Immigration Weekly Update:India, Singapore,United Kingdom,Netherlands

India: Flight ban extension

The Indian Government has announced an extension of the international flight ban until December 31, 2020.

India has signed bilateral air travel agreements with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, the Maldives, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States to allow limited international flights under air transport bubbles.

Travel to and from India will be facilitated via non-scheduled flights under the Vande Bharat Mission, air transport bubble arrangement or other chartered flights as allowed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

This summary was prepared using information obtained from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Singapore: Border control measures

In light of the surge of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, travelers with travel history in the past 14 days to Malaysia are required to serve a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) at dedicated SHN facilities. This new requirement also applies to travelers entering Singapore to work under the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) and returning Singapore-based travelers under the Singapore – Malaysia Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) arrangement.

All travelers excluding Singapore Citizens (SCs) and Permanent Residents (PRs) entering Singapore with this travel history will also be required to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 72 hours of departure. This requirement will not apply for returning Singapore-based travelers under the Singapore – Malaysia RGL.

Arrivals with travel history in the past 14 days to Japan will be required to serve a 14-day quarantine at dedicated SHN facilities. This will apply even if they have obtained approval from the authorities to opt out of serving quarantine at an SHN facility. This also applies to returning Singapore-based travelers under the Singapore – Japan RGL arrangement.

All inbound travelers excluding Singapore citizens or permanent residents, and those from lower-risk countries (Brunei, New Zealand, Vietnam, Australia, Macao, mainland China and those entering from Hong Kong not via air travel bubble arrangement), will be required to undertake a PCR test within 72 hours of departure via an established laboratory or clinic.

This includes children aged 12 and below. A negative Covid-19 test result must be produced as condition for entry into Singapore. Travelers will still be required to serve their SHN upon arrival and have a Covid-19 swab test taken at the end of their SHN.

Travelers from lower-risk countries will be required to take a PCR test upon arrival or serve a seven-day SHN and undertake a Covid-19 swab test at the end of that period.

No source available at the time of writing.

United Kingdom: Testing on arrival in England

The U.K. Government has announced its testing strategy for passengers arriving in England, effective December 15, 2020.

Passengers arriving in England from countries not featured on the Government’s travel corridor list will have the option to take a Covid-19 test after five days of self-isolation, with a negative result releasing them from the need to isolate further.

Those arriving in England by plane, ferry or train should book their test before travel. They must still complete a passenger locator form and must self-isolate for five days before taking a test.

They can then take a test on or after the fifth day of the isolation, either at home or at a private provider’s testing site. On receipt of a negative result they can immediately finish self-isolating.

Tests will be available to book from a private provider on a Government list.

Those who choose to book a test will need to state this on their passenger locator form prior to arriving. If they choose to opt in after arrival, they will need to resubmit their passenger locator form.

Passengers who choose not to take a test when arriving from a non-exempt country must continue to follow the mandatory 14 days of self-isolation.

This summary was prepared using information obtained from Gov.uk.

Netherlands: Minimum salaries to increase for highly skilled migrants

The Dutch government has set 2021 salary thresholds for high-skilled foreign workers.

Beginning Jan. 1, the minimum monthly salaries will be as follows:

• Highly skilled migrants 30 years or older: €4,752.
• Highly skilled migrants younger than 30 years: €3,484.
• Highly skilled migrants (recently graduated): €2,497.
• European Blue Card Holders: €5,567.

The salary thresholds are indexed annually. The minimums set for 2021 represent an increase of about 3 percent over current thresholds in each category. In order to meet the salary threshold, employers may include monthly salary components that are gross, guaranteed, and paid directly into the bank account of the employee. In-kind benefits or wages that are not guaranteed, such as performance bonuses, cannot be included to meet the monthly salary threshold.

The new salary thresholds apply to applications filed after Dec. 31.

For applications submitted in 2020, the current salary thresholds will apply.

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 Visa Lounge Global Immigration by email info@visalounge.com.au