Immigration newsletter 02 May 2007

The United Kingdom's new International Graduates Scheme (IGS) went into effect 01 May 2007. Students who completed their course prior to May 1st will still need to apply under Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme (SEGS). You will find detailed information of IGS at http://www.internationalgraduatesscheme.com.

The UK's Sectors Based Scheme (SBS) has been updated. Under the old rules, people had to leave Britain for two months after working for twelve months under SBS. Currently reserved for use by Bulgarian and Romanian nationals, after twelve months of lawful employment in the UK under SBS, they can obtain a registration certificate confirming that they have an unrestricted right to work in the UK.

For the year ending in June 2006, Scotland has announced a net immigration into the country of just over 22,000 people. 53,000 people from other parts of the UK came to Scotland, while 44,000 left Scotland for other parts of the UK. Nearly 30,000 left Scotland for overseas, while more than 42,000 immigrants came in. Unfortunately, Scotland needs much higher levels of immigration and a higher birth rate to maintain economic growth.

The Australian government has announced a number of upcoming changes to the Skilled Temporary Visa program, often called the 457 subclass visa. A number of increased penalties can now be applied to companies that do not comply with the law, and oversight by the government will now be more aggressive. 

Businesses that obey immigration laws will benefit from fast-tracked applications, and their sponsorship requests to bring skilled workers into the country will be dealt with more quickly. Immigrants will enjoy increased protections from illegally low salaries and excessive working hours.

New Zealand's Department of Labour (DoL) released statistics that show migrants coming to New Zealand need significantly less in the way of benefits from the government today than in recent years. The DoL is attributing the decline to a strong economy and changes to immigration policy. 

A dramatic, over-all reduction by almost two-thirds was reported in immigrants requiring state benefits, including asylum seekers, who generally need more assistance. Among workers migrating to New Zealand, a three quarters reduction in benefits needed was observed.

The South Korean government announced its intention to grant permanent residency to skilled manual workers from abroad. South Korea is yet another Western nation that needs higher levels of immigration to deal with labor shortages. This is largely due to an aging population and falling birth rate. 

Foreign-born professionals currently must have five years of experience in addition to meeting other immigration requirements to qualify for permanent residency. The policy change is expected to come into effect from January 2008 in hopes of attracting at least 4,000 skilled professionals by 2009.