Immigration newsletter 22 Jun 2005

The UK government's new Immigration and Asylum Bill, due to be published on 22 June, is expected to include another points-based system for immigration. The measures include fingerprinting of all visa applicants. It is unclear how this new bill will affect the UK?€™s Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP), so please check our site again in the coming days. We will be providing information as soon as we have it.

Higher numbers of immigrants are moving to Scotland, attracted by the country?€™s relatively low housing costs and employment opportunities. A report released this week shows the immigrants are helping boost the Scottish economy. New Zealand also saw an increase in May immigration, with more immigrants arriving than any month since Oct. 2004. On a whole, however, New Zealand?€™s net annual migration gains have been falling since the peak of 42,500 in the year to May 2002 - May 2003.

A study released on 14 June shows that for the last 10 years, the arrival of illegal migrants to the US has been far greater than legal immigrants. Analysts say the findings point out how badly the immigration system is broken and how difficult reform may be.

Thank you to everyone who sent us photos of your families and also a big thanks to everyone who sent accompanying immigration stories. We were pleased to get to know some of our readers better! The winning photo was sent in by Albert M. from the Ukraine. Congratulations, Albert!