Immigration newsletter 14 Jun 2006

Current reforms for UK immigration are progressing. Several target dates are being reached in the coming week, with several more during the remainder of the summer. 

New versions of the HSMP application form and guidance notes are available and should be used on or after 19 June. 

June 19th is an important date for a number of application forms. Old forms will not be accepted and in most cases will result in applications being rejected.

Holders of an Immigration Employment Document applying for Further Leave to Remain are affected. All types of this form are revised, along with guidance on how to use them. All SET forms for permanent residence are also updated. 

Worker Registration Scheme application forms and guidance have been revised. 

Critical changes to the HSMP, with a new PD1 form now required for certain post-graduate categories for doctors and dentists. Up to 15,000 foreign born dentists and doctors who have not graduated from a UK university are estimated to be affected. 

Universities are seeing record enrolment; at the same time Britain continues to aggressively recruit health care workers from around the world. The government is being urged to reconsider these rule changes.

A loophole in the immigration process has now been closed down. 

Previously, JobCentre Plus staff have been required to process potentially fraudulent applications for National Insurance numbers. When noting the use of suspicious documents they did not have the ability to require an investigation. Effective June 5th, new legislation took effect allowing any suspicious applications to be suspended, pending review by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

A change to the Immigration Rules from January 9th creating a new entry category becomes effective on June 19th. 

Persons affiliated with religious activity that are non-pastoral in nature may qualify, as well as a highly specialized sub-category of traditional Sikh religious singers and performers (Kirtani performers). Other general entertainers in culture and religion are unaffected and must meet previous visa requirements. 

Persons eligible under the new category are not required to speak English. Periods spent in this category will not normally count toward permanent residence in the future. They may not act as a Minister of Religion, Missionary, Member of a Religious Order or in any similar capacity.

Effective June 7th, the British High Commission in Bangladesh will not accept any further applications for the working holidaymaker visa. 

Visa applications with fully paid fees that have already been submitted to any UK Visa Application Centre in Bangladesh before June 7th will be processed normally.

New quotas for the Manufacturing sector under the Sectors Based Scheme were agreed to and became effective as of June 1st. The new quota is now 1,840 total work permits, down from 16,000 about a year ago. The current period for the Sectors Based Scheme closes on 31 December 2006

The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) has released its report on labour statistics for the first quarter of 2006. Overall, there remains a skill shortage, and New Zealand continues its aggressive recruiting programs. 

A strong levelling off trend seems to be in effect, though. Fewer vacancies as a result of immigrant workers are generally noted. Wages are strong, rising faster than local inflation. This is expected to continue for at least the next several years. 

The World Bank rated New Zealand as the easiest country out of 155 in the OECD to do business in.

An Australian senate committee has registered strong opposition to Prime Minister John Howard's proposed changes to the asylum seekers policy. 

The governments proposed new asylum provisions require that apprehended refugees and all asylum seekers be processed in offshore detention facilities. The process can take several years. 

Of 136 submissions and witnesses appearing before the committee, all but one - from the immigration department - was opposed to the legislation. 

John Howard continues to insist that he wants the laws passed by the end of June.