Global immigration news round-up
This week, the Global Immigration team at Smith Stone Walters would like to highlight the following recent updates from Canada, Italy, Mozambique and New Zealand.
Canada: Temporary exemption for work permit holders when changing employment
Effective 27 May 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has extended indefinitely a COVID-era temporary public policy exempting eligible holders of employer-based work permits from certain requirements when changing employment.
Under the extended policy, foreign national workers, in Canada with valid work authorization, who are required to obtain a new work permit before commencing a new job, can begin working in a new job while their work permit application is pending.
Individuals expected to benefit from these measures include foreign nationals who:
- are on “maintained status” and are authorized to work while their work permit application is pending, but who are bound to the conditions imposed on their expired work permit such that they cannot move to a new occupation or employer while on maintained status;
- continue to hold a valid work permit that limits them to working for a named employer, but need to transition to a different occupation or employer for reasons that may include having been laid-off; or
- are work-permit exempt, but require a work permit to work in a new occupation or for a new employer.
The foreign worker must apply for this public policy exemption online. If this application is successful, the exemption will be valid until a decision is made on their work permit application.
The earlier, COVID-era policy which this replaces included an exemption from the requirement to submit biometrics in support of the work permit application where the Service Canada office serving the area where the applicant lives was temporarily closed and was not collecting biometrics due to the pandemic. This exemption has been removed in the updated policy.
Italy: New rules and work visa for descendants of Italian citizens
On 23 May 2025, the Official Gazette published Law No. 74, which introduces major changes to the rules for citizenship by descent, and a new quota-exempt work visa category.
- Applications for citizenship by descent submitted after 27 March 2025 (unless the application appointment was scheduled by the competent authorities before 27 March 2025) will only be successful if the applicant has or had a parent or grandparent with exclusively Italian citizenship; or a parent or adoptive parent resident in Italy for at least two years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the applicant’s date of birth or adoption.
- Further rule changes apply to the minor children of Italian citizens.
- A new category of quota-exempt work visa is introduced to article 27 of the Italian immigration law, for foreign nationals living outside Italy who are
- descended from Italian citizens (no generational limit is stated); and citizens of a country with significant migration from Italy (the list of these countries will be decided by a joint ministerial decree).
Existing quota-exempt work visa categories under article 27 include those for digital nomads, nurses, researchers, translators, journalists, highly-skilled professionals, intra-company transferees.
Mozambique: Temporary suspension of new pre-travel registration requirement
On 16 May 2025, the National Migration Service (SENAMI) announced that, due to technical issues, it had suspended its new requirement for nationals of 29 visa-exempt countries to register their entry at least 48 hours before their scheduled departure date.
The new requirement to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) was introduced on 24 April 2025 and must be completed through the official evisa platform, with a fee of MZN 650.
New Zealand: Changes to the Specific Purpose Work Visa for sports professionals
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced that, on 26 May 2025, changes will be made to the Specific Purpose Work Visa (SPWV) that allow a visa duration of up to:
- 12 months for sports players and professional coaches below national or regional level, and
- 36 months for professional sports players and professional coaches at a national or regional level.
Professional sports players and professional coaches at a national or regional level who hold a SPWV will now also be able to apply for another SPWV if their contract is extended, allowing a total stay of up to 36 months (inclusive of the duration of their initial SPWV).
For the purposes of this visa:
- A ‘professional sports player’ is someone who has a paid position in a New Zealand sports club to engage in a primary role of competing and training in that sport;
- A ‘professional sports coach’ is someone who has a paid position in a New Zealand sports club to engage in a primary role of coaching;
- ‘National or regional level’ is someone representing a sports club in a top tier national, trans-Tasman, or international competition.
To be eligible for a SPWV, the applicant must:
- be coming to New Zealand to complete a specific purpose or event;
- demonstrate they meet the work visa requirements by providing the evidence; required for their intended work;
- be qualified to undertake the work;
- meet health and character requirements;
- have time-bound work.
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