Immigration latest news that immigrants should know

In 2022, the number of displaced people around the world has drastically increased. After pandemics went down, new world events forced migrants to search for new homes. Political unrest, natural disasters, and unfavorable economies are among the major reasons to flee. At the same time, countries that historically have been supporting immigration began to expand their migration procedures even more because of the increasing labor market needs.

Let us review the most recent immigration news that you should be aware of if you are considering obtaining citizenship status in another country.

The USA and Canada have been among the biggest countries that are easing up on immigration laws. People can enter without much paperwork on the basis of humanitarian parole, asylum, or refugee programs.

When it comes to Europe, it is even easier to relocate to one of the European Union countries. Scroll down to see more details about the new amendments to the applicable migration laws and procedures.

Canada

New Immigration Levels Plan has been updated to welcome roughly 475,000 migrants in 2022 and has also been extended into 2023 respectively. This plan includes entering through immigration programs, such as:

• Express Entry;
• Sponsorship opportunities;
• Provincial Nominee Programs.

The precise list of documents and requirements is different for each of these programs. Some of them include electronic evaluation of the so-called points that are assigned to each applicant depending on their circumstances. Naturally, the higher the score, the higher the possibility of getting accepted for immigration.

Slovakia

Slovakia has also reduced the complexity of obtaining residence permits for foreign nationals. However, Schengen authorities imposed some restrictions as well. Here are some new rules, effective January 1st, 2023:

• Immigrants that have applied for temporary residence, are allowed to stay in Slovakia while waiting for the decision;
• The police can reject the application if they find that the business details stated in the documents do not align with governmental records;
• Immigrants will not be able to change the purpose of their application for a one-year period after submission.

Australia and New Zealand

Immigrants that do not mind relocating to exotic countries can consider Australia and New Zealand.

Australia allows entry through new visa programs:

• Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visas (subclasses 417 and 462);
• State-sponsored visas (subclass 190 and subclass 491);
• Eligible migrants from Pacific countries and Timor Leste.

New immigration rules for New Zealand include:

• WHS visa holders will now have open working rights for 12 months;
• The Working Holiday Scheme will be doubled;
• AEWV visa holders paid below the median wage must spend a set amount of time outside of New Zealand.

Citizenship by naturalization in these countries is still easier to obtain after a certain amount of years of living. That is why the immigration procedure usually starts with receiving a long-term visa.