Immigration newsletter 20 Jun 2007

The Shadow Immigration Minister for the United Kingdom, Damian Green, has asked the British government to suspend changes to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme that were put into effect last year. Mr. Green sharply criticized the retrospective application of the changes to people who qualified for the HSMP visa under the old rules. 

The High Court of the United Kingdom is conducting a judicial review into the legality of similar retrospective changes to the Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) scheme. The Commission for Racial Equality has said that the changes to the HSMP scheme are in violation of Racial Equality legislation.

The Home Office has released the 'Managing Global Migration' report for 2007. It outlines a strategy for immigration reform and changes for the next several years. Border security and identification of all people in the United Kingdom are mentioned in the report. The new five-tier, points-based system for immigration into Britain is discussed in some detail. Attracting skilled immigrants and allowing easier entry for legal immigrants, and further steps to combat human trafficking and sexual slavery are outlined.

Ireland has updated its Third Level Graduate Scheme. It allows graduates from Irish universities a one-time, non-renewable extension to their student visa under which they may work for up to six months from the date of their exam results. New graduates will require another visa or work permit to remain in Ireland when their student visa expires. It is hoped that students will secure long-term employment and remain in the country. Retaining recent graduates and integrating their advanced skills into the economy is increasingly becoming a prime goal in the immigration strategies of many countries. 

By 398 of 614, the German Parliament has passed a number of reforms and changes to Germany's immigration laws and policies. 11 European Union guidelines were adopted, and other amendments were added to the 2005 immigration law. 

German language requirements have been increased, and immigrants will face greater restrictions on access to welfare benefits. Security requirements for visas are increased, some business investment criteria for immigration have been cut in half, and potential new citizens face stronger knowledge tests regarding German law and society.

The immigration reform debate in the United States Senate is near deadlock. The carefully crafted bill has been pulled from the floor of the Senate for debate after several amendments were passed that prevented bi-partisan support for the original version of the bill. Increasingly, far-right interests have solidified their positions and created a voting bloc that will prevent passage in the Senate. President Bush so far has been helpless to push his own immigration initiative through. Republicans have now presented their own bill, largely ignoring the bi-partisan effort that took half a year to negotiate. In the House of Representatives, resistance to many of the Senate bills provisions is even stronger.