Immigration newsletter 31 Jan 2007

The number of builders and engineers immigrating to Australia nearly doubled during the year ending June 2006 compared to the same period in the previous year. This is almost certainly because of increased demand due to a boom in the construction industry. There are record levels of skilled workers arriving in Australia, with further increases expected this year.

Earlier this month, the Royal Australian Defence Forces posted technical vacancies for more than 1500 positions. For interested immigrants who meet the requirements, this offers a path toward Australian citizenship.

Last year, Australia saw record levels of people leaving the country. Professionals, associate professionals and managers accounted for nearly half of permanent departures. Nearly one-third of those leaving permanently were classified as not being in the labor force.

Skilled IT job hunters in New Zealand are receiving multiple job offers, according to recruiters. New Zealand has been falling short of its skilled immigration targets. As a result, private and public organizations will have to look offshore for talent. Several large government IT projects are also scheduled to begin this year.

A coalition of New York construction businesses is saying that a recent boom in the building industry has left them short of workers. The group is lobbying the United States Congress for immigration reforms that they hope will allow them to hire immigrant workers.

The United Kingdom did not join Schengen in 1995 and so has never had access to the Schengen Agreement database. There is a concern that persons, including British citizens, are entering the country without UK border control agents having access to all of their police and security records from the rest of Europe. The Schengen Information System, a database holding over 15 million entries, is being expanded and may eventually include the entire European Union.

The UK Borders Bill is working its way through Parliament. It includes a wide range of new systems and powers to deter, detect and deport those found in violation of immigration and visa laws. Funding for border security will be nearly doubled, and the IND will be renamed to the Border and Immigration Agency. A compulsory biometric ID is an expected requirement for persons from outside of Europe.

Outsourcing industries in India need at least 160,000 foreign language professionals by 2010. The IT industry will account for nearly 50% of this demand. Less than 40,000 Indians with foreign language specialization will qualify for the positions, meaning that 120,000 foreign-born persons with top-level English and other language skills will be required.

The Provincial Nominee Program in Ontario, Canada will allow up to 500 immigrants per year to be fast-tracked for work-related visas. Businesses may nominate foreign-born workers to fill critical skills shortages, allowing them to immigrate within three to six months. Normally it can take two to four years.