Immigration Updates – 8th of April

General Updates

United Kingdom

On 6 April 2022, the Home Office’s previously announced new right to work check procedures took effect.

Employers of holders of biometric residence permits (BRP), biometric residence cards (BRC), frontier worker permits (FWP), EU Settlement Status (EUSS) or eVisas must carry out right to work checks online – they are no longer permitted to carry out manual checks, even if a later expiry date is shown.

A new digital system called “Identity Document Validation Technology” (IDVT) becomes available for employers to conduct right to work checks on British and Irish citizens holding valid passports. These checks must be carried out via Identity Service Providers (IDSPs).

COVID-19 Updates

Cyprus

• Effective 18 April 2022:
  • Countries are no longer categorised according to their epidemiological status.
  • Travellers to Cyprus are no longer required to apply for the Cyprus Flight Pass.
  • Vaccinated travellers are required to present
    • an EU Digital COVID Certificate or equivalent third country COVID-19 vaccination or recovery certificate, OR
    • a valid vaccination certificate from the competent authorities of any third country, provided that the required doses of vaccine accepted by the Republic of Cyprus have been completed.
    • [For travel purposes, travellers aged 18 years or over must have received both doses plus the booster dose (in case of a two-dose vaccine) or one dose plus the booster dose (in case of a single-dose vaccine) of one of the above vaccines within a period of 9 months.]
  • Unvaccinated travellers aged 12 and over are required to present a negative result of a PCR test carried out up to 72 hours before departure or a rapid antigen test carried out up to 24 hours before departure.
• Effective 11 April 2022:
  • Face masks are no longer required outdoors.
  • Those who test positive for COVID and are asymptomatic can leave self-isolation on the 7th day without a rapid antigen test. They can leave self-isolation on the 5^th day with a negative result of a PCR test at their own expense.
  • Self-isolation for asymptomatic close contacts of positive cases is reduced from 7 to 5 days, with rapid antigen tests on days 3 and 5 after contact (also applies in existing cases).
  • Safe Pass is abolished in most work places, shops (from 18 April 2022) and other businesses serving the public.

Finland

• Effective until 8 May 2022:
• Unrestricted entry is permitted for the following travellers:
  • Those arriving fromEU and Schengen countries (Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Vatican).
  • Citizens and permanent residents of the following green list countries (travelling directly from these countries): Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuwait, Macau, New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay.
• Restricted entry is in from all other countries (including Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States).
  • A person may be granted entry into Finland from any country if they present
    • a certificate of a complete and valid vaccination series. At least 7 days must have passed since the last vaccine dose has been received OR
    • a single certificate that the person has recovered from covid-19 virus and has gotten one dose of a valid vaccine. It is equated to a complete covid-19 vaccination series. OR
    • EU digital COVID certificate  that proves the person has recovered from covid-19 within 6 months.
    • All the above-mentioned requirements applyto persons born in 2006 or earlier.
  • The requirements above do not apply to Finnish citizens or permanent residents of Finland returning to Finland (e.g., persons who have registered the right of residence in Finland or with a residence permit granted by Finland).
  • Neither does the requirement apply to those who enter the country for an essential reason listed below. The essential reason for travelling is always evaluated case by case during border controls carried out by the Finnish Border Guard:
    • Work that is significant for the functioning of society or supply security, the implementation of which requires the work performance of a person or persons coming from another country and that the work cannot be delayed
    • health care and rescue service personnel (including first aid) and elderly care professionals during assignments as well as authoritative personnel performing essential work tasks
    • transport and logistics personnel during assignments
    • diplomats, staff of international organisations, military personnel and humanitarian aid workers in the exercise of their duties
    • persons travelling with a residence permit in Finland
    • state representatives participating in international negotiations and persons engaged in the work of international NGOs
    • persons in need of international protection or who are travelling for other humanitarian purposes
    • pressing family matters or other pressing personal reasons
    • other necessary and justified purposes (such as representatives of the foreign media; transit of scheduled air services at airports; a property, a residence or a secondary residence in Finland; the arrival of a family member of a Finnish citizen living abroad).

Malta

• Effective 11 April 2022, travellers arriving from a country on the red list are permitted to enter without undergoing quarantine, with a negative PCR test (taken up to 72 hours prior to arrival) OR a recognised Covid recovery certificate which cannot be older than 180 days, as an alternative to a vaccination certificate.

Monaco

• Effective 5 April 2022, the country classification has been updated as follows:
  • Green Zone: European Union Member States, Albania, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Greenland, Grenada, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Eustatius and Saba, Sudan, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, Vatican, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
  • Orange zone:  countries that are not classified in the green and red zones.
  • Red zone: NONE.
  • the date of arrival.

Poland

• Effective 28 March 2022, all COVID-19 restrictions on travel to Poland are lifted. There is no longer any obligation to:
  • Present COVID certificates when crossing the border;
  • Test for COVID-19;
  • Undergo entry quarantine.

Spain

• Effective 20 April 2022, face masks are no longer required in interior spaces.
• All passengers arriving in Spain by air (except children under 12 years of age and those in international transit), regardless of the country of origin, including Spaniards returning to their home, must have one of these documents:
  • DIGITAL COVID CERTIFICATE OR EU EQUIVALENT: Showing vaccination against COVID-19 OR a negative certificate of an active infection diagnostic test OR a certificate of recovery from COVID-19.
    • These travellers are no longer required to complete the SpTH Health Control Form.
    • Travellers can check if their certificate is valid here or in the Spain Travel Health app (SpTH).
    • Upon arrival at the airport follow the signals indicating the ORANGE WAY .
  • QR SPTH: Travellers without the EU Digital COVID Certificate or EU equivalent must complete the SpTH Health Control Form manually entering the data of their vaccination, recovery or diagnostic test certificate certificate here or in the Spain Travel Health app (SpTH).
    • The system will send a QR code that must be presented both prior to boarding, and upon arrival in Spain.
    • During health control, travellers may be required to present this document certifying vaccination, diagnostic test or recovery.
    • Upon arrival at the airport follow the signals indicating the BLUE WAY .
• Entry from third countries
  • Entry is permitted for non-EU nationals holding a vaccination certificate (valid between 14 and 270 days after the second dose, or after a booster dose) OR a recovery certificate (issued between 11 and 180 days after the first positive PCR or rapid antigen test)
  • Unvaccinated and unrecovered non-EU nationals aged between 12 and 17 years are permitted to enter on presentation of a negative result of a PCR test carried out up to 72 hours before arrival.
  • Those aged under 12 years are not required to hold a certificate of vaccination, recovery or negative test.
  • Entry is also permitted for EU nationals; and for non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU, Schengen-associated states and micro-states, or resident in certain third countries and travelling directly from those countries (Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuwait, Macau, New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay).