Immigration newsletter 29 Nov 2006

Call us for visa advice at our London office: +44 (0) 20 7842 0800.

New HSMP Points Calculator with latest changes - Apply from 5 December 2006 
The US DV-2008 (Greencard) Lottery - apply by 3rd December 2006

From Sunday, 03 December at 12:00 p.m. noon, United States Eastern Standard Time, no further applications for the United States Green Card Lottery will be accepted. The only method of entry is by electronic application using the web-based Internet submission process. You should also note that there are very specific requirements for the photographs of yourself and family which also need to be submitted online, and that if you submit more than one application you will be disqualified.

HSMP applications under the new rules will be accepted from Tuesday, 05 December. The Immigration Law Practitioner's Association (ILPA) has written to the UK Minister of Immigration Liam Byrne, detailing the potential hardship faced by many individuals due to the changes. The Minister in his response has said that giving more notice of the changes would have resulted in a sudden rush of applications leading to "significant operational difficulties". He also did not accept that people already granted HSMP had a legitimate expectation that any extension applications would be considered under rules in place at the time that they were granted HSMP.

While in Estonia, President Bush announced on Tuesday that a number of Eastern and Central European nations are likely to be added to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. The United States will be making several changes to the program. Currently, there is an agreement with 27 countries that allow citizens of those countries to travel to the US without the need to apply for a visit visa.

A joint study released this month analyses businesses founded or co-founded by immigrants in the U.S. It found that about half a trillion dollars in wealth had been generated by such companies over the past 35 years. These are successful, profitable businesses that currently employ over 400,000 people around the world.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating the U.S. naturalization exam. The voluntary program will continue through 2007, and will become the basis for the new mandatory test in 2008. A substantial hike in the $400 citizenship application fees is also planned.

There has been a significant loss in value of the U.S. dollar in the past several months, with a new 5-month low against the euro this month. The dollar has lost approximately 10-12% of its value against most world currencies in the past two years, most of it this year. The trend is expected to continue.

The UK Home Secretary, John Reid, has put a Border and Immigration Bill before Parliament. It seeks to deal with several loopholes through which illegal immigrants enter and stay in the country. There are also several provisions to reform the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, especially with respect toward strengthening enforcement measures to prevent illegal immigration.