Immigration newsletter 04 Jun 2008

A non-profit think tank in the United Kingdom, The Work Foundation, has published a new study that concludes Britain needs to attract more highly skilled workers to "secure the future" of its high technology sector. The study's author, Katerina Rüdiger, says that a "climate of hostility" toward immigration could hinder the ability of UK firms to attract the professionally and technically skilled talent.

Rüdiger feels that current concerns over "high" levels of immigration are unwarranted; global firms in the UK need "global people" to help them innovate, and not to just fill shortages. According to her research, Indians were by far the largest group of highly skilled migrants to enter the UK in 2005, followed by immigrants from the United States, the Philippines, South Africa, and Australia.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the first U.S. military spouse to be naturalized overseas. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 was signed into law by the president at the end of January this year.

The new law amended portions of the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow certain spouses of U.S. military personnel to apply for and obtain citizenship while overseas. Mrs. Zita Chouchan took her oath as a United States citizen, along with 20 soldiers stationed throughout Germany and Kosovo.

We are pleased to announce that June 1st, 2008 was our 20th birthday. Starting from a tiny office space for one or two people in 1988, the company has since expanded into an international business.

Our website has become one of the premier resources for immigration advice on the Internet, helping over 300,000 people from all over the world with immigration advice every single month. Tens of thousands of satisfied clients have used our services to live and work in over 20 different countries.

The Canadian federal government is providing funding to assist new immigrants in New Brunswick with better access to employment-related resources and community services, such as English and French language training. Over CAD $1.3 million is being invested in the Multicultural Association of the Greater Moncton Area (MAGMA) to provide and enhance these resources.

Moncton is listed as one of the top ten fastest growing urban areas in Canada. Information technology, commercial services and retail industries are the main industries. New Brunswick also has thriving forestry and mining industries, making the New Brunswick city ideal for many overseas workers looking to immigrate to Canada.

For the five years from 2003 to 2007, the number of applications for Swedish entry visas has increased by 50%, according to the Swedish Migration Board. At the same time, the percentage of visa application denials is decreasing, from 13% in 2003 to 9% in 2007.

The Swedish Migration Board attributes these trends to generally improved situations in some parts of the globe, including increased political stability in countries such as Turkey and the Balkan states. Russian and Chinese applicants topped the list of people granted entry into Sweden for 2007, accounting for 43% of all entry visas.