March 2015

PEREGRINE NEWS
This month we have added five new immigration processes to Immiguru, including one new
destination country - Cameroon.
Weve also added a new feature to Immiguru downloadable pricing grids for each process
in the database. Use these to ask immigration suppliers for their prices and ensure youre
comparing apples to apples when picking a provider.
We have also introduced advanced allowance tracking and reporting, tags and template
cases to Immigo, our global immigration case management cloud software.
Finally, we hosted a very successful webinar on short-term assignments to Latin America.
Check out our blog at http://blog.peregrine.im/, where you can download the slides for this
and previous webinars, and read all our news in more detail.

Table of Contents
BOLIVIA - MAJOR CHANGES TO IMMIGRATION PROCESSES
2
BELGIUM NEW MANDATORY FEE FOR RESIDENCE
2
UNITED STATES EMPLOYMENT AUTHORISATION EXTENDED TO H-4 SPOUSES OF CERTAIN H-1B VISA HOLDERS 3
CANADA CHANGES TO STRENGTHEN EMPLOYER ACCOUNTABILITY
4
UNITED KINGDOM CHANGES TO THE IMMIGRATION RULES FROM APRIL 2015
5
VENEZUELA AMERICANS REQUIRE ENTRY VISAS
7
COLOMBIA VISA-FREE ENTRY FOR SOME NATIONALS OF CHINA, INDIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM
8
ISRAEL GOVERNMENT OFFICE CLOSURES AND INCREASED IMMIGRATION AUDITS
8
EGYPT POSSIBLE CHANGES TO TOURIST VISA ON ARRIVAL SYSTEM
9
NEW ZEALAND EXEMPTION FROM LABOUR MARKET CHECK IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES
9
CHILE NEW FLEXIBLE WORK VISA LAUNCHED
10
UNITED KINGDOM IMMIGRATION HEALTH SURCHARGE, NEW FEES AND ROLLOUT OF BIOMETRIC RESIDENCE
PERMITS
11
THAILAND 90-DAY REPORT CAN BE FILED ONLINE
12
MORE FROM PEREGRINE
13

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BOLIVIA - Major Changes to

Immigration Processes
Effective January 2015, the Bolivian General
Immigration Department (DIGEMIG) has
implemented major changes to immigration
and work authorisation procedures.
There are now three standard immigration
routes which allow for work in Bolivia: A
short-term consular visa, a short-term postarrival work authorisation and a post-arrival
three-year temporary residence route.
There are still separate routes for
Argentinians and MERCOSUR nationals.

Short-term Visa
The short-term visa (visa de objeto
determinado), valid for 30 days, can now only
be obtained at a Bolivian consulate abroad. It
was previously also available post arrival in
Bolivia.
If a short-term visa holder needs to extend
their stay they can apply for the new short
term authorisation (permanencia transitoria,
see below), whereas before they could extend
their visa.
A letter of invitation legalised in Bolivia is now
required in support of an application for this
visa.

Short-term Authorisation
The new short-term authorisation
(permanencia transitoria) replaces the old
post-arrival short-term visa.
Short-term authorisation can be obtained
after entering Bolivia as a tourist, or on a
short-term visa (visa objeto determinado). The
short-term authorisation can also give also
access to temporary residence in Bolivia.

Temporary Residence
Temporary residence, (permanencia temporal,
previously visa de residencia temporal) can
now also be obtained after entering Bolivia as
a tourist or on a short-term authorisation, and
not only for those who have entered on a
short-term visa, as previously.
If applying for temporary residence while on
tourist status, it will be necessary to apply for
change of status from tourist to resident.

Implementation
DIGEMIG has posted details of the new
procedures and requirements, but has not as
yet released any official legislation concerning
these changes. The situation is likely to
remain uncertain until the new requirements
are fully implemented, and further major
changes may be expected.

Action Items
Note that assignees may now apply to
change status in Bolivia and so may
travel as a tourist and then obtain
short-term authorisation or
temporary residence post arrival.
Expect further developments as these
changes are implemented.

BELGIUM New
Mandatory Fee for
Residence
The Belgian federal government has
introduced a mandatory administrative fee,
effective 2 March 2015, for residence
authorisation applications.
The fee, ranging from 60 to 215 , must be
paid by bank transfer. Proof of payment must

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be submitted as part of the residence

application.

Who is Affected?
The fee must be paid by all work permit
holders (215 ) and most of their dependent
family members (160 ), students (160 ),
some researchers (215 ) and Blue Card
applicants (215 ).
A reduced amount (60 ) is to be paid by longterm residents.
Exemptions include nationals of the European
Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland,
children under 18 years of age and refugees.

Background
The Program Law of 19 December 2014
inserted the fee into the Immigration Law,
and this was implemented by a Royal Decree
of 16 February 2015, determining the amount
of the fees concerned as well as practical
arrangements for collecting them.
The measure is justified by reference to the
continuous increase in the number of
residence applications in Belgium, and the
resulting cost to the authorities.

Action Items
Ensure that the correct administrative
fee is paid before submitting any
relevant residence application in
Belgium.

UNITED STATES
Employment Authorisation
Extended to H-4 Spouses of
Certain H-1B Visa Holders

Effective 26 May 2015, The Department of

Homeland Security (DHS) will finally extend
employment eligibility for certain H-4
dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants
who have applied for lawful permanent
resident (LPR) status.

Who Benefits?
H-4 visa holders eligible for employment
authorization are spouses of H-1B visa holders
who have
an approved I-140 Petition for Alien
Worker; or
an H-1B visa extended beyond six
years, as they are in the process of
seeking lawful permanent residence.
It is expected that the persons who will
benefit most from these provisions are
spouses of J-1 physicians who are fulfilling
their J-1 waiver commitment of three years,
persons born in India and China in the EB2
(employment based second preference)
category and all persons in the EB3
(employment based third preference)
category born in all countries.
Eligible dependent spouses without H4 status
may concurrently request a change of status
to H-4 and employment authorization.

How Do Eligible Spouses Apply?

To obtain an Employment Authorization
Document (EAD), eligible H-4 spouses must
file Form I-765, Application for Employment
Authorization, with supporting evidence and
the required $380 fee.

Timing
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) will begin accepting
applications on 26 May 2015.

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 It can take up to 90 days to receive

the EAD after the application has
been submitted.
Once the EAD is received by the H-4
spouse, they may begin working in
the United States.
At the discretion of USCIS, the H-4
spouse may be issued an EAD valid for
up to the validity of the H-4 status,
and in any case not exceeding the
validity of the H1-B holders approved
period of stay.
If the EAD expires before the H-4
status expires, the EAD renewal
process should be started as soon as
possible (up to 120 days) before
expiry.

Action Items
Eligible spouses who are interested in
obtaining employment authorization
should begin to prepare their
application and supporting
documents so as to be ready for filing
on 26 May 2015.

CANADA Changes to
Strengthen Employer
Accountability
Effective 21 February 2015, a foreign national
who is exempt from the Labour Market
Impact Assessment (LMIA) process will not be
able to get an employer-specific work permit
if their employer has not submitted the
required information and paid a fee before
the work permit application is submitted.

What Exactly is the New

Requirement?
Employers hiring foreign nationals who are
exempt from the LMIA process will be
required to submit an Offer of Employment
form, and pay a fee to Citizenship and
Immigration Canada.
The employer compliance fee has been set at
CAD$230 and must be paid online. The fees
collected will offset the cost of introducing
robust employer compliance. And are in
addition to the existing work permit
application fee of CAD$155.
The form must be completed with the fee
receipt number, and submitted by email. The
work permit application must then include a
copy of the form, and copy of the receipt and
a copy of the email.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

When an inspection finds that an employer is
non-compliant, the employer could face an
administrative monetary penalty, a ban from
hiring foreign workers and, in serious cases, a
criminal investigation and prosecution.

Open Work Permit Applicants

Also effective 21 February 2015, open work
permit applicants have to pay a new fee of
CAD$100. This fee will be paid at the same
time as the work permit processing fee and
can be paid online.
International Mobility Program streams that
feature open work permits rather than
employer-specific work permits include the
working holiday portion of International
Experience Canada, the Post-Graduation Work
Permit Program, spouses/common-law
partners of highly-skilled foreign workers and
international students, and certain foreign
nationals who are already in Canada waiting

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for the finalization of their applications for

permanent residence.

previous grant of Tier 2 leave for 3 months or

less, within the previous 12 months.

Action Items

Shortage Occupations
Following the partial review by the Migration
Advisory Committee (MAC), a small number of
senior jobs in digital technology (limited to
people with at least five years experience) will
be added to the shortage occupation lists of
England and Scotland, including product
manager, data scientist, senior developer and
cyber security specialist.

Employers hiring LMIA-exempt

foreign nationals should ensure that
they pay the compliance fee and
submit the required information in
order to avoid penalties and to enable
the work permit application.

UNITED KINGDOM
Changes to the Immigration
Rules from April 2015
The UK Home Office recently issued a
Statement of Changes to the Immigration
Rules, including a number of changes to Tier 2
and Tier 1 of the points-based system, which
are due to take effect from 6 April 2015.

Main Changes to Tier 2

Minimum Salary Thresholds
The minimum salary thresholds and SOC code
salary rates have been amended in line with
changes to the average weekly earnings of
settled workers, which have risen by 1.2% in
the 12 months up to November 2014.
The Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (ICT Short
Term) minimum salary thresholds will
increase by 300 per annum to 20,800 and
24,800 respectively, whilst Tier 2 (ICT Long
Term) will rise to 41,500, up 500 from the
current minimum threshold.
Cooling Off Period
The 12 month cooling-off period, which
restricts applicants from obtaining a new Tier
2 visa if they have been in the UK as a Tier 2
migrant within the previous 12 months, will
no longer apply to applicants who have held a

Main Changes to Tier 1

Tier 1 (General) Extensions to Close
Imminently
The Tier 1 (General) category will close to
extension applications from 6 April 2015.
After that time, no further leave to remain in
the Tier 1 (General) route will be granted.
Migrants with a Tier 1 (General) visa who wish
to remain in the UK may apply for Indefinite
Leave to Remain (ILR) until 6 April 2018.
Anyone who does not qualify for ILR will need
to apply for further leave to remain before 5
April 2015, or apply for a different
immigration category.
Due to the imminent closure of Tier 1
(General) extensions, however, the Home
Office is no longer restricting extension
applications to those with less than 3 months
leave remaining.
Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent)
Effective from 6 April 2015, a change is being
made to give applicants the option of the
length of visa they wish to apply for (up to the
current maximum of five years, or five years
and four months in the case of entry
clearance applications).
This change is being made alongside the
introduction of NHS surcharge payments, due
to be implemented from Spring 2015, and

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means that Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent)

applicants who only wish to come to the UK
for a short time in this category will not need
to pay the maximum leave period surcharge
payments.
Tier 1 (Entrepreneur)
The Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) category caters for
applicants coming to the UK to set up, take
over, or be involved in the running of a
business in the UK as directors.
The following major changes are being made
from 6 April 2015:
Clarification that government funding
by way of an intermediary public body
may be accepted, providing that the
body confirms the funds were made
available by a UK or Devolved
Government Department for the
specific purpose of establishing or
expanding a UK business;
Use of the genuineness tests for
extension and Indefinite Leave to
Remain (ILR) applications;
Migrants in the Tier 1 (General)
category will be restricted from
switching into Tier 1 (Entrepreneur),
unless they have already established a
UK business before 6 April 2015, or
they have funding from a government
department or endorsed seed funding
competition;
Clarification regarding how
investment funds may be spent, and
the restriction on engaging in
businesses principally concerned with
property development or property
management;
Applicants relying on funds they hold
themselves must provide evidence of
the third party source of those funds,
if they have held the funds for less

than 90 days before making an initial

application;
All initial Tier (1) Entrepreneur
applicants will need to submit a
business plan as part of their
application. Previously this was not a
mandatory document, but is often
requested by caseworkers to help
applicants demonstrate a genuine
intention to set-up a UK business.
Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)
The Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) category
caters for graduates who have been endorsed
by UK Higher Education Institutions or by UK
Trade and Investment to establish one or
more businesses in the UK.
Effective 6 April 2015, a change is being made
to restrict applicants in this category from
engaging in businesses principally concerned
with property development or property
management, for consistency with the Tier 1
(Entrepreneur) category.
Tier 1 (Investor)
The Tier 1 (Investor) category caters for high
net worth individuals making a substantial
financial investment to the UK.
Effective 6 April 2015, the following major
changes are being made:
Prospective investors will now be
required to open a bank account
regulated by the Financial Conduct
Authority (FCA) before making their
initial application;
The minimum age of applicants in this
category is being increased from 16 to
18;
Changes are being made to the
requirement for applicants to
maintain their investments. The
changes will mean applicants will no

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longer need to invest additional

capital if they sell part of their
investments at a loss, but they will be
required to maintain all their capital
within their investment portfolios.
Buying and selling investments will
continue to be permitted, providing
the investor does not withdraw any
capital.

Other Changes
Visitors
The Home Office has announced changes to
the Visitor visa category which will affect
those wishing to visit the UK from outside the
European Economic Area (EEA) from 24 April
2015. The category will be consolidated into
just four routes - visit (standard);
marriage/civil partnership visit; Permitted
Paid Engagements (PPE) visit; and Transit visit
- in the anticipation that the new streamlined
system will be easier to navigate than the
current 15 routes available under the Visitor
category. Visitor visas will still only be valid for
a period of no more than six months, and
visitors will still be prohibited from taking
employment in the UK.
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
Effective from 6 April 2015, Tier 1 and Tier 2
migrants who apply for ILR must not have had
more than 180 days absence from the UK per
year during the qualifying period (usually five
years). A change is also being made to
discount any absences from the UK from
counting towards the 180 day limit, where the
absence was due to the applicant assisting
with the Ebola crisis which began in West
Africa in 2014.
Changes to English Language Test
The list of Approved Secure English Language
Tests and Test Centres has been updated.
Many of the previously accepted tests have

been removed, and some new providers

added to the list.
The introduction of a list of approved test
centres is to ensure appropriate security
features in the booking, administration and
invigilation procedures. Other changes will
allow results to be rejected if the test was not
taken at an approved centre. A transitional
period of seven months has been introduced
to help migrants who have taken their test
ahead of these changes as part of their
forthcoming immigration application.
Providing that the test was passed before 6
April 2015, the test results may be used as
part of immigration applications until 6
November 2015.

Action Items
Tier 1 (General) visa holders who do
not qualify for Indefinite Leave to
Remain will need to apply for further
leave to remain before 6 April 2015,
or apply for a different immigration
category.

VENEZUELA U.S.
Nationals Require Entry
Visas
A new Ministerial Decree, effective 28
February, requires U.S. nationals to obtain
entry visas to enter Venezuela as tourists.
The decree excludes U.S. citizens from the list
of nationals who are exempted from requiring
a visa to enter Venezuela. The change is
justified by the principle of reciprocity, as the
United States requires entry visas for
Venezuelan nationals.
U.S. nationals intending to visit Venezuela
need to obtain an entry visa corresponding to

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the purpose of their visit (i.e. business or

tourism) from a Venezuelan consulate abroad
before travelling.

Action Items
U.S. nationals travelling to Venezuela
apply for the corresponding entry visa
at the Venezuelan consulate abroad.

COLOMBIA Visa-Free
Entry for Some Nationals of
China, India, Thailand and
Vietnam
The Colombian government has authorised
certain nationals of India, China, Thailand and
Vietnam to enter Colombia without a visa,
thus allowing qualifying applicants to apply on
arrival for a temporary visitor permit (PIP) and
post arrival for certain employment visas (TP4 and TP-13).

Who Qualifies?
The new visa exemption is available to
nationals of India, China, Thailand and
Vietnam who
hold a residence permit in a State of
he Schengen area or in the United
States; or
hold a Schengen visa type C or D, or a
visa to the United States (other than
in the Class C-1 transit category).

Further Details
Qualifying nationals of these four countries
arriving in Colombia will receive a temporary
visitor permit (PIP) in the relevant category,
depending on the activities to be undertaken
in Colombia (PIP-1 to PIP-8). They will then be
able to apply post arrival for a TP-4 temporary
work visa or a TP-13 visa for urgent technical
work.

Action Items
If you are assisting a qualifying
national of China, India, Thailand or
Vietnam to obtain work authorisation
for Colombia, consider taking
advantage of the post arrival
processes.
A transition period is expected while
the immigration authorities (including
Migracin Colombia and all consular
posts) implement this new rule.
Please check with your immigration
supplier on a case by case basis.

ISRAEL Government
Office Closures and
Increased Immigration
Audits
Israeli government offices will be closed on
election day, 17 March, and from 3 April until
12 April 2015 for the Passover holiday.
Also, the immigration authorities have
recently increased audits of employers.

Office Closures
During closure periods, no work permits or
visa applications will be adjudicated. Israeli
consular posts abroad may suspend their
operations or conduct limited processing
during this time. Visa applicants should check
with their local consulate for specific
information on holiday operations.

Increase in Audits of Employers

The Enforcement Unit of the Immigration
Authority has recently increased its audits of
employers. The purpose of the audits is to
ensure employers comply with the
immigration laws and to prevent illegal
employment. The audits may be performed

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without prior notice.

During the audits, passports and other
relevant documents are examined. Foreign
nationals that are found to be working
without the proper visa are subjected to
immediate detention and deportation. The
employer can be issued high fines and/or
criminal indictments.

NEW ZEALAND
Exemption from Labour
Market Check in Certain
Circumstances

Action Items

Effective 1 February 2015, Immigration New

Zealand (INZ) has waived the requirement for
temporary work visa holders to complete a
labour market check when applying for a
further work visa, in certain circumstances.

Note the closure of government

offices on election day and over
Passover and plan applications
accordingly.
Ensure that all foreign nationals have
the correct visa for working.

EGYPT Possible Changes

to Tourist Visa on Arrival
System
Egypts Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
announced changes to the tourist visa system,
which may require travellers to obtain a visa
before travelling to Egypt, rather than on
arrival. The change, scheduled to take effect
from 15 May 2015, applies only to
independent travellers and not to tour
groups.
However, this decision of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs is still under discussion and no
new regulations have been issued as yet.

Action Items
Peregrine will keep you informed
about these possible new visa rules
for tourists as more information
becomes available.

Who Benefits?
In order to benefit from the new labour
market check waiver, the applicant must:
currently hold a temporary work visa;
and
have applied for an Essential Skills
work visa to continue working in that
role; and
meet all other requirements of
Essential Skills work visa instructions;
and
have been issued an Invitation to
Apply under the Skilled Migrant
Category (SMC) and retain the ability
to apply, or have made an application
for residence under the SMC and that
application has not yet been
completed; and
have had their Expression of Interest
selected in part on the basis of points
claimed for skilled employment in the
role they currently hold.
If the applicant meets all of these conditions,
they will not be required to complete a labour
market check when applying for their further
work visa. This will allow them to be eligible
for a further work visa for twelve months.

What is the Labour Market Check?

Normally, every application under the

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Essential Skills instructions is subject to a

labour market test. This test can be met by
either:
the position being listed on one of
INZs Essential Skills in Demand lists,
or
INZ being satisfied that there are no
New Zealanders who can do, or be
readily trained to do, the job offered
and that the employer concerned has
genuinely searched for suitably
qualified and trained New Zealand
workers.

Action Items
Employers of qualifying applicants can
take advantage of this change to
expedite applications for further work
visas.

CHILE New Flexible Work

Visa Launched
The Chilean government has introduced a
new work visa (visa temporaria por motivos
laborales) which offers more flexibility for
employees than the existing Work Contract
Visa (visa sujeta a contrato).

What are the Differences?

The new visa differs from the existing Work
Contract Visa, mostly to the benefit of the
foreign national employee.
For the Employee
Flexibility
The new Temporary Visa for Work
Purposes allows the employee to
work for multiple employers, and to
change jobs without any additional
cost and without obtaining a new
visa;

The Work Contract Visa only allows

work for one employer, changing jobs
carries an additional fee, and the visa
becomes invalid when the work
contract ends.
Permitted Activities
The new visa allows the holder to
work, study, start a business or offer
freelance services;
The existing Work Contract Visa only
allows work as set out in the local
contract.
Permanent Residence
A holder of the new visa is entitled to
apply for permanent residence after
only one year in Chile;
A Work Contract Visa holder must
have resided in Chile for two years
before applying for permanent
residence.
Application Process
The new work visa can only be obtained postarrival, in Chile, while the existing Work
Contract Visa can be obtained either at a
Chilean consulate abroad or in Chile.
For the Employer
The main advantage of the new visa
for the employer is that they are not
liable for repatriation costs when the
contract with the employee ends.
They are also not required to report
the termination of the contract to the
authorities.
The Work Contract Visa requires the
employer to pay the repatriation costs
of the foreign national. The employer
also risks being fined if the
termination of the employment
contract with the foreign national is
not reported.

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Action Items
Employers considering sending
foreign nationals to Chile should
consult with their immigration
provider about which is the most
suitable work visa for their needs.

UNITED KINGDOM
Immigration Health
Surcharge, New Fees and
Rollout of Biometric
Residence Permits
The immigration health surcharge, one of the
key reforms of the Immigration Act 2014, will
be introduced from 6 April 2015.
The government has also confirmed the new
immigration and nationality application fees
which will come into effect on 6 April, and has
begun the rollout of Biometric Residence
Permits to non-European Economic Area
(EEA) nationals.

Immigration Health Surcharge

Non-EEA nationals applying to come to the UK
to work, study or join family members for
more than six months will be required to pay
an immigration health surcharge, one of the
key reforms of the Immigration Act 2014.
This will also apply to non-EEA nationals who
are already in the UK and apply to extend
their stay by six months or more.
The cost of the health surcharge will be 200
per year, and 150 per year for students.
Dependents will be charged the same amount
as the main applicant.
The health surcharge is a mandatory
requirement. Individuals who have private
healthcare paid for either by themselves or on
their behalf by their employer, for example,
will still be required to pay the surcharge.

Exemptions
Applicants under Tier 2 (IntraCompany Transfer) and nationals of
Australia and New Zealand are
exempt from paying the immigration
health surcharge.
It is important to note that these applicants
will still need to complete the online
surcharge process but will be informed the
payment is nil. Applicants will receive a
surcharge reference number which will be
needed for their immigration application to
confirm exemption from the surcharge.
Migrants applying for a UK visa of six
months or less will also be exempt
from paying the surcharge. Those
applying to come to the UK on a
Visitor visa will also be exempt,
although from April 2015, non-EEA
visitors who access NHS services will
be charged 150% of the cost of their
treatment.

Immigration and Nationality Fees

2015/16
The government has published the
immigration and nationality fees for all
applications made from outside and within
the UK from 6 April 2015.
Tier 2 of the Points-Based System
There is an increase of 50 to applications
made both within and outside the UK under
the Tier 2 General and ICT (long term)
categories, where a Certificate of Sponsorship
(CoS) has been issued for a period of three
years or less. The increase in these categories
when a CoS has been issued for more than
three years is 100
Applications made under the Tier 2 ICT - Short
Term, Graduate Trainee and Skills Transfer
categories, with a CoS that has been issued
for a period of three years or less, will
increase by 17, from 428 to 445.

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The allocation of a Tier 2 CoS itself will rise by

15 to 199. There is no change to the fee for
a Sponsor Licence application or renewal.
Tier 1
Tier 1 (Investor) sees large fee increases for
applications made both in and out of the UK.
In-country applications will rise to 1500,
from 1093, whereas out of country
applications increase by 626, also to 1500.
In sharp contrast, a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent)
initial application from within the UK cost
almost half of the present fee down from
656 to 281. Applications in this category
made from outside the UK will also see the
fee decrease to 281, from the current fee of
437.
Other Fees
From April 2015, postal applications for
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) will cost
1500, almost 40% higher than the current
fee of 1093. ILR applications made via
premium processing will rise to 1,900 from
1,493.
The fee for naturalisation as a British citizen
for an adult will rise to 1,005 from 906 and
the fee for registration of a child as a British
citizen will rise to 749 from 669.

Rollout of Biometric Residence

Permits
The process of issuing Biometric Residence
Permits (BRPs) to non-EEA nationals travelling
to the UK for more than six months started
on18 March 2015 with applications made in
Pakistan.
The rollout will continue in three further
phases from mid April (including China and
India), 31 May (including Australia and the
USA) and 31 July (the rest of the world).
Please see our recent news alert for more
details on the Biometric Residence Permit
system.

Action Items
From 6 April 2015, ensure all non-EEA
assignees to the UK pay the
immigration health surcharge before
submitting their immigration
applications, unless exempt.
Applicants from countries where the
BRP initiative has already been
implemented should bear in mind the
short validity of the new travel
vignette and the need to collect the
final BRP post arrival when making
their travel plans to the UK.

THAILAND 90-Day Report

Can Be Filed Online
Effective 1 April 2015, the Thailand
Immigration Bureau will implement an online
filing system for the 90-day residence report
for foreign nationals, which should make the
reporting process easier.

What is the 90-Day Report?

Any foreign national who remains in Thailand
continuously for more than 90 days is
required to report his or her current address
to the Immigration Bureau within a period of
15 days before and 7 days after the 90 days is
reached.
Until now, the report had to be submitted at
the Immigration Department Office where the
foreign nationals visa was issued, either in
person or by mail.
Failure to file a 90-day report can result in a
fine of 2000 baht (about $60) or more.

Online Filing
Foreign nationals can now make their 90-day
residence report by submitting a notification
form online here or via the main Immigration
Bureau site, within a period of between 15
days and 7 days before the due date of
notification.
The status of the application can be checked

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

during the remaining 7 days before the due

date, and a receipt must be downloaded as
proof of submission, once the application has
been marked as approved.
However, at present the online report filing
system is only available for those using
Internet Explorer as their browser.

Action Items
Ensure that a 90-day report is
submitted either in person, through
an agent, by mail or online within the
allowed period.
Be aware that the filing period is
much shorter for online submission of
the report.

MORE FROM PEREGRINE

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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 2014 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