chinese workers--from 650 to 100--at a power plant project in Mundra. Read the full post here (December 1, 2009)

United States: Filings of H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions Are on the Upswing
Employers should immediately assess whether they have any H-1B needs as next year the cap may be reached early if the economy continues to improve. Read the full post here (November 30, 2009)

United States: US Citizenship and Immigration Service's New Verification Operations Center Aims to Improve Integrity of E-Verify and SAVE Programs
Specifically, the new center will run verification checks of employee work authorization status for companies enrolled in E-Verify, and it will confirm immigration status inquiries for government entities using SAVE. Read the full post here (November 30, 2009)