Immigration newsletter 26 Mar 2008

The British government recognizes that there are people making initial applications or applying for extensions under the HSMP scheme who will be required to finish the immigration process under the new Tier 1 rules. Transitional measures have been put in place to assist in these cases.

People applying with HSMP approval letters will be charged at a reduced rate from the Tier 1 (General Skilled Migration) fee; the 75 points awarded for attributes will be automatically awarded on these Tier 1 applications; and, the English language requirement on these applications will be waived.

A study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, predicts a record number of highly skilled migrants will contribute an estimated GBP 77 billion to the British economy over the next four years. It found that most migrants work in education, health care, and government services, comprising 2.5% of the UK workforce. The study forecasts an increase to 2.8% by 2012. Skilled migrants currently spend GBP 8.4 billion on goods and services, which is expected to rise to GBP 13 billion annually by 2012. This is in addition to GBP 18 billion in other indirect support contributed to the British economy.

A new rule announced by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) prohibits employers from filing multiple H-1B petitions for the same employee. The rule is designed to ensure that all companies have a more equal chance to employ an H-1B worker. The USCIS will deny or revoke multiple petitions filed for the same employee. Filing fees submitted with multiple or duplicated petitions will not be refunded.

The Immigration Minister for Canada announced additional funding to continue the Canadian Immigration Integration Project, a program to assist immigrants with integration into Canadian society. The CAD $3.8 million in funding is in following to the project's enormous success in helping migrants join the labor market. The additional funding will bring the total amount to CAD $8.3 million.

Under plans being proposed to Australia's 457 visa scheme, state governments and businesses would be able to fast-track temporary foreign workers for jobs in various sectors. Immigration Minister Chris Evans feels that the 457 scheme is working well, but it is being criticized for taking "too long" to process applications.

The proposed changes would allow companies with "clean records" in hiring legal workers to skip many of the bureaucratic hassles involved with the immigration process.

Immigration into New Zealand for the year ending February 2008 was at the lowest point since 2001. New Zealand saw a nearly one-third decrease in net permanent and long-term (PLT) migration from the previous year.This is the lowest yearly figure since October 2001.

According to a Statistics New Zealand report, for the year ending February 2008, 83,300 permanent and long-term migrants arrived in New Zealand, up 800 from the previous year. However, 78,700 residents departed on a permanent or long-term basis. Net PLT migration was 4,600 for the year ending February 2008, down from 13,200 for the year ending February 2007.