Global immigration news round-up

02.04.2025

This week, the Global Immigration team at Smith Stone Walters would like to highlight the following recent updates from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland and the United States.

Australia: Annual indexation of skilled visa income thresholds from 1 July 2025

The Department of Home Affairs has announced that, from 1 July 2025, skilled visa income thresholds will be increased by 4.6%. This is in line with changes to the annual Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE).

Income thresholds are indexed annually so wages for skilled migrants increase at the same rate as Australian workers. This aims to ensure that employers cannot use skilled migration to undercut Australian workers.

From 1 July 2025, indexation changes will be as follows:

The Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) will increase from AUD 73,150 to AUD 76,515. This will impact nomination applications for the Core Skills stream of the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) and the Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186).
The Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) will increase from AUD 135,000 to AUD 141,210. This will impact nomination applications for the Specialist Skills stream of the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482).
The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) used for the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa (subclass 494) and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) (subclass 187) will increase from AUD 73,150 to AUD 76,515. This is in line with the CSIT and subject to approval of relevant legislation.

New nomination applications from 1 July 2025 must meet the new relevant income threshold or the annual market salary rate, whichever is higher.

This change will not apply to existing visa holders and nominations lodged before 1 July 2025.

Canada: No more points for job offers in Express Entry

As of 25 March 2025, the government has removed job offer points from the Comprehensive Ranking System for current and future candidates in the Express Entry pool.

This includes job offers:

classified under Major Group 00 of the National Occupation Classification (for example, senior management positions) (200 points);
in any other skilled occupation (50 points).

If having a valid job offer is part of the applicant’s eligibility criteria, this won’t change. This includes:

the Federal Skilled Trades Program
the Federal Skilled Worker Program
some streams under provincial nominee programs

Applicants should still include the details of any job offers in their Express Entry profile so they remain eligible for these programs.

Denmark: New system for digital applications

The Danish Immigration Service and the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) have announced that they are moving all digital application forms and invitation forms to a new IT system on newtodenmark.dk. Users can still complete their digital application or invitation in the old system.

The switch to the new system on newtodenmark.dk will take place gradually over the next three to four months. The authorities will move the digital application forms and invitation forms one by one.

When an applicant starts a new application or visa invitation, they should follow the instructions on the relevant application page on newtodenmark.dk.

Those who have already started filling out an application or visa invitation in the old system, can continue to fill out and submit the application or invitation in the old system for a period of time, following the instructions on the relevant application page on newtodenmark.dk and in the digital form.

The digital forms look different in the new system and they will work in a slightly different way. In the new system, applicants can log in and view their submitted digital application or visa invitation for up to 30 days after it has been submitted.

Another change is that for the two-part applications, employers or agents only need to provide the applicant’s email address to give them access to part two, and will thus no longer need to send the reference number and password to the applicant.

Finland: Automated decisions possible for researchers who apply for an extended permit

On 24 March 2025, the Finnish Immigration Service will start issuing automated decisions on applications for extended permits for researchers.

An automated decision is a decision that the Finnish Immigration Service’s system automatically makes on an application. The processing of an application may involve automated steps and steps performed by Finnish Immigration Service specialists.

The system makes an automated decision only when this is possible under law, based on the rules formulated by the Finnish Immigration Service. The system uses these rules to check whether an application meets the requirements laid down in law. Only positive decisions are made automatically.

Applicants can receive an automated decision on their application if the following conditions are met:

They are applying for an extended permit for a researcher in Finland.
They have completed a master’s degree.
They are at least 18 years old.
They have an employment relationship with a Finnish research organisation.
They will not participate in a mobility programme of the European Union while the permit they are applying for is valid.
They have submitted their application online in Enter Finland.
They have submitted the application on 19 March 2025 or later.
They have filled in the application form with care and have submitted all the required information and attachments.
They meet all the requirements for the residence permit. There is no need for case-by-case consideration due to, for example, granting an exemption from a requirement.
No family members are applying for a residence permit together with the applicant.
Their details are not subject to non-disclosure for personal safety reasons.
They have not applied for or been granted international protection.
They have not previously received a decision to deport them from Finland.
There are no gaps between their hosting agreements.

For those who cannot get an automated decision on their application for an extended permit, a Finnish Immigration Service specialist will process the application and issue a decision on it.

United States: USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for Second Half of FY 2025 and Filing Dates Now Available for Supplemental Visas

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it has received enough petitions to meet the H-2B statutory cap for the second half of fiscal year 2025. The filing dates for supplemental H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2025 are now available.

5 March 2025 was the final receipt date for new cap-subject H-2B worker petitions requesting an employment start date on or after 1 April 2025, and before 1 October 2025.

USCIS will reject new cap-subject H-2B petitions received after 5 March 2025 that request an employment start date on or after 1 April 2025 and before 1 October 2025.

Filing Dates for Second Half of FY 2025 Supplemental Visas are listed here.

United States: DHS reviews designation of Romania into Visa Waiver Program (VWP)

The US Government is reviewing the recent designation of Romania into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to ensure adherence to VWP’s stringent security requirements.

During this review the United States is pausing implementation of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for Romanian citizens. This pause will remain in effect until the United States completes its review. Romanians seeking to travel to the United States for short-term business or tourism purposes should continue to apply for the appropriate nonimmigrant (“B”) visa at a US embassy or consulate.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP), administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in consultation with the Department of State, permits citizens of designated countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. In return, those countries must permit US citizens and nationals to travel to their countries for a similar length of time without a visa for business or tourism purposes.

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