Global Entry opens to Saudi citizens

US Customs and Border Protection announced on 27 October that Saudi Arabia has become the 23rd country in the Global Entry trusted traveller programme. Saudi citizens who pass a background screening can now apply for five years of expedited US airport clearance through Global Entry kiosks, bypassing the standard passport control queue.

The timing is worth noting. The wider US immigration system is tightening on almost every front, which makes trusted traveller access one of the few areas where the country is expanding convenience rather than restriction.

PERM modernisation rule clears White House review after 21 years without an overhaul

The proposed rule titled Modernizing the Labor Market Test and Improving Protections for US Workers in the PERM Immigrant Visa Program cleared the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on 23 October, and could appear in the Federal Register any day. It is the first major overhaul of PERM in 21 years.

The full text is not public yet, and a comment period opens once it is published. This remains a proposed rule. Current PERM rules continue to govern every pending and new case until a final rule takes effect.

Ebola travel attestation applies to every inbound passenger from 3 November

From 3 November at 11:59 PM Eastern Time, every passenger on an international flight to the United States must attest that they have not been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo within the previous 21 days. Anyone who was in an outbreak affected DRC province may face additional checks from local authorities.

The existing entry ban continues alongside it. Non citizens who were in South Sudan or Uganda within 21 days cannot enter the United States. US citizens and nationals who were in South Sudan or Uganda but not in the DRC are routed through Washington Dulles, Atlanta or JFK for public health screening.

China switches to direct processing for Indian applicants

From 26 October, all third party Chinese Visa Application Centres in New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata have stopped accepting new applications. The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulate General in Mumbai now handle applications directly. Applicants from states previously served by the Kolkata centre, including West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, must now apply in New Delhi.

DV 2027 is under a court order, and the government has appealed it

On 14 October, a federal court ordered the State Department to publish DV 2027 registration instructions by 29 October and to open registration on 1 November for at least 30 days. The government filed a notice of appeal on 19 October and asked the same judge to pause the order while the appeal proceeds. As of the most recent reporting, no ruling on that stay request has been published, so the 1 November date could hold or could be paused.

Entrants need a valid passport. One limit is easy to miss: the injunction covers registration only. It does not lift the separate pause on issuing diversity visas.

Ministerial Direction 123 takes over the character test on Saturday

From 31 October, Ministerial Direction 123 replaces Direction 110 and changes how character based refusals and cancellations are decided. Personal and family ties to Australia now count for less. The impact on Australian businesses is no longer considered at all. Family violence is defined far more broadly, covering image based abuse, stalking and breach of court orders, and hate speech and incitement can now support a negative decision.

Three Express Entry draws in three days, days before the reset

IRCC ran three rounds in quick succession this week, totalling 5,942 invitations across three separate categories.

From 3 November, the new high wage occupation points take effect, an LMIA is no longer needed for qualifying job offers, and every pool profile is recalculated. Draws are expected to pause for up to two weeks.

Ontario reopens its regional pathway for six communities

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program announced on 16 October a new round of its Regional Economic Development through Immigration initiative, covering Greater Sudbury, Kenora, Nipissing, Rainy River, Renfrew and Thunder Bay. Candidates apply through the Workforce Priority Stream. The initiative runs through 31 December 2027, and Ontario has not disclosed how many nomination spaces each community will receive.

Visa reciprocity dispute escalates between Kenya and Nigeria

Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has formally protested to Nigeria over what it calls unfair visa treatment. Kenyans face costly and slow single entry visa applications to enter Nigeria, while Nigerians enter Kenya visa free. Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei described the situation as unwarranted and said Kenya is pursuing a remedy at diplomatic and political levels.

Kenya has not announced retaliatory measures, though the possibility has been raised in parliament.

HC 584 religious worker rules take effect today

Today, 29 October, is the effective date for the HC 584 changes to the Minister of Religion and Religious Worker routes. Applicants now need to show supernumerary roles, membership of a religious order, or prior overseas religious work experience. Applications lodged before today under the old rules keep transitional protection, but anything filed from today must meet the new criteria.

The next HC 584 tranche, covering Student minimum income adjustments, takes effect on 30 November.

Mark your calendar

No further major announcements found today

Sources were also monitored across Oceania beyond Australia and across the rest of South America. No major new policy change or announcement carrying today's date was identified in those regions.

This reflects the sources identified for this edition and is not a statement that nothing was published anywhere.

When a date is under appeal, prepare the client for both outcomes

A court order that says registration opens on 1 November, sitting next to a government appeal and a pending stay request, is not a date. It is two possible futures. Assuming either one is a choice to be wrong half the time.

A professional who tells a client it is definitely opening, and then watches a court freeze it overnight, loses credibility far faster than one who explained both scenarios at the start. Explaining uncertainty is not weakness in the advice. It is the advice.

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