Immigration newsletter 03 Feb 2010

UK immigration has announced a ban on student visa applications from students in North India, Bangladesh and Nepal.   From 1 February 2010 no new applications will be accepted under the Tier 4 student visa of the points at the following visa application centres:
 

• North India - New Delhi, Jalandhar and Chandigarh
• Bangladesh - Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittagong and
• Nepal - Kathmandu

There was a huge increase in the number of UK student visa applications made in the last three months of 2009; 13,500 applications were made in Northern India compared to 1,800 applications in the same period of 2008.

UK Visa offices have had difficulty coping with the number of applications.  There have also been concerns that many student visa applications are not genuine.

Canadian immigration has announced recently that the number of student visas for Indian students studying in Canada has doubled.  This is due to a new program between Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC).

The Student Partners Program a pilot project began in April 2009 between Canada’s visa offices in India and twenty member colleges of the ACCC. The intention of the program was to increase the approval rate for study permit applications at participating Canadian colleges.

Canadian immigration is working hard to bring adopted Haitian children to Canada.  It should be noted that these were children already in the adoption process before the Port-au-Prince earthquake in Haiti.

Given the current situation in Haiti Canadian adoptive parents are understandably worried that their children are in Canada as soon as possible.  In response Canadian immigration is trying to expedite the adoptions.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has advised adoptive parents who were in the adoption process before the Haiti earthquake to contact haiti@cic.gc.ca for more information.

US Immigration has announced that eligible Haitian nationals already in the United States on or before the Haiti earthquake may apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).  

Janet Napolitano Homeland Security Secretary recently designated TPS for eligible Haitian nationals as the Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010 makes it difficult and unsafe for Haiti nationals to go back to Haiti.

Haiti nationals who were in the US on or before 12 January 2010 when the earthquake struck will not be removed from the US and will be able to apply to work in the United States. 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano recently announced that the DHS' existing policy to expedite and streamline the citizenship process for those serving in America's armed forces will appear in DHS regulations.  Secretary Napolitano had the following to say:

"Expediting the citizenship process for service members reflects our commitment to honoring those who come from all over the world to serve our country and become its newest citizens."