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Global immigration news round-up

08.11.2022

This week, the Global Immigration team at Smith Stone Walters would like to highlight the following recent updates from Canada, Indonesia, Latvia, Oman and Spain.

Canada: Immigration Levels Plan

The government of Canada has published details of its Immigration levels Plan for the next three years. The levels plan is a projection of how many permanent residents will be admitted to Canada in a given year and sets targets for overall admissions per immigration category.

The government aims to welcome 465,000 new permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025.

In 2021, Canada welcomed over 405,000 new permanent residents and is planning to receive more than 431,000 this year.

The plan proposes increases in both economic and family immigration.

Indonesia: New second-home visa

The Directorate General of Immigration (DGI), Ministry of Law and Human Rights, has officially launched the second-home visa, aiming to attract foreign nationals to the country.

Effective 24 December 2022, foreign nationals will be able to apply for the visa which permits the holder to stay for up to ten years and to own property, but not to work.

Applicants can apply online. The required documents are as follows:

Passport valid for a minimum of 36 months;
Proof of at least two billion rupiahs (about £114,000) in Indonesian state-owned banks

Recent colour photograph;
Curriculum vitae.

Latvia: New online tool for residence permit applicants

The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) has launched a new online tool providing relevant details for those applying for residence permits.

Here you can find up to date information on the submission of supporting documents, payment procedure and the receipt of documents for initial and renewal residence permit and EU residence status applications and for the registration of residence permits.

The OCMA also announced the launch of a new telephone service for enquiries about visas and residence permits.

Oman: Visa on arrival for GCC residents

Residents of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries travelling for commercial purposes are now eligible for a visa on arrival in Oman.

GCC residents are eligible regardless of the origin of their journey, but their GCC residence must be valid for at least another three months.

Previously, GCC residents required an e-visa to enter Oman.

Spain: Faster degree recognition for qualified foreign professionals

The Spanish government has approved a Royal Decree which includes measures to expedite the procedures for the recognition of foreign degrees, facilitating the mobility of qualified foreign professionals.

All degree recognition procedures will be carried out online, including online tracking of application status. Moreover, applications should be resolved within six months.