Immigration Situation Overview
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COVID-19 Pandemic – Immigration Situation Overview This is a summary of the confirmed immigration restrictions and/or concessions that global jurisdictions are currently imposing in an effort to contain the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). It includes: (1) the operational status of government authorities; (2) travel restrictions; (3) entry, quarantine, and health requirements; and (4) government concessions. Where a jurisdiction is not listed, Fragomen cannot reliably confirm it is currently imposing restrictions or concessions of this type. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is a rapidly changing event; this summary is for reference only. It does not attempt to cover other developments that may be relevant to travelers, such as airline route cancellations, the closing of consular posts, or national travel advisories. For the latest on global confirmed coronavirus disease cases, review the World Health Organization’s latest situation report here. Individuals considering travel should consult their country’s consular posts and seek case-specific advice from their travel and /or immigration providers. Employers whose staff have moved to remote work arrangements may need to complete additional labor law requirements, such as employment contract amendment. User Tip: country names act as bookmarks in this document – open your bookmarks pane to navigate the document. Last updated at 6/1/2020 11:11:00 AM ET Table of Contents Afghanistan Congo (DR) Hong Kong (SAR) Moldova Slovakia Albania Congo (Republic) Hungary Mongolia Slovenia Algeria Costa Rica Iceland Montenegro South Africa Angola Côte D'Ivoire India Morocco Spain Argentina Croatia Indonesia Mozambique Sri Lanka Armenia Curacao Iraq Myanmar St. Kitts and Nevis Aruba Cyprus Iraqi Kurdistan Namibia Suriname Australia Czech Republic Ireland Nepal Sweden Austria Denmark Israel Netherlands Switzerland Azerbaijan Djibouti Italy New Zealand Taiwan Bahamas Dominican Jamaica Nigeria Tanzania Bahrain Republic Japan North Macedonia Thailand Bangladesh East Timor Jordan Norway Trinidad and Barbados Ecuador Kazakhstan Oman Tobago Belarus Egypt Kenya Pakistan Tunisia Belgium El Salvador Korea (South) Panama Turkey Bermuda Equatorial Guinea Kosovo Papua New Guinea Uganda Bolivia Estonia Kuwait Paraguay Ukraine Bosnia Eswatini Laos Peru United Arab Botswana Ethiopia Latvia Philippines Emirates Brazil Fiji Lebanon Poland United Kingdom Brunei Finland Lesotho Portugal United States Bulgaria France Liechtenstein Qatar Uruguay Burkina Faso Gabon Lithuania Romania Venezuela Burundi Gambia Luxembourg Russia Vietnam Cambodia Georgia Macau (SAR) Rwanda Zambia Cameroon Germany Madagascar Sao Tome and Zimbabwe Canada Ghana Malawi Principe Cape Verde Greece Malaysia Saudi Arabia Cayman Islands Guatemala Mali Senegal Chad Guinea (Republic) Malta Serbia Chile Guinea-Bissau Mauritania Seychelles China (Mainland) Guyana Mauritius Sierra Leone Colombia Honduras Mexico Singapore © 2020 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 1 Afghanistan Travel Restrictions • Suspension of all flights to Afghanistan, except repatriation flights for the nationals of Afghanistan. Albania Travel Restrictions • Land borders are closed to travelers. Individuals are not able to travel by car to and from Albania, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro and Northern Macedonia. • Flights to and from Austria, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland are banned. Flights to and from Turkey through Air Albania remain allowed. Entry, Quarantine and Health Requirements • 14-day quarantine for all travelers, either in a government-designated facility or at home, depending on their residence address. Concessions • Foreign nationals with an expired residence status, unable to exit, can apply for extension by emailing the immigration authorities. The authorities will issue an extension by return email. Foreign nationals will not be penalized if extended stay and/or gaps in their immigration status are due to the pandemic. • Foreign nationals may exceptionally apply for residence permits while abroad, and may remain abroad during hardcopy document submission. where both steps typically require in-country presence. Foreign nationals must be in country when collecting the permit. • Albanian nationals seeking to return to Albania can travel through the Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Milan, Paris, Rome and Zurich airports at government-designated flight times. Algeria Current Operational Status of Government and Immigration Authorities • Algeria is starting to reopen labour offices. • Labour offices are working with limited staff. Travel Restrictions • Suspension of all international flights to and from Algeria until further notice. Concessions • Immigration departments have been instructed to facilitate the visa extension process for foreign nationals whose visas are due to expire in order to maintain compliance. © 2020 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 2 Angola Current Operational Status of Government and Immigration Authorities • Angola has resumed operations at most immigration departments. • Work permit applications are being accepted, adjudicated, and approvals are being issued. • Full services are expected to be restored by July 13, 2020. Travel Restrictions • Suspension of all travel in and out of Angola until further notice. • Borders are closed until further notice. Concessions • Foreign nationals may continue working even though their permits/authorization to reside and/or work may be expired and cannot be renewed at this time. Renewal applications can be filed once services resume and without immigration consequences. • Automatic extension of the validity of all residence and work visas until August 31, 2020. Argentina Current Operational Status of Government and Immigration Authorities • Suspension of submission, processing and issuance of all immigration applications in Argentina until June 7. • Suspension of all services and processes at the National Immigration Directorate (DNM), national registry office (Registro Nacional de Reincidencia), Social Security Agency and RENAPER until June 7. • Suspension of in-person document apostille and legalization at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until June 7. During the closure, individuals can request the apostille or legalization of public documents issued in Argentina (such as birth, marriage and police clearance certificates among others) through the government's Trámites a distancia (TAD) online system; the apostille or legalization will be issued digitally. • Suspension of issuance of visas and temporary or transitory residence permits at Argentinian consular posts until further notice. Travel Restrictions • Entry ban until June 7 for all individuals (including Argentinian nationals and residents), except in the case of repatriation entry carried out by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs. • The sale of tickets for international and domestic commercial flights is suspended until September 1, except as approved by the Argentine Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC). Concessions • Automatic extension of the validity of all residence and/or work authorization permits expiring between May 16 and June 14 for an additional 30 days. © 2020 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 3 Armenia Travel Restrictions • Entry ban for non-resident foreign nationals until June 13, except family members of Armenian citizens and limited and specific other exceptions such as airplane crew. • Closure of land borders with Georgia and Iran until further notice. Entry, Quarantine and Health Requirements • Hospitalization for symptomatic travelers. • 14-day home quarantine for all other travelers. Aruba Travel Restrictions • Entry ban for all travelers until at least June 15, as announced by the Aruba Tourism Authority in the government’s website. Australia Travel Restrictions • Entry ban for non-citizens and non-residents, except Australian citizens, permanent residents and their direct family members, New Zealand citizens who are usually resident in Australia, and some exceptions for trips for compassionate reasons (see further explanation below). • Some Australian airports have limited transit facilities. Some travelers may require an Australian visa such as a Transit (subclass 771) visa in order to clear immigration, even if they have met all other ‘transit without a visa’ (TWOV) requirements. Some transit exemptions apply. Check the Australian government website for more information. Information about entry exemptions: • Immediate family members of Australian citizens and permanent residents – this is limited to spouses (married or de facto), legal guardians and dependents, for example, dependent children. These family members must obtain/hold an appropriate temporary visa to enter Australia (for example, Visitor visa) and must present appropriate evidence of the relationship, such as marriage certificate, evidence of de-facto relationship such as shared finances or property, birth certificate or birth certificate for children. Importantly, these immediate family members are also required to undertake an additional pre-clearance step by submitting an online enquiry form prior to travel to Australia. • Holders of Temporary Partner (subclass 309 or subclass 820) visas or Dependent Child (subclass 445) visas qualify under the exemption. • New Zealand citizens who are usually resident in Australia – where seeking to enter Australia, must carry proof