Weekly Immigration Update: January 9-16, 2020

In immigration news this week:

Singapore: Employers with foreign workers found guilty of workplace discrimination now face stricter penalties and higher fines. This includes employers that do not comply with the requirement to consider Singaporean applicants fairly. Luxembourg: Effective January 1, the minimum monthly salary for graduate and non-graduate foreign workers increased by 2.5 percent from 2019. Slovenia: Effective January 1, the minimum wage for local and foreign workers increased by six percent from 2019. Turkey: Effective January 1, the minimum monthly wage increased by 15 percent from 2019. Salaries for foreign workers, which are linked to the minimum wage, also increased. These items and other news from Belarus, Denmark, Egypt, the European Union, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Uzbekistan follow in this edition of the Fragomen Immigration Update.

Important Updates in Immigration This Week

Singapore, January 16, 2020

Harsher Penalties Imposed for Employers Not Following Local Worker Recruitment Requirements

Based on recent updates to the regulatory framework that assigns penalties for workplace violations, employers with foreign workers in Singapore found guilty of workplace discrimination now face stricter penalties, including longer bans of up to 24 months on work pass and renewal sponsorship during the period of the ban. Notably, this includes employers found not to have complied with the requirement to consider Singaporean applicants fairly, especially when it comes to advertising requirements for certain job openings. In just the last month, the Ministry of Manpower has penalized five companies under the new framework, of which four were found to have pre-selected an Employment Pass applicant or had failed to fairly consider local applicants. To view entire article, click here.

Luxembourg, January 15, 2020

Minimum Salary Level Increased

Effective January 1, 2020, the minimum monthly salary for graduate foreign workers in Luxembourg has increased to EUR 2,570.39, and the minimum monthly salary for non-graduate foreign workers has increased to EUR 2,141.99, up 2.5 percent from 2019. Employers must increase foreign workers' salaries to meet the new threshold, if required.

To view entire article, click here.

Slovenia, January 13, 2020

Minimum Wage Increased

Effective January 1, 2020, the minimum wage for local and foreign workers in Slovenia increased to...