Immigration weekly update: October 24, 2024

Immigration news updates for the EMEA region

• • • • Europe, Middle East and Africa
        • – Belgium
        • – European Union
        • – Ireland
        • – United Kingdom

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Belgium: New salary requirement for 2025 in the Brussel – region

The minimum remuneration is calculated based on a percentage of the average gross monthly salary in the Brussels Capital Region, which is 4,748 EUR until December 31, 2024, and 4,604 EUR as of January 1, 2025.

The minimum remuneration must reach the following amounts:

This summary was prepared using information from the Brussels Economy and Employment

European Union: Updates on the Entry/Exit System implementation

The European Union has postponed the launch of its new biometric entry-check system for non-EU citizens, which was initially set for November 10. This delay is due to concerns from Germany, France, and the Netherlands about their border structures not being ready for the new system.

The Entry and Exit System (EES) is an electronic methodology established by the European Union under Regulation (EU) 2017/2226. It will record the entry and exit of passengers entering the EU. Additionally, it will automatically calculate the duration of each passenger’s authorized stay.

This summary was prepared using information from our local service provider.

Disclaimer: The above information is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have any further inquiries regarding the applicability of this information, please contact Roberta Carnaccini (Global Director of Immigration).

Ireland: Online residence permit renewal now available for all applications

Starting November 4, 2024, the responsibility for renewing Irish immigration residence permissions in all counties will be moved online, to align with the existing online renewal process for residents of Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Cork, and Limerick. The online portal is currently available for these applicants, but using it is optional until November 3, 2024. The renewals must be submitted through the ISD (Immigration Service Delivery) online renewal portal of the Department of Justice. The benefit of the online portal is a more effective system which provides accurate updates and a fair service delivery when applications are processed in the order they are received.

This summary was prepared using information from the Irishimmigration

United Kingdom: New visa center providers and the end of issuing biometric cards

The UK Government commercial partner for visa services in the UK has changed in the UK from Sopra Steria to TLScontact as of last week.  There are new visa centres locations, not as many as previously and we are currently seeing limited availability of appointments.

There are changes to providers for visa services (visa application centers) in certain locations abroad. The commercial partner is changing from TLScontact to VFS Global. The changes will affect certain location in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia and will happen between now and January 2025. The provider has already been changed in Belgium. We also expect visa appointments availability to be limited whilst these changes are implemented.

The UK Government has now announced that they would stop issuing any new BRP cards from October 31, 2024. This is part of the ongoing process of digitalisation of the immigration system and replacing physical documents with an online record (eVisas).

This summary was prepared using information from the GOV.UK and  GOV.UK

Disclaimer: The above information is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have any further inquiries regarding the applicability of this information, please contact Joanna Sogeke (Team Leader, UK) and Roberta Carnaccini (Global Director of Immigration).

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