peregrine news march 2015

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE VAT registration number: 111 7916 32

Peregrine Immigration Management Ltd, Registered in England and Wales: 7569415

This month we have added five new immigration processes to Immiguru, including one new

destination country - Cameroon.

Weve also added a new feature to Immiguru downloadable pricing grids for each process

in the database. Use these to ask immigration suppliers for their prices and ensure youre

comparing apples to apples when picking a provider.

We have also introduced advanced allowance tracking and reporting, tags and template

cases to Immigo, our global immigration case management cloud software.

Finally, we hosted a very successful webinar on short-term assignments to Latin America.

Check out our blog at http://blog.peregrine.im/, where you can download the slides for this

and previous webinars, and read all our news in more detail.

Table of Contents

BOLIVIA - MAJOR CHANGES TO IMMIGRATION PROCESSES 2

BELGIUM NEW MANDATORY FEE FOR RESIDENCE 2

UNITED STATES EMPLOYMENT AUTHORISATION EXTENDED TO H-4 SPOUSES OF CERTAIN H-1B VISA HOLDERS 3

CANADA CHANGES TO STRENGTHEN EMPLOYER ACCOUNTABILITY 4

UNITED KINGDOM CHANGES TO THE IMMIGRATION RULES FROM APRIL 2015 5

VENEZUELA AMERICANS REQUIRE ENTRY VISAS 7

COLOMBIA VISA-FREE ENTRY FOR SOME NATIONALS OF CHINA, INDIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM 8

ISRAEL GOVERNMENT OFFICE CLOSURES AND INCREASED IMMIGRATION AUDITS 8

EGYPT POSSIBLE CHANGES TO TOURIST VISA ON ARRIVAL SYSTEM 9

NEW ZEALAND EXEMPTION FROM LABOUR MARKET CHECK IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES 9

CHILE NEW FLEXIBLE WORK VISA LAUNCHED 10

UNITED KINGDOM IMMIGRATION HEALTH SURCHARGE, NEW FEES AND ROLLOUT OF BIOMETRIC RESIDENCE

PERMITS 11

THAILAND 90-DAY REPORT CAN BE FILED ONLINE 12

MORE FROM PEREGRINE 13

PEREGRINE NEWS

March 2015



BOLIVIA - Major Changes to Immigration Processes

Effective January 2015, the Bolivian General

Immigration Department (DIGEMIG) has

implemented major changes to immigration

and work authorisation procedures.

There are now three standard immigration

routes which allow for work in Bolivia: A

short-term consular visa, a short-term post-

arrival work authorisation and a post-arrival

three-year temporary residence route.

There are still separate routes for

Argentinians and MERCOSUR nationals.

Short-term Visa The short-term visa (visa de objeto

determinado), valid for 30 days, can now only

be obtained at a Bolivian consulate abroad. It

was previously also available post arrival in

Bolivia.

If a short-term visa holder needs to extend

their stay they can apply for the new short

term authorisation (permanencia transitoria,

see below), whereas before they could extend

their visa.

A letter of invitation legalised in Bolivia is now

required in support of an application for this

visa.

Short-term Authorisation The new short-term authorisation

(permanencia transitoria) replaces the old

post-arrival short-term visa.

Short-term authorisation can be obtained

after entering Bolivia as a tourist, or on a

short-term visa (visa objeto determinado). The

short-term authorisation can also give also

access to temporary residence in Bolivia.

Temporary Residence Temporary residence, (permanencia temporal,

previously visa de residencia temporal) can

now also be obtained after entering Bolivia as

a tourist or on a short-term authorisation, and

not only for those who have entered on a

short-term visa, as previously.

If applying for temporary residence while on

tourist status, it will be necessary to apply for

change of status from tourist to resident.

Implementation DIGEMIG has posted details of the new

procedures and requirements, but has not as

yet released any official legislation concerning

these changes. The situation is likely to

remain uncertain until the new requirements

are fully implemented, and further major

changes may be expected.

Action Items

Note that assignees may now apply to

change status in Bolivia and so may

travel as a tourist and then obtain

short-term authorisation or

temporary residence post arrival.

Expect further developments as these

changes are implemented.

BELGIUM New Mandatory Fee for Residence

The Belgian federal government has

introduced a mandatory administrative fee,

effective 2 March 2015, for residence

authorisation applications.

The fee, ranging from 60 to 215 , must be

paid by bank transfer. Proof of payment must



be submitted as part of the residence

application.

Who is Affected? The fee must be paid by all work permit

holders (215 ) and most of their dependent

family members (160 ), students (160 ),

some researchers (215 ) and Blue Card

applicants (215 ).

A reduced amount (60 ) is to be paid by long-

term residents.

Exemptions include nationals of the European

Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland,

children under 18 years of age and refugees.

Background The Program Law of 19 December 2014

inserted the fee into the Immigration Law,

and this was implemented by a Royal Decree

of 16 February 2015, determining the amount

of the fees concerned as well as practical

arrangements for collecting them.

The measure is justified by reference to the

continuous increase in the number of

residence applications in Belgium, and the

resulting cost to the authorities.

Action Items

Ensure that the correct administrative

fee is paid before submitting any

relevant residence application in

Belgium.

UNITED STATES Employment Authorisation Extended to H-4 Spouses of Certain H-1B Visa Holders

Effective 26 May 2015, The Department of

Homeland Security (DHS) will finally extend

employment eligibility for certain H-4

dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants

who have applied for lawful permanent

resident (LPR) status.

Who Benefits? H-4 visa holders eligible for employment

authorization are spouses of H-1B visa holders

who have

an approved I-140 Petition for Alien

Worker; or

an H-1B visa extended beyond six

years, as they are in the process of

seeking lawful permanent residence.

It is expected that the persons who will

benefit most from these provisions are

spouses of J-1 physicians who are fulfilling

their J-1 waiver commitment of three years,

persons born in India and China in the EB2

(employment based second preference)

category and all persons in the EB3

(employment based third preference)

category born in all countries.

Eligible dependent spouses without H4 status

may concurrently request a change of status

to H-4 and employment authorization.

How Do Eligible Spouses Apply? To obtain an Employment Authorization

Document (EAD), eligible H-4 spouses must

file Form I-765, Application for Employment

Authorization, with supporting evidence and

the required $380 fee.

Timing

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration

Services (USCIS) will begin accepting

applications on 26 May 2015.



It can take up to 90 days to receive

the EAD after the application has

been submitted.

Once the EAD is received by the H-4

spouse, they may begin working in

the United States.

At the discretion of USCIS, the H-4

spouse may be issued an EAD valid for

up to the validity of the H-4 status,

and in any case not exceeding the

validity of the H1-B holders approved

period of stay.

If the EAD expires before the H-4

status expires, the EAD renewal

process should be started as soon as

possible (up to 120 days) before

expiry.

Action Items

Eligible spouses who are interested in

obtaining employment authorization

should begin to prepare their

application and supporting

documents so as to be ready for filing

on 26 May 2015.

CANADA Changes to Strengthen Employer Accountability

Effective 21 February 2015, a foreign national

who is exempt from the Labour Market

Impact Assessment (LMIA) process will not be

able to get an employer-specific work permit

if their employer has not submitted the

required information and paid a fee before

the work permit application is submitted.

What Exactly is the New

Requirement? Employers hiring foreign nationals who are

exempt from the LMIA process will be

required to submit an Offer of Employment

form, and pay a fee to Citizenship and

Immigration Canada.

The employer compliance fee has been set at

CAD$230 and must be paid online. The fees

collected will offset the cost of introducing

robust employer compliance. And are in

addition to the existing work permit

application fee of CAD$155.

The form must be completed with the fee

receipt number, and submitted by email. The

work permit application must then include a

copy of the form, and copy of the receipt and

a copy of the email.

Penalties for Non-Compliance When an inspection finds that an employer is

non-compliant, the employer could face an

administrative monetary penalty, a ban from

hiring foreign workers and, in serious cases, a

criminal investigation and prosecution.

Open Work Permit Applicants Also effective 21 February 2015, open work

permit applicants have to pay a new fee of

CAD$100. This fee will be paid at the same

time as the work permit processing fee and

can be paid online.

International Mobility Program streams that

feature open work permits rather than

employer-specific work permits include the

working holiday portion of International

Experience Canada, the Post-Graduation Work

Permit Program, spouses/common-law

partners of highly-skilled foreign workers and

international students, and certain foreign

nationals who are already in Canada waiting



for the finalization of their applications for

permanent residence.

Action Items

Employers hiring LMIA-exempt

foreign nationals should ensure that

they pay the compliance fee and

submit the required information in

order to avoid penalties and to enable

the work permit application.

UNITED KINGDOM Changes to the Immigration Rules from April 2015

The UK Home Office recently issued a

Statement of Changes to the Immigration

Rules, including a number of changes to Tier 2

and Tier 1 of the points-based system, which

are due to take effect from 6 April 2015.

Main Changes to Tier 2

Minimum Salary Thresholds

The minimum salary thresholds and SOC code

salary rates have been amended in line with

changes to the average weekly earnings of

settled workers, which have risen by 1.2% in

the 12 months up to November 2014.

The Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (ICT Short

Term) minimum salary thresholds will

increase by 300 per annum to 20,800 and

24,800 respectively, whilst Tier 2 (ICT Long

Term) will rise to 41,500, up 500 from the

current minimum threshold.

Cooling Off Period

The 12 month cooling-off period, which

restricts applicants from obtaining a new Tier

2 visa if they have been in the UK as a Tier 2

migrant within the previous 12 months, will

no longer apply to applicants who have held a

previous grant of Tier 2 leave for 3 months or

less, within the previous 12 months.

Shortage Occupations

Following the partial review by the Migration

Advisory Committee (MAC), a small number of

senior jobs in digital technology (limited to

people with at least five years experience) will

be added to the shortage occupation lists of

England and Scotland, including product

manager, data scientist, senior developer and

cyber security specialist.

Main Changes to Tier 1

Tier 1 (General) Extensions to Close

Imminently

The Tier 1 (General) category will close to

extension applications from 6 April 2015.

After that time, no further leave to remain in

the Tier 1 (General) route will be granted.

Migrants with a Tier 1 (General) visa who wish

to remain in the UK may apply for Indefinite

Leave to Remain (ILR) until 6 April 2018.

Anyone who does not qualify for ILR will need

to apply for further leave to remain before 5

April 2015, or apply for a different

immigration category.

Due to the imminent closure of Tier 1

(General) extensions, however, the Home

Office is no longer restricting extension

applications to those with less than 3 months

leave remaining.

Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent)

Effective from 6 April 2015, a change is being

made to give applicants the option of the

length of visa they wish to apply for (up to the

current maximum of five years, or five years

and four months in the case of entry

clearance applications).

This change is being made alongside the

introduction of NHS surcharge payments, due

to be implemented from Spring 2015, and



means that Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent)

applicants who only wish to come to the UK

for a short time in this category will not need

to pay the maximum leave period surcharge

payments.

Tier 1 (Entrepreneur)

The Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) category caters for

applicants coming to the UK to set up, take

over, or be involved in the running of a

business in the UK as directors.

The following major changes are being made

from 6 April 2015:

Clarification that government funding

by way of an intermediary public body

may be accepted, providing that the

body confirms the funds were made

available by a UK or Devolved

Government Department for the

specific purpose of establishing or

expanding a UK business;

Use of the genuineness tests for

extension and Indefinite Leave to

Remain (ILR) applications;

Migrants in the Tier 1 (General)

category will be restricted from

switching into Tier 1 (Entrepreneur),

unless they have already established a

UK business before 6 April 2015, or

they have funding from a government

department or endorsed seed funding

competition;

Clarification regarding how

investment funds may be spent, and

the restriction on engaging in

businesses principally concerned with

property development or property

management;

Applicants relying on funds they hold

themselves must provide evidence of

the third party source of those funds,

if they have held the funds for less

than 90 days before making an initial

application;

All initial Tier (1) Entrepreneur

applicants will need to submit a

business plan as part of their

application. Previously this was not a

mandatory document, but is often

requested by caseworkers to help

applicants demonstrate a genuine

intention to set-up a UK business.

Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)

The Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) category

caters for graduates who have been endorsed

by UK Higher Education Institutions or by UK

Trade and Investment to establish one or

more businesses in the UK.

Effective 6 April 2015, a change is being made

to restrict applicants in this category from

engaging in businesses principally concerned

with property development or property

management, for consistency with the Tier 1

(Entrepreneur) category.

Tier 1 (Investor)

The Tier 1 (Investor) category caters for high

net worth individuals making a substantial

financial investment to the UK.

Effective 6 April 2015, the following major

changes are being made:

Prospective investors will now be

required to open a bank account

regulated by the Financial Conduct

Authority (FCA) before making their

initial application;

The minimum age of applicants in this

category is being increased from 16 to

18;

Changes are being made to the

requirement for applicants to

maintain their investments. The

changes will mean applicants will no



longer need to invest additional

capital if they sell part of their

investments at a loss, but they will be

required to maintain all their capital

within their investment portfolios.

Buying and selling investments will

continue to be permitted, providing

the investor does not withdraw any

capital.

Other Changes

Visitors

The Home Office has announced changes to

the Visitor visa category which will affect

those wishing to visit the UK from outside the

European Economic Area (EEA) from 24 April

2015. The category will be consolidated into

just four routes - visit (standard);

marriage/civil partnership visit; Permitted

Paid Engagements (PPE) visit; and Transit visit

- in the anticipation that the new streamlined

system will be easier to navigate than the

current 15 routes available under the Visitor

category. Visitor visas will still only be valid for

a period of no more than six months, and

visitors will still be prohibited from taking

employment in the UK.

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

Effective from 6 April 2015, Tier 1 and Tier 2

migrants who apply for ILR must not have had

more than 180 days absence from the UK per

year during the qualifying period (usually five

years). A change is also being made to

discount any absences from the UK from

counting towards the 180 day limit, where the

absence was due to the applicant assisting

with the Ebola crisis which began in West

Africa in 2014.

Changes to English Language Test

The list of Approved Secure English Language

Tests and Test Centres has been updated.

Many of the previously accepted tests have

been removed, and some new providers

added to the list.

The introduction of a list of approved test

centres is to ensure appropriate security

features in the booking, administration and

invigilation procedures. Other changes will

allow results to be rejected if the test was not

taken at an approved centre. A transitional

period of seven months has been introduced

to help migrants who have taken their test

ahead of these changes as part of their

forthcoming immigration application.

Providing that the test was passed before 6

April 2015, the test results may be used as

part of immigration applications until 6

November 2015.

Action Items

Tier 1 (General) visa holders who do

not qualify for Indefinite Leave to

Remain will need to apply for further

leave to remain before 6 April 2015,

or apply for a different immigration

category.

VENEZUELA U.S. Nationals Require Entry Visas

A new Ministerial Decree, effective 28

February, requires U.S. nationals to obtain

entry visas to enter Venezuela as tourists.

The decree excludes U.S. citizens from the list

of nationals who are exempted from requiring

a visa to enter Venezuela. The change is

justified by the principle of reciprocity, as the

United States requires entry visas for

Venezuelan nationals.

U.S. nationals intending to visit Venezuela

need to obtain an entry visa corresponding to



the purpose of their visit (i.e. business or

tourism) from a Venezuelan consulate abroad

before travelling.

Action Items

U.S. nationals travelling to Venezuela

apply for the corresponding entry visa

at the Venezuelan consulate abroad.

COLOMBIA Visa-Free Entry for Some Nationals of China, India, Thailand and Vietnam

The Colombian government has authorised certain nationals of India, China, Thailand and Vietnam to enter Colombia without a visa, thus allowing qualifying applicants to apply on arrival for a temporary visitor permit (PIP) and post arrival for certain employment visas (TP- 4 and TP-13).

Who Qualifies? The new visa exemption is available to nationals of India, China, Thailand and Vietnam who

hold a residence permit in a State of

he Schengen area or in the United

States; or

hold a Schengen visa type C or D, or a

visa to the United States (other than

in the Class C-1 transit category).

Further Details Qualifying nationals of these four countries arriving in Colombia will receive a temporary visitor permit (PIP) in the relevant category, depending on the activities to be undertaken in Colombia (PIP-1 to PIP-8). They will then be able to apply post arrival for a TP-4 temporary work visa or a TP-13 visa for urgent technical work.

Action Items

If you are assisting a qualifying

national of China, India, Thailand or

Vietnam to obtain work authorisation

for Colombia, consider taking

advantage of the post arrival

processes.

A transition period is expected while

the immigration authorities (including

Migracin Colombia and all consular

posts) implement this new rule.

Please check with your immigration

supplier on a case by case basis.

ISRAEL Government Office Closures and Increased Immigration Audits

Israeli government offices will be closed on election day, 17 March, and from 3 April until 12 April 2015 for the Passover holiday. Also, the immigration authorities have recently increased audits of employers.

Office Closures During closure periods, no work permits or visa applications will be adjudicated. Israeli consular posts abroad may suspend their operations or conduct limited processing during this time. Visa applicants should check with their local consulate for specific information on holiday operations.

Increase in Audits of Employers The Enforcement Unit of the Immigration Authority has recently increased its audits of employers. The purpose of the audits is to ensure employers comply with the immigration laws and to prevent illegal employment. The audits may be performed



without prior notice. During the audits, passports and other relevant documents are examined. Foreign nationals that are found to be working without the proper visa are subjected to immediate detention and deportation. The employer can be issued high fines and/or criminal indictments.

Action Items

Note the closure of government

offices on election day and over

Passover and plan applications

accordingly.

Ensure that all foreign nationals have

the correct visa for working.

EGYPT Possible Changes to Tourist Visa on Arrival System

Egypts Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced changes to the tourist visa system, which may require travellers to obtain a visa before travelling to Egypt, rather than on arrival. The change, scheduled to take effect from 15 May 2015, applies only to independent travellers and not to tour groups. However, this decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still under discussion and no new regulations have been issued as yet.

Action Items

Peregrine will keep you informed

about these possible new visa rules

for tourists as more information

becomes available.

NEW ZEALAND Exemption from Labour Market Check in Certain Circumstances

Effective 1 February 2015, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has waived the requirement for temporary work visa holders to complete a labour market check when applying for a further work visa, in certain circumstances.

Who Benefits? In order to benefit from the new labour market check waiver, the applicant must:

currently hold a temporary work visa;

and

have applied for an Essential Skills

work visa to continue working in that

role; and

meet all other requirements of

Essential Skills work visa instructions;

and

have been issued an Invitation to

Apply under the Skilled Migrant

Category (SMC) and retain the ability

to apply, or have made an application

for residence under the SMC and that

application has not yet been

completed; and

have had their Expression of Interest

selected in part on the basis of points

claimed for skilled employment in the

role they currently hold.

If the applicant meets all of these conditions, they will not be required to complete a labour market check when applying for their further work visa. This will allow them to be eligible for a further work visa for twelve months.

What is the Labour Market Check? Normally, every application under the



Essential Skills instructions is subject to a labour market test. This test can be met by either:

the position being listed on one of

INZs Essential Skills in Demand lists,

or

INZ being satisfied that there are no

New Zealanders who can do, or be

readily trained to do, the job offered

and that the employer concerned has

genuinely searched for suitably

qualified and trained New Zealand

workers.

Action Items Employers of qualifying applicants can

take advantage of this change to

expedite applications for further work

visas.

CHILE New Flexible Work Visa Launched

The Chilean government has introduced a new work visa (visa temporaria por motivos laborales) which offers more flexibility for employees than the existing Work Contract Visa (visa sujeta a contrato).

What are the Differences? The new visa differs from the existing Work Contract Visa, mostly to the benefit of the foreign national employee.

For the Employee

Flexibility

The new Temporary Visa for Work

Purposes allows the employee to

work for multiple employers, and to

change jobs without any additional

cost and without obtaining a new

visa;

The Work Contract Visa only allows

work for one employer, changing jobs

carries an additional fee, and the visa

becomes invalid when the work

contract ends.

Permitted Activities

The new visa allows the holder to

work, study, start a business or offer

freelance services;

The existing Work Contract Visa only

allows work as set out in the local

contract.

Permanent Residence

A holder of the new visa is entitled to

apply for permanent residence after

only one year in Chile;

A Work Contract Visa holder must

have resided in Chile for two years

before applying for permanent

residence.

Application Process

The new work visa can only be obtained post-arrival, in Chile, while the existing Work Contract Visa can be obtained either at a Chilean consulate abroad or in Chile.

For the Employer

The main advantage of the new visa

for the employer is that they are not

liable for repatriation costs when the

contract with the employee ends.

They are also not required to report

the termination of the contract to the

authorities.

The Work Contract Visa requires the

employer to pay the repatriation costs

of the foreign national. The employer

also risks being fined if the

termination of the employment

contract with the foreign national is

not reported.



Action Items Employers considering sending

foreign nationals to Chile should

consult with their immigration

provider about which is the most

suitable work visa for their needs.

UNITED KINGDOM Immigration Health Surcharge, New Fees and Rollout of Biometric Residence Permits

The immigration health surcharge, one of the key reforms of the Immigration Act 2014, will be introduced from 6 April 2015. The government has also confirmed the new immigration and nationality application fees which will come into effect on 6 April, and has begun the rollout of Biometric Residence Permits to non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals.

Immigration Health Surcharge Non-EEA nationals applying to come to the UK to work, study or join family members for more than six months will be required to pay an immigration health surcharge, one of the key reforms of the Immigration Act 2014. This will also apply to non-EEA nationals who are already in the UK and apply to extend their stay by six months or more. The cost of the health surcharge will be 200 per year, and 150 per year for students. Dependents will be charged the same amount as the main applicant. The health surcharge is a mandatory requirement. Individuals who have private healthcare paid for either by themselves or on their behalf by their employer, for example, will still be required to pay the surcharge.

Exemptions

Applicants under Tier 2 (Intra-

Company Transfer) and nationals of

Australia and New Zealand are

exempt from paying the immigration

health surcharge.

It is important to note that these applicants will still need to complete the online surcharge process but will be informed the payment is nil. Applicants will receive a surcharge reference number which will be needed for their immigration application to confirm exemption from the surcharge.

Migrants applying for a UK visa of six

months or less will also be exempt

from paying the surcharge. Those

applying to come to the UK on a

Visitor visa will also be exempt,

although from April 2015, non-EEA

visitors who access NHS services will

be charged 150% of the cost of their

treatment.

Immigration and Nationality Fees

2015/16 The government has published the immigration and nationality fees for all applications made from outside and within the UK from 6 April 2015.

Tier 2 of the Points-Based System

There is an increase of 50 to applications made both within and outside the UK under the Tier 2 General and ICT (long term) categories, where a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) has been issued for a period of three years or less. The increase in these categories when a CoS has been issued for more than three years is 100 Applications made under the Tier 2 ICT - Short Term, Graduate Trainee and Skills Transfer categories, with a CoS that has been issued for a period of three years or less, will increase by 17, from 428 to 445.



The allocation of a Tier 2 CoS itself will rise by 15 to 199. There is no change to the fee for a Sponsor Licence application or renewal.

Tier 1

Tier 1 (Investor) sees large fee increases for applications made both in and out of the UK. In-country applications will rise to 1500, from 1093, whereas out of country applications increase by 626, also to 1500. In sharp contrast, a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) initial application from within the UK cost almost half of the present fee down from 656 to 281. Applications in this category made from outside the UK will also see the fee decrease to 281, from the current fee of 437.

Other Fees

From April 2015, postal applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) will cost 1500, almost 40% higher than the current fee of 1093. ILR applications made via premium processing will rise to 1,900 from 1,493. The fee for naturalisation as a British citizen for an adult will rise to 1,005 from 906 and the fee for registration of a child as a British citizen will rise to 749 from 669.

Rollout of Biometric Residence

Permits The process of issuing Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) to non-EEA nationals travelling to the UK for more than six months started on18 March 2015 with applications made in Pakistan. The rollout will continue in three further phases from mid April (including China and India), 31 May (including Australia and the USA) and 31 July (the rest of the world). Please see our recent news alert for more details on the Biometric Residence Permit system.

Action Items From 6 April 2015, ensure all non-EEA

assignees to the UK pay the

immigration health surcharge before

submitting their immigration

applications, unless exempt.

Applicants from countries where the

BRP initiative has already been

implemented should bear in mind the

short validity of the new travel

vignette and the need to collect the

final BRP post arrival when making

their travel plans to the UK.

THAILAND 90-Day Report Can Be Filed Online

Effective 1 April 2015, the Thailand Immigration Bureau will implement an online filing system for the 90-day residence report for foreign nationals, which should make the reporting process easier.

What is the 90-Day Report? Any foreign national who remains in Thailand continuously for more than 90 days is required to report his or her current address to the Immigration Bureau within a period of 15 days before and 7 days after the 90 days is reached. Until now, the report had to be submitted at the Immigration Department Office where the foreign nationals visa was issued, either in person or by mail. Failure to file a 90-day report can result in a fine of 2000 baht (about $60) or more.

Online Filing Foreign nationals can now make their 90-day residence report by submitting a notification form online here or via the main Immigration Bureau site, within a period of between 15 days and 7 days before the due date of notification. The status of the application can be checked



during the remaining 7 days before the due date, and a receipt must be downloaded as proof of submission, once the application has been marked as approved. However, at present the online report filing system is only available for those using Internet Explorer as their browser.

Action Items Ensure that a 90-day report is

submitted either in person, through

an agent, by mail or online within the

allowed period.

Be aware that the filing period is

much shorter for online submission of

the report.

MORE FROM PEREGRINE

Remember, all our news alerts can be found at

www.peregrine.im/news.

You can subscribe to our alerts from our

website, or follow @peregrineim on Twitter,

or our blog at blog.peregrine.im.

For more information about Immiguru,

Immigo and our other services, please visit

www.peregrine.im.

For any enquiries please contact

[email protected] or +44 (0)20 7993 6860.

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 news march 2015

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