Worldwide: Holiday Season May Delay Work Permit, Visa Application Processing

Government offices generally are short-staffed or closed during the holiday season. Clients should plan ahead as processing delays are expected for visa and work permit applications during the months of December and January.

Companies seeking work permits, residence permits or visas for foreign nationals who will begin their assignments in early 2010 should anticipate processing delays in December and January, particularly in Latin America and Europe. Many consular posts and labor and immigration authorities operate with a reduced staff or close their offices during the holiday season, while applications for work visas and permits generally increase for assignments scheduled to begin early in the new year.

Listed below is a selection of immigration office and consular post closings for the holiday season. Please be advised that this is not an exhaustive list of closings. Therefore, it is best to consult with the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or with a specific immigration office or consular post for schedules prior to filing work/residence permit or visa applications.

Canada: All Government of Canada offices, including Service Canada and all diplomatic posts abroad will be closed December 25, 2009, December 28, 2009, and on January 1, 2010. Some global Canadian visa offices may also be closed in observance of local holidays.

ASIA / PACIFIC

Bangladesh: Government offices will be closed on December 16, 2009 for Victory Day and on December 25, 2009.

Japan: Government offices will be closed from December 29, 2009 through January 1, 2010.

South Korea: Government offices will be closed on December 25, 2009 and January 1, 2010.

Malaysia: Government offices nationwide will be closed for Awal Muharram (Islamic New Year) on December 18, 2009, and on December 25, 2009 and January 1, 2010.

Philippines: Government offices will be closed on December 24 and 25, 2009 and from December 30, 2009 through January 1, 2010.

Singapore: Government offices will be closed on December 25, 2009 and January 1, 2010, and for the Chinese New Year holidays on February 15 and 16, 2010.

Thailand: Government offices will be closed for Constitution Day on December 10, 2009, and on December 31, 2009 and January 1, 2010.

Vietnam: Government offices will close on January 1, 2010 and from February 13 through 16, 2010 for the Lunar New Year.

EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, and AFRICA

Czech Republic: Government offices will be closed on December 24, 25, and 26, 2009 and January 1, 2010. Foreign police offices will also be closed on December 31, 2009.

Germany: December 25 and 26, 2009 and January 1, 2010 are official public holidays and government offices will be closed these days. Some regional offices may close on December 24, 2009 and December 31, 2009 as well. Also note that during the holiday season, many government offices may be short staffed, causing additional processing delays.

Hungary: Government Offices will be closed on December 24, 25, and 31, 2009 and January 1, 2010.

Israel: Israeli Consulates will be closed on December 25, 2009 and January 1, 2010. There are no other government office closures over the holiday season.

Italy: Immigration authorities are closed for the holidays on December 24 through 28, 2009 and on December 31, 2009 and January 1, 2010.

Kazakhstan: Government agencies will be closed from December 16 through 20, 2009 and from December 30, 2009 – through January 7, 2010.

Poland: Government offices will be closed December 24, 25, and 31, 2009 and January 1, 2010.

Romania: Government offices will be closed on December 25, 2009 and January 1, 2010.

Russia: Federal Migration Service offices and Russian labor authorities will be closed from January 1 through January 11, 2010.

Slovak Republic: Government offices will be closed on December 24 and 25, 2009 and January 1 and 6, 2010.

Switzerland: Government office closings vary according to Cantonment and Municipality.
Basel-town: The labor and migration authorities will be closed the latter half of December 24, 2009 through December 25 and the latter half of December 31, 2009 though January 1, 2010.
Geneva: The labor and migration authorities will be closed on December 25, 2009 and December 31, 2009 though January 1, 2010.
Vaud: The labor authority will be closed on December 25, 2009. The migration authority will be closed December 25, 2009 and December 31 through January 1, 2010.
Zurich: The labor and migration authorities will be closed from December 24, 2009 through January 3, 2010.

Turkey: Turkish government offices will be closed for a half day on December 31, 2009 and all day on January 1, 2010.

Ukraine: Most government agencies will be closed from December 25, 2009 through January 11, 2010.

LATIN AMERICA

Many government offices in Latin America will be closed on December 24, 25, and 31, 2009 and January 1, 2010.

Colombia: Government offices will be closed from December 21, 2009 through January 18, 2010. The office closures plus reduced staffing for the holidays are expected to delay processing times to at least six to eight weeks.

Costa Rica: The immigration office will be closed to the public from December 21, 2009 through January 4, 2010. Also note that between December 14 and December 18, 2009, the immigration office is organizing its file archive and will only accept applications for appeals and documents completing existing applications. It will not accept new residency or renewal applications, requests for processing or follow-up requests during this time.

The content of this alert is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any questions regarding this alert or any other immigration matter, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen Global Immigration Services or send an email to the appropriate regional or country mailbox:
Canada: canada@fragomen.com
Latin America: lar@fragomen.com
Europe and Africa: eacoordination@fragomen.com
Middle East: MiddleEast@ae.fragomen.com
Australia: AUInitiations@fragomen.com
China: CNInitiations@fragomen.com
Hong Kong: HKInitiations@fragomen.com
India: INInitiations@fragomen.com
New Zealand: NZInitiations@fragomen.com
Singapore: SGInitiations@fragomen.com
All Other Destinations in the Asia Pacific Region: APCCInitiations@fragomen.com

Source: Fragomen

Ireland: New Program for Foreign Workers Who Have Lost Their Status

Ireland has created a new program for foreign nationals who were once lawfully present in Ireland pursuant to an employment permit but have since fallen out of lawful status through no fault of their own. Eligible applicants may apply for a four-month temporary residence permit to allow them time to become eligible and apply for a new employment permit. Interested foreign nationals must submit applications before December 31, 2009.

The Irish Nationalisation and Immigration Service recently announced the creation of a new temporary residence program for certain foreign national workers who currently lack lawful immigration status. To qualify, foreign nationals must have previously held an employment permit and lost their lawful status through no fault of their own. The new program will be of use to foreign nationals whose current or former employer failed to timely apply for a permit renewal, for example, or to foreign nationals who may not have met the renewal criteria when the application was filed. This new program is only available through the end of this year. Applications must be submitted before December 31, 2009.

To qualify for the new program, applicants must demonstrate that (1) the circumstances in which their employment permit was not renewed were outside of their control; (2) they have not lost their employment due to a lay-off; (3) they will not be an unreasonable burden on Irish resources; and (4) they will not engage in any criminal or other behavior contrary to public policy. Applicants who are unemployed may qualify for the program, which is intended to allow individuals to secure employment. However, if an applicant is currently working for an employer that is willing to file an employment permit application on his or her behalf, this fact will help their case.

Qualified applicants will receive a four-month temporary residence permit that will allow them to become eligible and apply for a new employment permit. This four-month period will be evidenced by a stamp in the applicant’s passport and a certificate of registration. The four-month period may not be extended. If a foreign national is unable to secure an employment permit during the four-month validity period, he or she would be required to leave Ireland.

Note that the new program is targeted at a limited group of foreign nationals who held valid green card employment permits or regular work permits. Individuals who previously held other statuses or who fell out of lawful status due to other circumstances do not qualify under this program. For example, foreign nationals who have been laid off do not qualify. However, as previously reported, there is a separate new program for laid off foreign nationals. Individuals who are already subject to a deportation or transfer order are also specifically excluded from the terms of this new program.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen Global Immigration Services or send an email to emea@fragomen.com.