Immigration newsletter 17 Jun 2009

G'day UK is a series of events that will show visitors what it is like to live in Australia. It will cover four main areas:
 

• Migration and
• Tourism
• Trade & investment
• Food & wine,

The event will highlight the unique range of skills, resources and opportunities offered by Australia. It is expected that the event will lead to increased interest from prospective migrants to Australia and increase the level of business interest in Australia.

From Sunday 21 June 2009 to Saturday 4 July 2009 there will be a wide range of events including a Migration Open Day in Manchester, a Migration Expo in London, Australian food and drink related promotions in Selfridges and numerous cultural events.

Due to the economic downturn in the US there are still H-1B visas available for the FY 2010 quota. Many employers simply cannot afford to employ overseas workers. In addition those companies that accept funding from the “troubled asset relief funding” are prohibited from employing foreign workers. The H-1B Visa is one of the best temporary visa categories for bringing in professional level staff with at least a bachelor’s degree. In many cases this is the only visa category available to employers to bring in professional level staff.

Applications have been accepted for the latest quota from 1 April 2009. In previous years the quota has been filled within one week of a new quota being available.

On 18 May 2009 United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that they have received approximately 45,500 H-1B petitions counting toward the Congressionally-mandated 65,000 cap. There are approximately twenty thousand visas left on the quota.

The UK Border Agency already had a concession for those applying to study A-Levels in the UK which allowed students applying to study A-Levels to make an overseas visa application based on a conditional offer. GCSE results are not released until the end of August. This is somewhat inconvenient for students as some A-Level courses start in early September.

On 5 June 2009 the UKBA agreed to extend this concession to cover all students waiting for GCSE results who wish to study A-Level equivalent courses, such as Higher Diplomas.

You will still be required to submit an unconditional offer as soon as you can, and the visa will only be issued on this basis.

If passed, new legislation will mean that family members including same-sex partners will be able to gain faster entry to the US. This is part of the ongoing efforts at immigration reform in the US. Family based immigration would be given priority; Unused visas from previous years will increase the number of visas available. 

Mike Honda, who heads the caucus of Asian Americans, said that family members in some Countries have to wait decades to gain entry to the US.

"The benefits cannot be overstated," Honda said. "American workers with families by their side are happier, healthier and more able to succeed than those distanced from loved ones for years on end."

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has announced that De La Rue has won the contract to produce the new British passport. The contract is worth £400 million. 

The new passport will be available from October 2010. It will have a new design and improved security features, including the facility to hold fingerprint biometrics.

The IPS says that the new passport will mean less risk of identity theft and help secure the borders. It is also hoped that the new passport will meet future requirements for international travel documents.