Business and Private Sector Participation The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) has made facilitation of business travel a priority. The Committee on Trade and Investment's agenda on business mobility has been guided by ABAC's recommendations, and the BMG liaises closely with ABAC on developments. The business/private sector has also been closely consulted in the development of the APEC Business Travel Card scheme and the introduction of other APEC initiatives. ABAC continues to be a strong promoter of the APEC Business Travel Card and was instrumental in expediting Japan's participation in the scheme.
The BMG is also developing standards that will assist economies in improving the quality and consistency of their immigration services and systems. Standards have been developed for: professional conduct for immigration officers; immigration legal infrastructure; improved travel document security and related issuing and storage systems; and transparency. The BMG's agreed capacity building is to set best practice standards against which all economies can self-assess their existing regimes and develop their own tailored strategic action plans to implement the agreed standards. Technical and training assistance is provided to economies to build their capacity to implement the standards.
Also, economies continue work, on a 'best endeavours' basis, to streamline processing of temporary business residency permits and process applications from intra-company transfers within 30 days, where all documentation is complete.
The APEC Business Travel Card scheme provides bona fide frequent business travelers with visa-free travel and expedited airport processing when visiting participating economies. APEC Member Economies fully participating in the scheme include Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Chile; China; Hong Kong,China; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Philippines; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; and Viet Nam. In September 2007, the United States became a "transitional member" of the scheme with the aim of becoming a full participant within three years.
The development of best practice travel document
examination regimes across the region to assist the detection of fraudulent
documentation.
The development of standards to improve the
standard and security of travel documentation and of standards for immigration
legal infrastructure, to enhance the security of borders and address illegal
movement of people.
Continued progress by economies to improve the
standard of professional immigration service.
Agreement to improved service standards for
processing applications for, and extensions of, temporary residence permits
for executives, managers and specialists transferred within their companies to
other APEC Member Economies.
Collective agreement to continue to examine ways
to streamline processing procedures for business travellers, and individual
action to facilitate business travel, for example by expanding visa-waiver
programs or extending the validity of multiple-entry visas or by joining the
APEC Business Travel Card scheme.
Maintenance of up-to-date information on
requirements for short-term business visas and temporary business residency
permits in the Internet version of the APEC Business Travel Handbook,
which is available on the BMG's website (www.businessmobility.org). The
Handbook also includes contact information on offices that issue visas across
the APEC region.
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