New Zealand
New rules have been announced for the spouses of holders of certain visas, like the Accredited Employer Work visa or Essential Skills visa. These changes allow them to get dependent visas if they work for an approved employer and earn at least the average wage in New Zealand. They can also switch employers without affecting their visa status. Spouses may also have employment rights if the principal visa holder earns double the average wage or works in a specific occupation. If they are not eligible, spouses can apply for their own work visa. Spouses who don't want to work in New Zealand can still apply for a visitor's visa. These changes came into effect on May 31.
Taiwan
Taiwan is facing labor shortages and is simplifying procedures to hire foreign workers. The country intends to bring in 28,000 foreign workers, focusing on manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and healthcare. A certain number of workers will be allocated to each sector, with healthcare and agriculture being the most affected by labor shortages. Taiwanese companies that meet specific requirements can hire foreign professionals more efficiently. The government has selected 210 factories that will benefit from these changes and plans to increase the number of workers allocated to them. These new measures also include promoting the local workforce by giving incentives to companies that have hired Taiwanese workers in the past. Besides, the agriculture and healthcare sectors will also see an increase in foreign workers to meet specific caregiver-to-patient ratios.
Japan
Japan has been making announcements since the beginning of the year to attract skilled professionals and startuppers. The government is proposing to abolish the Technical Trainee Program and has introduced new visas like J-Find and J-Skip. In addition, it has taken two major measures to attract skilled professionals and entrepreneurs. One is to grant permanent residence to skilled professionals in additional sectors beyond construction and shipbuilding. This will allow them to stay in Japan indefinitely. The other measure is to create a more flexible startup visa to support foreign professionals who want to start businesses in Japan. The government is also considering revising the length of stay for startup visa holders to give them more time to develop their projects. Additionally, Japan is expanding the fields of expertise for foreign healthcare professionals to help address labor shortages in the nursing sector.
Permanent residence for skilled professionals
Japan is taking steps to attract foreign talent by reforming its skilled worker visas. Previously, there were two types of visas: one with limited protection for 5 years and no family reunification, and another with family reunification and permanent residency but limited to the construction and shipbuilding sectors. The new reform adds 9 more sectors, such as hotels, agriculture, and fishing. This change aims to retain talent amidst a global labor shortage. With the reform, qualified visa holders can stay in Japan indefinitely, correcting the previous imbalance where only 10 people held the best visa compared to 146,000 under the limited one.
More flexible startup visa
Japan aims to support startups and has introduced measures to increase the number of visas, simplify application rules, review the tax system, and expedite visa issuance. The startup visa, introduced in 2018, is designed for foreign professionals planning to establish their business in Japan within a year of arrival. To encourage innovation, the government plans to relax the conditions for obtaining the startup visa. Private companies will now be involved in the selection process, along with local authorities, to expedite visa issuance. Additionally, the government is considering revising the length of stay for startup visa holders, as the current period of one and a half years may not be sufficient to launch their projects.
Attracting foreign professionals to the healthcare sector
Foreign healthcare professionals in Japan will have expanded opportunities in the nursing sector. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare plans to broaden its fields of expertise to alleviate the strain in the nursing sector, which has been facing a shortage. In 2017, nursing was included in the "technical trainee" program, and in 2019, it became eligible under Visa 1 for a limited period of 5 years. The number of foreign professionals in the healthcare sector has been increasing. However, there have been controversies regarding their visas, including poor working conditions and low pay. To address the worsening crisis in the nursing sector, the government aims to attract more foreign professionals.
South Korea
South Korea is facing a serious demographic crisis, with projections showing that senior citizens will comprise half the population by 2070. To address this, the government is turning to immigration, following the examples of Canada and Germany. However, compared to Canada, which has a 20% immigrant population, South Korea only has 4.5% immigrants. Businesses are urging the South Korean government to take action, especially in sectors like construction and industry, severely affected by labor shortages. They advocate for more flexible laws to attract foreign professionals and highlight the current restriction that the number of foreign workers cannot exceed the number of Korean workers, which is problematic for industries experiencing labor shortages.
Slovenia
Slovenia also wants to attract foreign workers from non-European countries. The government is proposing a single work and residence permit to make immigration easier. This proposal is part of the revision of the Aliens Act, which has already relaxed the conditions for non-European foreigners to obtain a residence permit. The government recognizes the need to speed up the process as long waiting times have discouraged many applicants. Measures like faster procedures and mailing of residence permits have already been implemented. The government plans to introduce additional measures to facilitate the recruitment of non-European professionals, particularly in the health and social services sectors, where labor shortages exist.
Sweden
In Sweden, there is a growing trend of imposing stricter requirements on non-European immigrants. The government, supported by the far-right, is proposing a new measure to increase the minimum salary requirement for obtaining a work permit. Currently, a minimum monthly income of 13,000 crowns ($1269) is needed to apply for a work permit. If the government's proposal is approved, the minimum wage will be raised to 26,560 crowns ($2,456), more than double the current amount.
Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard defended the project, stating that it aims to combat fraud and the exploitation of foreign workers. The government believes that the measure will also make it easier for foreigners already in Sweden to access available jobs. Sectors such as catering, cleaning, and personal services are likely to be directly affected by these measures as they generally offer lower wages compared to the new thresholds proposed by the government.
The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise has expressed criticism and concerns regarding the proposal. They believe that if adopted, sectors that do not meet the wage requirements would struggle to hire workers. The Confederation argues that companies are best positioned to assess the need for foreign labor. The government's intention behind the measure is also to discourage the hiring of low-skilled foreign workers and encourage the recruitment of qualified foreign professionals.
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