Saudi Arabia’s ministries of investment and of foreign affairs has launched the second phase of issuing a Visiting Investor business visit e-visa, to include the rest of world countries. In the first phase, the scheme covered only 60 countries.

The e-visa offer allows multiple entries and remains valid for up to one year. Certain beneficiaries may even gain immediate access, allowing them to explore investment opportunities within the Kingdom firsthand, according to a statement by the Ministry of Investment for Integrated Investor Services.

The Ministry of Investment, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has expanded the category of people who could benefit from the instant e-visa to include countries listed in the Ministry of Investment’s ‘Invest Saudi’ platform, and individuals who have a valid tourist or commercial visa from the US, the UK or any Schengen country and who accessed at least once the countries where the visa is valid.

Also benefiting from the instant e-visa are individuals who have permanent residency in the US, the UK or European Union (EU) countries, those who have valid residency for three months at least in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and those licensed by the Ministry of Investment, with three instant visas per year for each facility.

This service is offered to foreign investors as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to boost investment, consistent with Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to attract investors from all over the world, improve the investment environment, facilitate the launching of businesses, and draw substantial investments that could play a pivotal role in pushing the economy forward.

Demand for Canada’s Parents/Grandparents program exceeds admissible target

The demand for sponsoring Parents & Grandparents has far exceeded the admissible target, according to a memo by the Immigration Refugees Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

In 2022, a decision was taken to receive 15,000 complete applications by selecting prospective sponsors from the pool of interest to sponsor forms submitted in the fall of 2020 and to bring forward program improvements in 2023. IRCC successfully delivered the 2022 intake and is advancing client-centred initiatives that could be delivered in 2023.

Inventory levels and processing times for parent and grandparent applications have grown every year since 2019. Recent intake volumes have been significantly larger than admission targets resulting in a current inventory of nearly 100,000 persons. The recently tabled 2023-25 levels plan allocates 28,500 admissions for parents and grandparents in 2023, growing to 34,000 in 2024. and 36,000 in 2025. Despite these admission level increases, given the existing inventory, no new applications are needed in 2023 to meet these levels. ‘Therefore, any new applications received in 2023 will wait approximately two to three years to be finalised — one of the longest of any immigration programme.

Ireland amends rules about Stamp 4 support letters

Effective from November 30, 2023, Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) will cease taking applications for Stamp 4 support letters. This will impact Critical Skills Employment Permit holders, Researchers on a Hosting Agreement, and NCHD Multi-Site General Employment Permit holders wishing to transfer to a Stamp 4 Immigration permission.

However, all applications received by DETE prior to November 30, 2023, will continue to be processed, according to an official statement.

The Registration Office, Immigration Services will continue to accept these support letters for applications to register a Stamp 4 residence permission.

You must have been registered and in permission for a total of 24 months under a Stamp 1 on the basis of a Critical Skills Employment Permit and/or Hosting Agreement, or under Stamp 1H as a Non-Consultant Hospital Doctor on the basis of a Multi-Site General Employment Permit. Applications for renewal of permission are accepted up to 12 weeks prior to expiry to allow sufficient time for processing.