In the plenary session of December 6, 2023, the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador approved a series of new reforms to the Commercial Code to implement certain provisions with innovative elements to facilitate business in the country, boost the economy, and contribute to economic growth. All of this is achieved through the modernization of commercial legislation, adapting it to the current dynamics of national and international trade, and leveraging technological advances to achieve this goal ...
This week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced a new fee schedule that is slated to go into effect on April 1, 2024. Although it has been seven years since the last comprehensive fee increase, the new fees represent a substantial increase across several different forms and case types. Notable fee increases include: I-129 Petition for H1B nonimmigrant workers increases from the current level of $460 to $780 ...
The Home Office has published a timeline for the implementation of measures to reduce net migration over the next 2 months. 6 February 2024 Immigration Health Surcharge will increase by 66% to £1,035 per year: Update: Confirmed date for increase to Immigration Health Surcharge (shoosmiths.com). 11 March 2024 Care workers and senior care workers will no longer be able to bring dependants ...
Employees have a statutory right not to suffer discrimination in the workplace; religion and belief is one of nine characteristics that are protected by discrimination legislation. We focus on this characteristic and the key issues employers face. What the law says Direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation are collectively referred to as prohibited conduct under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act) ...
On 31 January 2024, the UK government will bring into force HM Treasury’s proposed reforms to the financial promotion rules. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (FPO) contains restrictions on the issue of communications which amount to “promotions” of investments in securities ...
Recent bills in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate demonstrate legislators’ concerns about several issues related to nonprofits, including: (1) admissions practices at institutions of higher education; (2) cross-border grantmaking by U.S ...
In August 2023, we reported on the government’s announcement of an increase to civil penalty fines for employers and landlords who employ or let properties to foreign nationals who do not have the right to work or reside in the UK. The Home Office has now communicated that the increase to civil penalty fines for employers and landlords will come into force on 13 February 2024 ...
If you have checked your licences overnight you may have seen the unexpected news from UK Visas and Immigration. They have published a notification on the landing page of the Sponsor Management System (on 24 January 2024) informing sponsors that they are removing the requirement to renew a sponsor licence. This impacts sponsors whose licence was due to expire on or after 6 April 2024. Those whose licence expires before this date will need to renew as usual ...
As employees start to push the boundaries and consider travelling abroad to profit from a ‘working vacation’, it is essential that UK employers are aware of their obligations and the checks that must be carried out. Visa requirements should not prove an issue if the employee is remaining within the UK, but there are numerous visa considerations and contractual terms that should be reviewed before approval is given to work overseas ...
SyCipLaw Senior Partner Leslie C. Dy and Senior Associate Mark Kevin U. Dellosa provide an update on labor laws and employment rights in the Philippines in a special report published by Conventus Law. Contractualization and Workers' Rights SyCipLaw:Contractualisation may relate to the engagement of job contractors to perform services for a principal or the engagement of workers under short-term contracts ...
On August 11, 2023, the Court of Appeal of Quebec handed down a decision in CFG Construction inc. c. R.,1 dismissing the appeal of the guilty verdict against an employer, CFG Construction inc. (?CFG?), for criminal negligence having caused the death of one of its employees. This decision serves as a reminder of the potential criminal liability of an employer, depending on its legal form, for the death or bodily injury of its employees in the workplace ...
Fintech companies and their partners are on alert as a flurry of new state and federal cybersecurity requirements take effect. The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) both recently finalized changes that will create additional compliance obligations, expand existing regulations to new entities and mandate that banks and fintech firms move quickly to update their cybersecurity policies and incident-response capabilities ...
The beginning of the new year 2024 is a good time to look back to 2023 and to have a look at upcoming changes within the field of employment law. In this article, we will wrap up the previous year by examining two relevant employment law precedents issued during the last months of 2023 and discuss some of the legislative reforms that are expected during 2024 ...
On 10 January 2024, the Pensions Regulator’s General Code of Practice was laid in Parliament, 2 years and 9 months after it was first published for consultation ...
The government first announced an increase to the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) in July 2023, stating that they expected this to come into force in Autumn 2023. As a result of the required parliamentary process, that increase has been delayed for some months, but the process is now close to completion and the final date for the increase is confirmed. Earlier this week, The Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2023 was approved by both houses of parliament and made into law ...
We are now several years post-pandemic, and it seems remote working, at least in part, is here to stay. Employees, however, are taking things one step further and last summer, we saw a growing trend of workers interested in working remotely from a holiday property, either in the UK or abroad. We started to see the increasing popularity of the ‘workcation’ where employees work remotely in their location of choice, combining work and leisure ...
Yesterday, the Oslo District Court issued its decision in the case. The court determined that all three PDO permits are invalid because the greenhouse gas emissions from the fields have not been adequately assessed for their environmental consequences. This is in violation of procedural rules in the petroleum law, interpreted in light of Article 112, paragraph two, of the Constitution, and the EU Project Directive ...
Non-compete agreements are generally enforceable in Florida, if they are justified by a legitimate business interest and they are reasonable in time, area and line of business. However, a 2019 law invalidated non-compete agreements with certain physicians. Under Section 542 ...
Following recent developments in the Middle East, the Sanctions Monitoring Board (the “SMB”) has issued a guidance note on the targeted counter-terrorism sanctions which are applicable to Malta in terms of Article 7(5)(b) of the National Interest (Enabling Powers) Act (Chapter 365 of the laws of Malta). This guidance note follows the conflict which arose in the Gaza Strip on the 7th October 2023 ...
Navigating the complexities of work permits and labour laws in a foreign country can be a daunting task for expatriates and international companies. With Thailand being a popular destination for foreign workers, understanding its specific legal requirements is crucial. This article aims to provide a guide by simplifying and explaining the essential aspects of work permits andThailand Labour Law, providing a reliable resource for expatriates, international companies, and HR departments ...
Legal Business World Once seen as an overreach, Directive (EU) 2019/1937 may soon become the new global standard of worker protections. At the end of 2021, a significant transformation swept through the European Union (EU) corporate landscape with the emergence of the Directive (EU) 2019/1937 or the “Whistleblowing Directive.” The groundbreaking legislation was a clarion call for change by ensuring minimum standards of protection for whistleblowers across the EU ...
In this two-part series, we look back at the various changes to immigration routes which took place in 2023 and what to expect in 2024. In May 2023, we saw the Office for National Statistics release net migration statistics which showed that net migration to the UK was increasing, followed in December 2023 by a revision of such figures to show an even greater increase than what was initially expected ...
