Immigration newsletter 25 Feb 2009

Due to the economic situation in the UK Jacqui Smith the Home Secretary has announced changes which will make it more difficult to come under the points based system.
From 1 April the Government will:
 

• Change the resident labour market test for tier 2 skilled jobs so that employers must advertise jobs to resident workers through JobCentre Plus before they can bring in a worker from outside Europe; 
• Use each shortage occupation list to trigger skills reviews that focus on up-skilling resident workers for these occupations; 
• Raise the qualifications and salary required for tier 1 of the PBS to a Master's degree and a minimum salary of £20,000.

On 20 February 2009 Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced a record number of permanent and temporary residents in 2008.

"While other countries are talking about taking fewer immigrants, today, I am pleased to announce that in 2008, we increased the number of new permanent residents to Canada," said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.

2008 Canadian immigration Statistics are as follows: 
 

• 247,202 permanent residents; 70,000 more than in 1998. The Canadian Government had a target of 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents for the year. 
• 193,061 temporary foreign workers. 
• 79,459 foreign students

Total permanent and temporary residents for the year: 519,722

Chris Evans the Australian immigration minister said that due to the current economic situation there will be a reduction in the level of immigration to Australia. Chris Evans also mentioned that six of Australia's trading partners are now in recession. For the last ten years Australia has enjoyed mining boom which has kept unemployment at a thirty year low.

"I expect the numbers of our programme to drop next year ... as a reaction to the economic circumstances," said Mr Evans. 

"It is fair to say that we expect the demand in the economy for labour to reduce. As it is a programme very much linked to the demand for labour, we expect to run a smaller programme."

The Australia immigration target for this year is 190,300 immigrants. This is 20 per cent higher than the 2007-08 financial year. It is even higher than the previous record intake of 185,099 immigrants in 1969-70. Australia has accepted about seven million immigrants since the end of the Second World War.

The UK Border Agency has temporarily re-introduced the skilled worker category for representatives of overseas newspapers, news agencies and broadcasting organisations. This category was due to end and be replaced by Tier 2.

The Government has found that some foreign media representatives do not come under Tier 2 due to the lack of a sponsor. A new more permanent solution will be introduced later in the year.

Representatives of overseas newspapers, news agencies and broadcasting organisations who are being posted to the United Kingdom can apply for the following:

As a business visitor for a stay of up to six months in the UK. 

Those who have a sponsor based in the United Kingdom and are being posted to the United Kingdom for more than six months can apply under either the old category or Tier 2 of the points-based system.