Immigration newsletter 21 May 2008

On 19 May 2008 the United Kingdom made temporary changes to the documentation requirements for those applying under the Tier 1 General Highly Skilled Migrant visa. The UK Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) now requires an original letter from a relevant UK professional body confirming equivalency of an applicant's overseas qualification. This must be submitted with the Tier 1 application. The letter must meet certain detailed requirements as stated by BIA.

Immigrants to the Ontario region of Canada have a new opportunity for language training and post-secondary educational qualifications. CAD $5.5 million in federal funding has been allocated to the Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning for local immigrants. The funding allows individuals a chance to obtain a qualification from a recognized Canadian educational institution. People taking advantage of the new services will have access to career centers, as well as other facilities and services that students enjoy.

A new study published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy compares the employment prospects of skilled immigrants in Australia and Canada. The study looked at labor market integration rates across all immigration categories in the first 5 years of arrival for immigrants with professional degrees. It also evaluated the same data for immigrants within their respective skilled migration programs.

Australia's skilled migration program produced the best labor market participation rates for migrants. The study concludes that Australia's heavy emphasis on English language skills and mandatory credential assessment results for degree-qualified skilled migrants means that their immigrants can secure employment much faster than their counterparts in Canada. However, in the long-term, over-all employment rates are nearly identical.

Australia has updated its Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL). The MODL is a list of shortage occupations produced by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). Immigration authorities grant bonus points to applicants under the General Skilled Migration program who have experience in an occupation listed on the MODL. Eight occupations have been added while one has been removed.

In an effort to help immigrants gain the necessary language skills to join the work force, the Australian government is investing nearly AUD $50 million over the next 4 years in 2 programs. AUD $40 million is for the Employment Pathways Program and AUD $9.2 million is for the Traineeships in English and Work Readiness Program. Both programs are designed to help migrants improve their chances of finding suitable employment.

In a recent survey released by Statistics New Zealand, the "relaxed pace and lifestyle" of the country was given as the most common reason for relocating to New Zealand. The second and third top reasons people gave for immigration into the country were the climate and green environment, and a desire to provide a better life for their children.

Nearly 70% of immigrants in New Zealand said that they did not experience difficulties in finding employment. 94.9% of skilled immigrants are active in the labor force.

The Dutch statistics agency has released the quarterly report on immigration and migration for January through March of 2008. Immigration into the Netherlands is increasing, particularly from other European Union countries. More than half of new immigrants were born in other EU Member States. Polish migrants represent one of the largest percentages. The number of Polish migrants has doubled since Poland joined the EU in 2004. Statistics Netherlands attributes the increase in immigration to shortages in the Dutch labor market.