Global immigration news from around the world

This week, the Global Immigration team at Smith Stone Walters would like to highlight the following recent news updates from Australia, Canada, Israel, Sweden and Taiwan.

Australia: South Australia opens nominations for National Innovation Visa

The South Australian authorities have announced that nominations are open for the new National Innovation Visa (NIV), which replaces the shuttered Global Talent visa.

The National Innovation Visa (subclass 858) (NIV) is a permanent visa for individuals who have an internationally recognised record of outstanding achievement in their field.

To apply for the NIV from the Department of Home Affairs, applicants must:

• be offshore; or be onshore and the holder of a substantive visa in Australia;
• have an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement in one of the following areas:
  • a profession
  • a sport
  • the arts
  • academia and research;
• be any age (those under 18 years old or 55 years or older must be of exceptional benefit to the Australian community);
• Meet all other DHA eligibility criteria, including having a nominator.

South Australia encourages individuals in the following categories to apply for nomination:  

• Global researchers and thought leaders 
• Entrepreneurs  
• Innovative investors 
• Creatives 
• Other globally talented individuals, including athletes.

Potential applicants can now submit an NIV Registration of Interest (ROI) through the Skilled and Business Migration Portal to be considered for nomination by the South Australian government.

Canada: Launch of new portal for Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program

Ontario will launch a new employer portal for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) on 2 July 2025.

The new Employer Portal will replace the current paper-based Application for Approval of an Employment Position (Employer Form). Employers will now initiate an application by submitting employment position details directly through the Employer Portal before the applicant can register an Expression of Interest (EOI).

Prospective applicants will be able to work with their employers to re-initiate existing EOIs once the portal launches on 2 July 2025. In preparation for this system upgrade:

• From 20 June to 2 July 2025, registrants will be unable to create new EOIs for Employer Job Offer streams.
• On 21 and 22 June, existing EOIs under the Employer Job Offer streams will be automatically withdrawn.
• From 27 June (after close of business) to 29 June 2025, the system will be unavailable for all OINP streams. Individuals will be unable to access current applications, submit applications or register EOIs.
• On 2 July the Employer Portal will open for registration.

Once the Employer Portal is available, employers will be able to register and provide employment position information, which will enable applicants to re-register their EOIs.

New EOIs will be eligible for future program draws and will be valid for 12 months.

The automatic EOI withdrawals will affect EOI registrants under the following streams:

• Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream
• Employer Job Offer: International Student stream
• Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream

Israel: Three-month visa extension for foreign nationals staying in Israel

On 17 June 2025, the Population and Immigration Authority announced that visas held by foreign nationals staying legally in Israel, which were valid on 12 June 2025, have been automatically extended until 30 September 2025, “due to recent events”.

This visa extension applies to holders of the following visa types:

• B/1 – General Work Visa
• B/2 – Tourist Visa
• B/4 – Volunteer Visa
• A/1 – Temporary Resident Visa
• A/2 – Student Visa (excluding agricultural trainees)
• A/3 – Clergy Visa
• A/4 – Companion Visa
• A/5 –Temporary Resident Visa
• DCL permit- for family reunifications and humanitarian.

Note that visa holders are not required to visit immigration authority offices to obtain the extension, which is applied automatically.

Sweden: New median wage affects work permit applications

Every year, Statistics Sweden (SCB) updates the median salary in Sweden, i.e. the middle salary in a group of salaries sorted in order from the lowest to the highest. As of 17 June 2025, the median salary has increased to SEK 37,100 (previously SEK 35,600).

To obtain a work permit in Sweden, applicants are required to earn a monthly salary of at least 80 percent of the median salary published by SCB.  Those who submit an application from 17 June 2025 must therefore have a salary of at least SEK 29,680 (previously SEK 28,480).

Applications submitted before 17 June 2025 will be considered on the basis of the median salary that applied at the time of application submission.

The following do not need to meet the requirement to make a good living:

• EU/EEA citizens and their family members
• EU Blue Card applicants
• ICT permit applicants
• seasonal workers
• athletes and coaches
• au pairs
• trainees/interns through an international exchange programme
• trainees/interns in higher education
• researchers.

New work permit agreement between Migration Board and Sports Federation

The Swedish Migration Board and the Swedish Sports Federation have revised and updated the existing agreement on work permits for elite athletes and coaches. As a consequence, effective 1 September 2025, the subsistence requirement for elite athletes and coaches is increased and the salary level is linked to the current price base amount.

The agreement between the Swedish Migration Board and the Swedish Sports Federation regulates the conditions for the permit required to work as professional athletes and coaches for people from countries outside the EU. The previous agreement between the parties dates back to 2008.

A key requirement is that the applicant must be able to support himself in Sweden. The new agreement stipulates that the monthly salary must amount to at least one third of the price base amount applicable at the time of application. This means an increase in the minimum remuneration from the current SEK 14,300 per month, which has been applicable since 2014. The new minimum remuneration is SEK 19,600 per month. The remuneration is linked to the price base amount and will change immediately.

Taiwan: One-year extension of trial visa-free entry for nationals of Brunei, Philippines and Thailand

The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced an extension of the trial visa-free programme for nationals of New Southbound Policy partner countries Brunei, Philippines and Thailand, from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026.

In addition, the Project for Simplifying Visa Regulations for High-end Group Tourists from Southeast Asian Countries will be extended for a further year through December 31, 2026, and the conditional visa-free entry through the Online Application for R.O.C. (Taiwan) Travel Authorization Certificate (TAC) scheme will remain in place.

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