Visa & Immigration Update

Public comment on the Department of Homeland Security proposal to charge 103,265 US dollars on every cap subject H-1B petition closes today, 24 September. The rule, published in the Federal Register on 25 August, would hit all new lottery petitions, the 20,000 reserved for holders of a US master's degree or higher included, and would sit on top of existing filing fees.

Cap exempt petitions from universities and affiliated non profits fall outside the proposal, as do H-1B transfers, extensions and amendments. The fee is separate from the President's 100,000 dollar H-1B proclamation fee, which remains judicially vacated but was extended through September 2027 by proclamation on 18 September.

If finalised, the rule would apply to the spring 2027 cap season. DHS must work through the comments before issuing a final rule, so nothing is payable today.

South Africa's Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour opened public comment yesterday, 23 September, on the Employment Services Amendment Bill B16-2026. It would be the biggest overhaul of employer obligations around foreign national hiring in more than a decade. Written submissions close at 16:00 on 6 November.

Employers would have to verify local skills availability before hiring a foreign national and run a mandatory skills transfer plan for each foreign national role. The Minister of Employment and Labour would gain power to set maximum quotas by sector, occupation and region, with employers of fewer than 10 workers excluded. Foreign nationals working in breach of the law would keep the right to bring employment claims against their employer.

The Bill is not law yet and still has to pass Parliament.

Immigration New Zealand's move of most visitor visa applications to the enhanced Immigration Online system takes effect today, 24 September. New applications across around 20 categories must now start there, covering the standard Visitor Visa, Business Visitor Visa, Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, Medical Treatment Visitor Visa and Group Visitor Visa.

Partner of a New Zealander and Child of a New Zealander Visitor Visas stay on the old system for now, pending a separate transition.

Panama's Executive Decree No. 17 of 8 September, published in Official Gazette No. 30613 on 16 September and now in force, has overhauled the Qualified Investor Permanent Residency programme and replaces Executive Decree No. 722 of 2020 and its amendments in full. The real estate route now comes in two tiers.

A state bank deposit route joins the existing options, and source of funds rules are tighter: donations, gifts and gratuitous transfers no longer count toward the minimum investment. Qualified Investors and their dependents may apply for Panamanian citizenship by naturalisation after five consecutive years of permanent residency.

Enforcement operations under the De la Espriella government, which opened in Cúcuta on 15 September, run on this week across border cities. Joint teams from the Cúcuta Citizen Security Secretariat, the National Police and Migración Colombia are checking documents in streets, parks and commercial establishments.

Cúcuta authorities repeat that the focus is on people committing crimes or breaching immigration rules, not the Venezuelan population generally. Migración Colombia offices are seeing a surge of visitors asking about legal routes to regularise.

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