Relocation news digest - September 27, 2024

EU: officials weigh suspending visa-free travel with Georgia

"The European Union could consider temporarily suspending visa-free travel with Georgia if the parliamentary elections on 26 October in the EU candidate country are not free, fair and peaceful," EU Ambassador to Tbilisi Pawel Herczynski said on Friday.

Relations between Georgia and the West have deteriorated in recent months. The United States and European countries accuse the Georgian government of authoritarian tendencies and of steering a pro-Russian course.

Malaysia: a new proof of immigration status introduced

Malaysia's government has begun issuing a temporary document known as the Interim Endorsement Slip (IES).

Holders must keep the IES flat - not folded and not laminated - as evidence of their immigration status. If they obtain a new passport, they must carry both the old and the new passports to confirm their status, since the IES reflects only the passport it was tied to at the time of issue.

Ecuador: power outages may affect immigration processing

Ecuador's government has announced scheduled nationwide power cuts from 23 to 27 September 2024 to ease the load on the country's electricity grid. The outages, expected to last around eight hours a day, will affect all public and private institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which processes all immigration applications in the country) and the Civil Registry (which issues local ID documents, typically required to begin financial and administrative processes in Ecuador, such as opening bank accounts and signing rental agreements).

Employers and foreign nationals should be prepared for possible delays.

Canada: harder for foreigners to find work in the country

In line with the government's ongoing effort to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada, the Department of Employment and Social Development has announced a series of restrictions on the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The changes take effect on 26 September 2024.

The changes include:

• reinstating the 6% refusal-to-process policy for certain low-wage occupations;
• lowering the cap for low-wage employers;
• shortening the permitted duration of employment for low-wage workers.

Israel: authorities to withdraw 200-shekel banknotes

The measures are aimed at combating tax evasion and money laundering, primarily within the Arab sector of Israeli society.

If the initiative is approved, the operation to withdraw this banknote - a favorite among criminals - is expected to be carried out quickly and abruptly, so as not to give holders of undeclared cash time to devise and take countermeasures to preserve their untaxed wealth and thereby avoid accountability. Within a fairly short window, all citizens will be asked to "come forward with their cash" at banks to exchange their 200-shekel notes for smaller denominations or to deposit their savings into personal accounts.

Australia: new restrictions imposed on the subclass 400 visa

Australia's government has tightened its policy on subclass 400 visas. Authorities will now scrutinize more closely the applications of foreigners whose intended stay exceeds three months. While the subclass 400 visa allows stays of up to six months, the new policy presumes that a holder will remain in the country for no more than three months unless a compelling justification for a longer stay is demonstrated.

Officials will also more carefully review applications submitted by people from countries where wage levels differ significantly from Australia's.

Italy: a bill on citizenship by soil for children introduced

The bill would grant citizenship to children at least one of whose parents had lived legally in the country for no less than a year before the child's birth.

It also proposes granting citizenship to children who arrived in Italy before the age of 12 and attended school in the country for at least five years.

Uzbekistan: changes to the rules on accrediting representative offices

Uzbekistan's authorities have amended the rules governing representative offices - branches or similar legally established offices that are not permitted to engage in commercial activity.

To register a representative office or to obtain or renew an accreditation card, applicants must now file online through the State Services Center portal rather than manually with the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade. This is expected to cut processing times by about five business days.

In addition, the number of foreign employees at a representative office may now not exceed five, and the total number of foreign staff may not make up more than 40% of the office's entire workforce.

Middle East: flights canceled across the region

Amid rising tensions in the region, a number of flights have been canceled.

Italy: Schengen visas harder to obtain through the VMS center

To obtain an Italian Schengen visa through the VMS center in St. Petersburg, applicants must now provide information about their employment history over the past 10 years.

No such changes have yet been introduced at VMS visa centers in other cities.

UAE: stricter rules on marketing crypto investments

As of 1 October, companies in Dubai are required to include a disclaimer about the risks of investing in cryptocurrency.

Many countries have taken similar steps to rein in crypto marketing.

Kyrgyzstan: new rules on staying in the country

Citizens of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Moldova and the Eurasian Economic Union member states (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia) must now apply for a temporary residence permit (valid for one year, with the possibility of annual renewal for up to five years) in order to remain in the country beyond the established visa-free period (which ranges from 5 to 90 days, depending on the country of origin and on registration with the Kyrgyz authorities).

Previously, citizens of these countries could register and stay in Kyrgyzstan for six months from the date of entry.

What has changed by autumn 2026

Several items in this issue have had a follow-up. In brief, here is where things stand in autumn 2026.

Georgia and visa-free travel to the EU

The EU limited itself to targeted measures: since 2025 visa-free entry has been suspended for holders of Georgian diplomatic, service and official passports, and in March 2026 the measure was extended to March 2027. Visa-free travel for ordinary passports remains, but in December 2025 the Commission warned that it could be suspended entirely. This does not affect those planning trips to Europe on a Georgian residence permit: Russians need a Schengen visa in any case.

Italy: citizenship by descent was limited

The bill on citizenship by birthplace was not passed, but in 2025 Italy limited citizenship by descent: it is now recognised only for descendants up to the second degree. More on the Italian citizenship by descent page.

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