Immigration newsletter 08 Oct 2008

The United States' 2010 Diversity Visa Lottery (also known as the Green Card Lottery) began at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Savings Time on 02 October 2008. People born in a country with low levels of immigration into the United States may be eligible for entry in the Green Card Lottery.

This year, a very significant change is that people born in Russia are eligible again, after being left out for several years.

The submission period for the Green Card Lottery will end at 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time on 01 December 2008. People may submit only one application; duplicate entries for an individual will invalidate all entries for that person.

The United Kingdom's Labour Minister of Parliament for Leicester East stated recently that the number of highly skilled migrants entering the United Kingdom will increase under the new Tier 1 (General) visa, contrary to public perceptions. He said that the new tier system needs to be open and fair, and that the government should not "change the rules unexpectedly." Mr. Keith Vaz was in India leading an inquiry committee on how Tier 1 (General) was working since being introduced on 01 April 2008.

The United Kingdom's Border & Immigration Agency (BIA) is urging employers to apply now for a sponsorship license ahead of the introduction of Tiers 2 and 5 in November. Potential immigrants in these categories must have a Certificate of Sponsorship, to be submitted with their visa application.

At the end of November this year, Tier 2 for skilled workers and Tier 5 for temporary workers will be implemented. UK employers must be licensed by the UK government to issue Certificates of Sponsorship for potential immigrants coming from outside of the European Economic Area and Switzerland under Tier 2 and Tier 5.

Australia is experiencing its biggest annual decline in skilled workers in its history, according to a new report. About 77 thousand people left the country permanently during the 2007-08 fiscal year. About half of those who emigrated were in skilled jobs, with nearly two-thirds aged between 25 and 54.

According to Chris Evans, Australia's Immigration Minister, the latest figures reflect the current global demand for skills and the internationalization of the labor market as part of the broader process of globalization. Of those leaving, approximately half were born overseas, and 51% of emigrants were men.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released new details on how certain children of overseas military personnel can obtain U.S. citizenship without being in the United States. The provisions are only available to biological and adopted children of U.S. military personnel -- not to stepchildren.

The provision was made possible by changes to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) when the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 was signed into law in late January. Section 322 of the INA was amended to allow certain eligible children of members of the U.S. military to become naturalized U.S. citizens without having to travel to the United States during any part of the process.

The European Union held an opening ceremony for a new 'job center' in the Mali capital of Bamako on 06 October 2008. The intention is to create a number of job centers to help people in Africa find legal work in the EU. This particular job center is also expected to encourage development in Mali, which lies at the center of key migration routes.

The job centers are not currently recruitment offices, so no specific job vacancies are on offer. However, European countries may recruit via the Bamako office in the future. Spain is already offering seasonal contracts in Senegal, such as hotel work and fruit picking jobs. Demand is so high that it is, in effect, a lottery.