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 New Zealand, Peru, United States, Poland and Canada.

New Zealand: Changes to Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) form questions for Green List occupations and wage thresholds

On 8 July 2025, Immigration New Zealand announced that changes are being made to the online application form for Green List occupations and to the wage thresholds for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).

Key changes to the AEWV form

• Occupation-specific questions will be replaced with more general ones. While the number of questions may remain similar, they will apply more broadly across roles.
• Specific requirements for each Green List occupation will be displayed directly in the form, helping applicants clearly understand what they need to meet.
• These updates are intended to allow the form to be updated more quickly and accurately as Green List criteria change.

These changes, effective 7 July 2025, will only impact those applying for roles on the Green List and roles that require occupational registration.

Wage threshold updates 

Wage thresholds are used to determine visa criteria for some visas, including AEWV. They are based on New Zealand’s median wage to make sure visa settings match what is happening in the job market.

From 18 August 2025, these AEWV related thresholds will be updated to reflect the June 2024 median wage of NZD 33.56 an hour.

These changes may affect AEWV applicants:

• earning twice the median wage (NZD 67.12 an hour) — they may be exempt from the labour market test and minimum skills threshold.

• earning 1.5 times the median wage (NZD 50.34 an hour) — they may be eligible for the maximum continuous stay of five years on an AEWV.

Peru: New visa exemptions for Japanese and Qatari nationals

The government of Peru has issued two new decrees exempting certain nationals from entry visa requirements.

Under Supreme Decree No. 020-2025-RE, effective 1 July 2025, nationals of Japan can enter Peru for business purposes without obtaining a consular visa in advance. The maximum stay, continuously or in consecutive visits, is 183 days in the last year.

Under Supreme Decree No. 023-2025-RE, effective 4 Jul 2025, nationals of Qatar with an ordinary passport valid for at least six months can enter Peru for tourism purposes without obtaining a consular visa in advance. The maximum stay, continuously or in consecutive visits, is 183 days in the last year.

United States: Temporary Protected Status ended for Honduras and Nicaragua

On 7 July, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras and Nicaragua. The termination will be effective 60 days after the publication of the Federal Register notice.

After conferring with interagency partners, Secretary Noem determined that conditions in Honduras and Nicaragua no longer meet the TPS statutory requirements. The Secretary’s decision was based on a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) review of the conditions in Honduras and in consultation with the Department of State. The Secretary determined that, overall, country conditions have improved to the point where Hondurans  and Nicaraguans can return home in safety.

Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals departing the United States are encouraged to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP Home app to report their departure from the United States and take advantage of a safe, secure way to leave the United States with a complimentary plane ticket, a USD 1000 exit bonus to help them resettle, and to preserve future opportunities for legal immigration into the United States.

DHS announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti on 27 June 2025, and announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan on 12 May 2025.

Poland: Recent changes to migration laws

On 1 June 2025, several acts amending migration law entered into force partially or fully.  

The Act of 24 April 2025 amending the Act on Foreigners and certain other acts, entered into force fully on 1 June 2025.

The main purpose of this Act is the transposition into Polish law of the revised EU Blue Card Directive, on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of highly qualified employment.

Therefore, the Act of 24 April 2025 introduced, among others, the following changes:

• The definition of “higher professional qualifications” has been changed to cover both qualifications obtained as a result of higher education and qualifications obtained as a result of professional experience.
• Long-term (over 90 days) and short-term (up to 90 days in 180 days) mobility routes have been introduced for holders of EU Blue Cards to carry out professional activities in Poland or other EU member states. 

The Act of 4 April 2025 amending certain acts in order to eliminate irregularities in the visa system of the Republic of Poland, largely came into force on 1 June 2025, although the changes to the single permit rules came into force on 1 July 2025.

• Post-secondary school completion certificates are excluded from the catalogue of documents confirming knowledge of the Polish language for the purposes of meeting one of the requirements for granting a residence permit for a long-term resident of the European Union;
• It is no longer possible to apply for a single permit while in Poland on a student visa, a visa for participation in sports events, cultural or educational exchange programmes, conferences, humanitarian aid programmes or holiday work programmes; or a visa for conducting cultural activities; or a transit or treatment visa; or a long-term visa (type D) or residence permit issued by another Schengen member state.  Prospective single permit applicants with these statuses are now required to first obtain a Polish national work visa.

The Acts of 20 March 2025 on the conditions for the admissibility of entrusting work to foreign nationals, and on the labour market and employment services, entered into force on 1 June 2025.

The most important changes in the provisions of these acts:

• The labour market test is no longer required. Henceforth, the district authorities will establish lists of protected professions which are closed to foreign nationals.
• All application procedures will be digitized.
• Employers must upload a copy of the signed employment contract before the job starts.
• Foreign nationals cannot work less than 25 percent of a full-time job. For jobs of less than 20 hours per week, the work permit will be issued for up to one year.
• Work permits will be issued for up to one year only for companies which have been operating for less than one year.
• Employers have new deadlines for submitting online notifications for, e.g., the date a foreign national starts or terminates employment.
• Fines for illegal employment will increase.

Canada: Quebec issues new criteria for skilled worker programme

On 2 July 2025, the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration (MIFI) published an order establishing the invitation criteria and scoring for the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés – PSTQ (Skilled Worker Selection Program).

The restart, which was announced on 5 June 2025,  allows invitations to be issued to apply for permanent selection through this program, which replaced the Programme régulier des travailleurs qualifiés – PRTQ (Regular Skilled Worker Program) on 29 November 2024.

• Invitations will first target people already living in Québec. They will primarily prioritize people who speak French, have work experience or studied in Québec, in particular in the regions, and who practise an occupation that contributes to relieving the labour shortage
• To be invited under the PSTQ, interested persons must have already declared their interest in Arrima. Those who already declared their interest before November 29, 2024 must update their declaration of interest form.
• Applications for permanent selection already submitted under the Programme régulier des travailleurs qualifiés (PRTQ – Regular Skilled Worker Program), before it was repealed on 29 November 2024, continue to be reviewed by the Ministry according to the conditions that were in place for this program.

The PSTQ’s invitation criteria were designed according to the program’s four streams, which cover all of the occupations in the Québec labour market. Stream 1 (Highly qualified and specialized skills) and Stream 2 (Intermediate and manual skills) cover occupations according to their “training, education, experience and responsibilities” (FEER) category and the work experience acquired. Stream 3 pertains to regulated professions in Québec and Stream 4 to exceptional talent.

In the PSTQ, there is greater value placed on the criteria regarding holding a diploma from Québec or having Québec work experience, in particular for people who reside in the regions, than there was in the PRTQ. Knowledge of French continues to be an essential criteria, since it is a selection condition for streams 1, 2 and 3 of the PSTQ.

A new self-evaluation tool will be put online shortly to enable people who wish to submit a declaration of interest in Arrima to first evaluate the score they could obtain based on the criteria in place.

Quebec reaches limit for certain family reunification applications

On 9 July 2025, the Quebec Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration (MIFI) announced that it had reached the maximum number of undertaking applications it can receive, from 26 June 2024 to 25 June 2026 inclusive, for sponsoring the following family members in the family reunification category:

• A spouse
• A common-law spouse
• A conjugal partner
• A dependent child aged 18 or over.

The MIFI is not receiving new applications for these family members until 25 June 2026.

Any application received by the MIFI after reaching the maximum number of applications that can be received for these family members will be returned to the applicants without being processed. The fees charged for reviewing the application will not be deposited.

People whose applications were returned may submit a new application when a new application reception period opens. The next decision on the management of family reunification applications will be announced by the MIFI by 25 June 2026.

The MIFI is continuing to receive undertaking applications for other family members who can be sponsored through family reunification.

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