February 2016

PEREGRINE NEWS
Immigo
Were excited to announce a major new upgrade to the fees and invoicing functionality in
Immigo. Were going to be hosting a training webinar for this new feature on Thursday 10
March at 13.30GMT. If youd like to join, please email mailto:info@peregrine.im.
The upgrade consists of five major new features:
Request and track advance payments or deposits for work you do;
Generate and store credit notes;
Store invoices within Immigo;
Customise your invoice template;
Data feed into your accounting software.
We are also pleased to announce the launch of our Immigo How-To Videos. Every day in the
month of March, well be posting a short (less than 2 minutes) how-to video on our blog
showing you how to use your Immigo account in the most efficient way possible.
More Events
Join us for a webinar on Tuesday 8 March 2016 at 1.30PM GMT (UK time). The webinar topic
is Oil and Gas and Immigration in Africa and is free to attend for Peregrines Immiguru
clients and partners. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served
basis, so please contact us to book your spot now.
The Peregrine team will be out in force at the EuRA conference in Malta this April, hosting
EuRAs first ever Immigration Symposium on Tuesday 19 April.

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Table of Contents
RUSSIA RECENT IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
RUSSIA PASSPORT VALIDITY REQUIREMENT EASED FOR HIGHLY QUALIFIED SPECIALISTS
ITALY NEW QUOTA DECREE PUBLISHED
IRELAND RECENT IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
AZERBAIJAN NEW VISA-ON-ARRIVAL OPTION FOR US NATIONALS
VIETNAM NEW DECREE BRINGS CHANGES TO WORK PERMIT RULES FROM APRIL 2016
INDONESIA NEW ONLINE APPLICATION REQUIRED FOR STAY PERMITS
COLOMBIA NEW ENTRY AND STAY PERMIT FOR SCHENGEN NATIONALS
MOROCCO, BRAZIL, CHILE LEGALISATION OF DOCUMENTS WAIVED UNDER APOSTILLE CONVENTION
UNITED STATES LIBYA, SOMALIA AND YEMEN ADDED TO COUNTRIES OF CONCERN LIST FOR VISA WAIVER
PROGRAM
AUSTRALIA NEW PERMANENT RESIDENCE ROUTE FOR NEW ZEALAND NATIONALS
UNITED KINGDOM IMMIGRATION HEALTH SURCHARGE TO BE EXTENDED TO AUSTRALIANS AND NEW
ZEALANDERS
MORE FROM PEREGRINE

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RUSSIA Recent
Immigration Developments
The Bank of Russia has defined minimum
requirements for medical insurance for
foreign national employees which will take
effect on 1 May 2016.
In addition, effective 1 January 2016, work
permit holders applying to amend their work
permits more than seven days after a change
to their passport details must pay a fine of
between 4000 and 5000RUB.

Medical Insurance Requirements

In accordance with Federal Law 115 (On the
legal status of foreign citizens in Russia),
foreign nationals working in Russia are
required to have medical insurance which
ensures that they can receive first aid and
urgent medical care while in Russia.
On 31 January 2016, Bank of Russia
regulations regarding this issue entered into
force. In accordance with these requirements,
medical insurance certificates held by foreign
citizens should include specific information
about:

The insurer (employer);

The insured person;
The insurance company;
The validity term and territory of
the certificate.

Fines
Effective 1 January 2016, a foreign national
work permit holders whose passport details
change must now apply to have their work
permit amended within seven business days
of the passport change or face a fine of
between 4000 RUB and 5000 RUB.

Reminders
Please note that:
Highly Qualified Specialist (HQS)
work permit holders must be paid
at least 167,000 RUB gross per
month; HQS work permit holders
who take leave must be paid at
least 501,000 RUB gross per
quarter.
Passport validity for HQS work
permit applicants should be at
least three years from the date
the work permit application is
submitted.
Passport validity for standard
work permit applicants should be
at least one year from the date
the work permit application is
submitted.
Passport validity for work visa
invitation letter applicants should
be at least eighteen months from
the date of requested entry to
Russia.

Action Items
Insurance companies are required to amend
their documentation in accordance with the
above requirements within 120 days of the 31
January 2016, when the Bank of Russia
regulations entered into force. This means
that starting 1 May 2016 Federal Migration
Service offices will require medical insurance
certificates to match the above requirements.

Employers in Russia must ensure

that the medical insurance
certificates of their foreign
national employees meet the
newly defined requirements in
the Bank of Russia regulations by
1 May 2016;

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 Work permit holders whose

passport details change should
now apply to amend their work
permits within seven working
days to avoid a fine;
Ensure all foreign nationals
applying for work permits and
work visas have enough passport
validity and that salaries meet the
minimum required for each
category.

RUSSIA Passport Validity

Requirement Eased for
Highly Qualified Specialists
Effective 19 February 2016, foreign nationals
applying for an initial or renewal Highly
Qualified Specialist (HQS) work permit to
Russia must hold a passport valid for one year,
rather than the three years validity currently
required.

Background
Compliance with the previous passport
validity requirement of three years was
difficult as, in some cases, governments do
not issue new passports unless the current
one has less than one year of validity
remaining.

Passport Validity for Work Visa

Applications
HQS work permit holders applying for work
visa invitation letters for themselves or
accompanying family members should note
that the required passport validity for this
application is one year and six months (18
months).

Action Items
Ensure that the new passport
validity requirements are met by
all applicants for initial and
renewal Highly Qualified Specialist
work permits and the associated
work visa invitation letters for
themselves and their family
members.

ITALY New Quota Decree

Published
On 2 February 2016 a new quota decree was
published, retaining the same 17,850 places
for subordinate (employed) and autonomous
(self-employed) work for non-European Union
(non-EU) nationals, but increasing the quota
allocations for change-of-status categories.
Online applications (on a first-come firstserved basis) opened on 9 February 2016.

Quota Allocations
As last year, 2400 places are allocated to
autonomous workers of non-EU nationality,
1000 places to foreign nationals who have
completed study or training in their own
countries, and 100 places for individuals of
Italian origin, with at least one Italian parent,
residing in Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela and
Brazil.
This year, only 100 places are reserved for
participants in last years Milan Expo: Last
year 2000 places were reserved for Expo
participants.
The remaining 14,250 places (up from 12350)
are reserved for non-EU nationals converting
EC long-term residence permits, or study,
training or seasonal permits into subordinate
or autonomous work permits, as follows:

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 4600 places for conversion of

seasonal work permits to nonseasonal subordinate work
permits (up from 4050);
6500 places for conversion of
study or training permits to
subordinate work permits (up
from 6000);
1500 places for conversion of
study or training permits to
autonomous work permits (up
from 1050);
1300 places for conversion of EC
long-term residence permits
issued by other EU Member
States to Italian subordinate work
permits (up from 1000);
350 quotas for conversion of EC
long-term residence permits to an
Italian autonomous work permit
(up from 250).
A further 13,000 work permits will be
available for seasonal workers. These can be
applied for from 17 February 2016.

Action Items
Employers should consider taking
advantage of the increased places
available for permit conversion
this year.

IRELAND Recent
Immigration Developments
The Department for Jobs, Enterprise and
Innovation (DJEI) has implemented a new
online status enquiry facility for checking the
status of employment permit applications.
There have also been some changes to the
highly skilled Eligible List and Ineligible List.

Finally, we have an update on the recent

processing times for employment permits and
EU treaty applications.

Online Status Update Enquiries

This facility has been introduced in advance of
the introduction of an online system for
employment permit applications, expected
later in 2016.
An applicant must complete an online form
here. They will receive an automated
response, informing them of the current stage
of processing of their application and, where
possible, an indication of how much longer it
will take for a decision to be made.

Occupations Added to Eligible List

The following occupations have been added
to the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupation List:
Material Scientists and Industrial
Pharmacists;
Perfusionists and Gastro Intestinal
technologists/physiologists;
International marketing experts
with required domain knowledge
specialising in product strategy
development and management
with technical and
product/service knowledge
(pharmaceutical, medical devices,
Software B2B, SaaS products);
In addition, an explicit reference to analytical
development has been added to the niche
areas under SOC 211 Natural and Science
Professionals.

Occupations Removed from

Ineligible List
The following occupations have been
removed from the Ineligible Categories of
Employment List (ICEL):

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 Paramedics
Tourist guides with non-EEA
languages
Aircraft Maintenance and related
trades
MIG/TIG welders
Computer Numerical Control
operatives.
Prospective applicants should note that,
where an occupation which has become
eligible is subject to a Labour Market Needs
Test, this test should not be commenced prior
to the occupations removal from the ICEL
(e.g. in this case, 1 February 2016).

Processing Times of Employment

Permits
Processing of most standard categories of
employment permit processed at the DJEI is
currently taking between six and eight weeks,
depending on the type of application.
Processing times have not improved since
before the Christmas period, and are not
likely to improve in the near future due to the
upcoming St. Patricks Day and Easter
holidays.
For a full list of processing dates please see
here.

Processing Times of EU Treaty

Applications
There has also been a slowdown in the
processing of European Union (EU) treaty
applications for dependents and spouses of
EU nationals which is processed by the EU
Treaty Office, INIS.
This delay in processing affects both the
granting of temporary permission to remain,
which is taking from 12 to 15 weeks, and also
the processing of the final decision, which is

currently taking between seven and eight

months.
These delays in processing are due to the
significant increase in EU treaty applications in
recent months. Please note that Garda
National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) offices
will not grant temporary stamps to cover the
processing period if the stamp or GNIB card is
out of date.
However, non EEA nationals are allowed to
remain while waiting for a final decision. As a
result, it is advisable for non-EEA nationals
whose temporary GNIB cards have expired, or
are due to expire, to refrain from travel
outside Ireland until their permanent
permission has been granted and their
renewed GNIB cards have been issued.

Action Items
Ensure that non-EEA nationals
waiting for a decision in their EU
treaty application do not commit
to travel until permission to
remain has been granted;
Note the changes to the eligible
and ineligible occupations lists..

AZERBAIJAN New Visaon-Arrival Option for US

Nationals
Effective immediately, US nationals travelling
on the New York Baku direct flight with
Azerbaijan Airlines will be able to obtain a 30day single-entry visa upon arrival at the
Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku.
This option is available for US nationals
travelling for tourism, business or work (with
a work permit), who would otherwise have to
wait one to two months to obtain a visa.

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Required Documents
The following documents are required to
obtain a short-stay (up to 30 days) singleentry visa upon arrival:
Valid passport;
Two passport size photos of the
applicant;
Visa fee: for US nationals - $160 US
dollars;
Completed visa application form filled
out upon arrival;
Boarding pass from the AZAL flight;
Letter of invitation (recommended):
For a business or work visit: an
invitation letter from the host
company;
For a personal visit: an invitation
letter from an Azerbaijani national or
a foreign national currently resident
in Azerbaijan along with a copy of
their Azerbaijani ID;
For a tourist visit: a copy of a hotel
reservation.

Action Items
US nationals travelling to Azerbaijan
for work, business or tourism should
consider taking advantage of this visaon-arrival option for earlier entry to
Azerbaijan..

VIETNAM New Decree

Brings Changes to Work
Permit Rules from April
2016
A new decree, in force from 1 April 2016,
includes new rules for the issuance, renewal,
amendment and annulment of work permits.

Below we outline the key points of Decree

11/2016/ND-CP of 3 February 2016, which
replaces Decree 102/2013/ND-CP of 5
September 2013.

Work Permit Exemption for Short

Term Assignments
Foreign nationals working in Vietnam for less
than 30 days and for a total cumulative period
not exceeding 90 days per year shall be
exempt from having to obtain a work permit.
Furthermore a work permit exemption
certificate is not required in this case. The
host entity in Vietnam simply needs to apply
for the appropriate visa on behalf of the
applicant. There are no additional Labour
Department requirements.

Position Approval
A position approval issued by the department
of labour is no longer required in support of a
work permit application. However, local
employers are still required to report their
foreign labour demand to the provincial
people's committee. The employer is not
required to report their foreign labour
demand for short-term work permit
exemption cases.

Qualification Documents for Experts

and Specialists
The new decree requires both a university
degree (or higher) in a related field and
evidence of three years work experience to
qualify for a work permit. Currently, only one
of these documents is required.

Work Permit Processing Time

The official processing time for labour
department to issue work permits is reduced
from 10 to 7 working days.

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Work Permit Renewal

Work permit Annulment

Work permit renewal applications will be

accepted up to 45 days prior to the current
work permit expiry date (compared to 15 days
as per current regulations). This will give more
time for companies and employees to
anticipate the renewal and ensure that all
supporting documents are still valid.

Upon request for annulment of a work permit,

as per the new decree, the labour department
will provide the company with confirmation of
the revocation of the work permit.

Among the documents required for renewal,

the current and valid work permit is required.
In case of loss, a certification of loss from the
local police office or from a competent foreign
authority is required. Also it is critical to
report to the local authorities immediately
upon the loss of a work permit.
Applicants for a work permit renewal will be
required to provide one of the following
document(s):
a certificate from an agency,
organization or enterprise from
overseas confirming that he/she is an
expert in a related field
a university degree (or higher) AND a
work testimonial proving a minimum
of three years experience in a related
field.
These new requirements will also apply to
applications for renewal by holders of work
permits issued under the current rules.

Work permit Amendment

The new decree provides guidance on the
amendment of work permits in case of

Health Certificate
The health certificate document required for a
work permit application must have been
issued less than twelve months ago
(compared to six months ago as per current
regulations).

Non-Criminal Record Requirement

The non-criminal record certifying that the
work permit applicant does not have a
criminal record, and is not subject to criminal
prosecution, will be issued by the overseas
country. However, if the applicant has been
resident in Vietnam, a local police record must
also be issued by a Vietnamese agency. The
new decree does not stipulate for how long
the applicant should have been living in
Vietnam to require a local non-criminal
record. Labour departments will likely
continue to request a local non-criminal
certificate as soon as the applicant has a
Vietnam entry stamp their passport.

Action Items
Plan to take advantage of the new
short-term work permit exemption if
possible, from April.
Check back for further details of the
new requirements once the expected
guidance circular is published.

a change of employer;
a change of position;
work permit expiry.
Documentary requirements for a new work
permit in such cases are reduced.

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INDONESIA New Online

Application Required for
Stay Permits
Effective 1 February 2016, foreign nationals
applying in Indonesia for the KITAS temporary
stay permit or for a visit visa renewal must
first complete an online registration.
In addition, the Ministry of Manpower has
removed the previous limitations on work
permit validity for Indian, Chinese, Hong Kong
Chinese, Macanese and Taiwanese nationals.

ITAS Online for KITAS

Since 1 February 2016, an applicant for a
KITAS temporary stay permit must submit an
online form here. Within seven days
(currently three days), they will receive a
confirmation by email, which must be
submitted in support of the manual KITAS
application.
ITAS Online is only required for KITAS
applications at the Immigration Offices in
West Jakarta, South Jakarta, Soekarno Hatta,
Central Jakarta, East Jakarta, North Jakarta,
Tangerine, Bogor, Depot, Karawang and
Bekasi.
This extra step does not delay the applicant
starting work in Indonesia, as this is permitted
upon arrival with a valid work permit.

ITK Online for Visit Visa Renewal

An applicant for a visit visa renewal (single
business visa or visa on arrival) who has
visited more than one province of Indonesia
must submit an online form called ITK Online.
ITK Online is applicable to all Immigration
Offices in Indonesia.

Work Permit Validity Restrictions

Lifted
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has
removed the previous work permit duration
limit of six months for Indian, Chinese, Hong
Kong Chinese, Macanese and Taiwanese
nationals. Now these nationalities can obtain
a twelve-month work permit provided they
meet the standard criteria.

Action Items
Foreign national work permit holders
must remember to submit an ITAS
Online application upon arrival in
Indonesia as part of the KITAS
temporary stay permit application
process;
Employers should note the lifting of
work permit duration restrictions on
nationals of China, Hong Kong,
Macao, Taiwan and India.

COLOMBIA New Entry

and Stay Permit for
Schengen Nationals
On 24 November 2015, Colombia introduced
a new category of Entry and Stay Permit
called PIP-10 for Schengen Area member
states.
Nationals of Schengen Area countries were
already allowed to enter Colombia visa-free.
On 3 December 2015 the European Union
(EU) signed a short-stay visa-waiver
agreement with Colombia on behalf of its
Schengen Area Member States, allowing
Colombians to enter any Schengen Area
country visa-free.

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What is the Schengen Area?

Action Items

The Schengen Area consists of 22 EU Member

States and four non-EU Member States:
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and
Switzerland.

Expect Schengen Area nationals

arriving in Colombia to be issued a
PIP-10 Entry and Stay Permit.

The visa policy of the Schengen Area

determines which nationalities require visas
to enter the zone, and which are visa exempt.
Currently 54 nationalities qualify for the visa
waiver, and the EU intends to sign reciprocal
visa waiver agreements with Peru, Georgia,
Ukraine and several more countries in 2016.

MOROCCO, BRAZIL, CHILE

Legalisation of Documents
Waived Under Apostille
Convention

The non-EU Schengen countries are expected

to sign separate equivalent visa waiver
agreements in each case. Bulgaria, Croatia,
Cyprus and Romania are not yet part of the
Schengen Area, but nonetheless have a visa
policy that is based on the Schengen area.

Morocco, Brazil and Chile have all recently

signed the Apostille Convention, which
eliminates the need for consular legalisation
of public documents. The Apostille
Convention will enter into force for Morocco
and Brazil on 14 August 2016, and for Chile on
30 August 2016.

The visa waiver agreements do not apply to

the United Kingdom and Ireland which have
opted out of the Schengen area.

What is the PIP-10?

The PIP-10 is a new category of Colombian
Entry and Stay Permit which allows nationals
of Schengen Area countries to stay in
Colombia for up to 90 days in a 180-day
period. Non-Schengen visa waiver nationals
are still issued a different category of PIP,
depending on the activities they intend to
carry out in Colombia (i.e. business, tourism)
PIP-10 holders are allowed to participate in
any non-remunerated activities while in
Colombia and, unlike holders of PIPs in other
categories, do not have to pay a fee for
extending their Entry and Stay Permit.

What is the Apostille Convention?

The Apostille Convention (also known as the
Apostille Treaty, or the Hague Convention
Abolishing the requirement of Legalisation for
Foreign Public Documents) was signed on 5
October 1961. It has since been signed by 112
countries.
The Convention specifies how a public
document issued in one of the signatory
countries can be certified by a competent
authority of that country for use in any other
of the signatory countries without the need
for consular legalisation (certification by the
Foreign Ministry of the country where the
document is to be used).

Action Items
Expect faster preparation of
Moroccan, Brazilian and Chilean
documents, and documents for use in
Morocco, Brazil and Chile, once the

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Convention comes into force in

August.

UNITED STATES Libya,

Somalia and Yemen Added
to Countries of Concern List
for Visa Waiver Program
On 18 February the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security announced that it is
adding Libya, Somalia and Yemen to the list of
countries or areas of concern, limiting Visa
Waiver Program (VWP) travel for certain
individuals who have visited any of those
countries since 1 March 2011.
However, unlike the first four countries on the
list (Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Syria, since 21
January 2016), a person who is a dual citizen
of a visa waiver-eligible country and one of
the newly added countries of concern may
still travel using the VWP.
The changes come under the Visa Waiver
Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel
Prevention Act of 2015.

Who is Affected?
Under the Act, nationals of VWP countries
who have traveled to or been present in
Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or
Syria on or after 1 March 2011 (with limited
exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military
purposes in the service of a VWP country)are
no longer eligible to travel or be admitted to
the United States under the Visa Waiver
Program (VWP).
These individuals will still be able to apply for
a visa using the regular immigration process at
U.S. embassies or consulates. For those who
need a U.S. visa for urgent business, medical,
or humanitarian travel to the United States,

U.S. embassies and consulates are ready to

process applications on an expedited basis.

Exceptions
Under the new law, the Secretary of
Homeland Security may waive these
restrictions if he determines that such a
waiver is in the law enforcement or national
security interests of the United States. Such
waivers will be granted only on a case-by-case
basis.

What is the Visa Waiver Program?

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows
qualifying citizens of participating countries to
travel to the United States without a visa for
stays of 90 days or less. Travelers must be
eligible to use the VWP and have a valid
Electronic System for Travel Authorization
(ESTA) approval prior to travel.
The VWP was amended following the
November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. On
December 18, 2015, the President signed into
law the Visa Waiver Program Improvement
and Terrorist Prevention Act of 2015 as part
of the year-end spending bill. Among other
provisions, this law amends the Immigration
and Nationality Act to provide enhanced
security measures for the VWP.

Action Items
Nationals of VWP countries who have
traveled to or been present in Libya,
Somalia, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or
Syria on or after 1 March 2011 should
check their eligibility for a waiver;
Current ESTA holders should check
their ESTA status prior to travel on the
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)
website.

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AUSTRALIA New
Permanent Residence
Route for New Zealand
Nationals
The Australian Government announced on 19
February that, as of 1 July 2017, there will be
a separate pathway for New Zealand citizens
to apply for permanent residency and then
Australian citizenship.

Who is Eligible?
New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV)
holders who arrived after 26 February 2001,
who have lived in Australia for the last five
years and were in Australia on 19 February
2016.
The SCV is a temporary visa which allows New
Zealand citizens to enter, stay, work and study
in Australia, but without the rights and
benefits of permanent residents or citizens of
Australia.

What are the Requirements?

The pathway will be made available
within the Skilled Independent
category of the General Skilled
Migration (GSM) stream of Australia's
annual Migration Programme. This
means that it will not be company
sponsored.
The New Zealand national must have
earned the minimum of the Migration
Income Threshold (TSMIT) as
evidenced by their Australian Taxation
Office Notice of Assessment
throughout their qualifying residence
period, to apply for permanent
residency and thereafter citizenship.
This amount is currently AUD53,900.

The New Zealand national must have

been resident in Australia for the five
years immediately prior to the visa
application.
The New Zealand national and their
accompanying family must all meet
the health and character tests.
The visa application charge will be
consistent with the General Skilled
Migration Programme which is
currently AUD3600 per primary
applicant with an additional AUD1800
for partners, AUD1800 per dependent
child over 18 and AUD900 per child
under 18.

Steps to Becoming an Australian

Citizen
New Zealanders taking advantage of this
pathway will usually be able to apply for
citizenship after one year of permanent
residence, provided they meet the allowable
overseas absences requirement.
This requirement means that a person must
not have been absent from Australia for more
than one year in total in the four year period,
including no more than 90 days in the year
before applying.
The usual citizenship eligibility requirements
will apply, such as:
being of good character if 18 years of
age or above;
being likely to reside, or continue to
reside, or maintain a close and
continuing relationship with Australia;
passing the citizenship test if aged
between 18 and 59 years of age, or
pass a citizenship review.

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Action Items
Qualifying New Zealand nationals
should consider this route to
Australian permanent residency and
possibly citizenship.

UNITED KINGDOM
Immigration Health
Surcharge to be Extended
to Australians and New
Zealanders
The Home Office have announced that the
Immigration Health Surcharge will be
extended to Australia and New Zealand
nationals coming to the United Kingdom as
well as those already in the UK looking to
extend their stay.
The announced change is currently in draft
but is likely to be implemented from 6 April
2016 subject to parliamentary approval.

What is the Immigration Health

Surcharge?
The Immigration Health Surcharge was
initially introduced in April 2015 to all nonEEA nationals applying to come to the UK to
work, study or join family members for
more than six months, but exempted
Australian and New Zealand nationals due to
reciprocal healthcare agreements with the
respective Australian and New Zealand and
the UK Government.
The surcharge is set at 200 per year, with
dependents paying the same amount as the
main applicant. Those aged between 18 and
30, applying to come to the UK on the Youth
Mobility Scheme, will benefit from a
discounted rate of 150 per person per year,

which will align the cost with the amount paid

by students.
Migrants applying for a UK visa of six months
or less are exempt from paying the surcharge.
Those applying to come to the UK on a Visitor
visa are also exempt, although non-EEA
visitors who access NHS services are charged
150% of the cost of their treatment.
This surcharge is payable at the outset of the
immigration application process. As the
surcharge is calculated on a yearly basis, if a
migrant applies for a grant of stay of three
years, they will be required to pay the charge
in full for the three year period at the point of
application for their visa. As an example, a
worker coming to UK for three years on a Tier
2 Visa would be required to pay 600 on top
of their visa application fee.
If an application is refused or rejected, the
applicant will be automatically refunded the
surcharge (but not the visa application fee).
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has
reportedly suggested that the New Zealand
Government is not at this stage planning to
introduce a reciprocal change for British
Nationals resident in New Zealand. British
nationals can still use free care in New
Zealand, an entitlement bound by the Health
Benefits Act 1982.

Action Items
If this change comes onto effect,
employers should ensure that all
nationals of New Zealand and
Australia employed to work in the UK
for six months or more pay the
immigration health surcharge before
submitting their immigration
applications.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE

VAT registration number: 111 7916 32
Peregrine Immigration Management Ltd, Registered in England and Wales: 7569415

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DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this immigration newsletter has been
abridged from laws, court decisions, and administrative rulings and should not be
construed or relied upon as legal advice. If you have specific questions regarding the
applicability of this information, please contact Peregrine 2015 Peregrine
Immigration Management Ltd.

peregrine: GLOBAL IMMIGRATION MADE SIMPLE

VAT registration number: 111 7916 32
Peregrine Immigration Management Ltd, Registered in England and Wales: 7569415