Immigration newsletter 19 Jan 2011

As a reminder, until the end of March 2011, there is no limit on the number of Tier 1 (General) visa applications that can be made from within the UK. This is now the only way in which you can apply for a Tier 1 (General) visa.

It has not been possible to make Tier 1 (General) visa applications from outside of the UK since 23 December 2010 when the Tier 1 (General) limit was reached.

The UK economy is recovering from the economic downturn in 2008. There are skills shortages in certain areas with many UK employers having to recruit from abroad to find suitable staff.

It's important for companies to understand the UK's various routes of entry for foreign workers from outside the European Union. This is especially true for businesses in skills shortage areas such as in healthcare and engineering.

Many countries allow entry of economic migrants based on a points based system that assesses an applicant's likelihood of finding a job and contributing to the economy. In general, the more highly skilled you are based on criteria such as education and work experience, the more likely it is that you will be granted a visa.

The European Union and the EU business community are saying that the EU needs to increase skilled immigration and harmonize immigration procedures across the 27-member bloc if it is to deal with skills shortages in the labour market.

The UK is likely to implement stricter English language requirements in a bid to reduce student immigration for below degree level courses. If the measures are put in place, tens of thousands of potential students would no longer meet the UK student visa requirements.

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney celebrated the anniversary of Operation Stork with families helped by the scheme that unites Haitian children with their adoptive parents.

Operation Stork brought 203 Haitian children to Canada following the earthquake that devastated Haiti last year.

Almost half a billion dollars in investment capital flowed into New Zealand through its business immigration scheme, according to Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman.

The scheme has been operating for almost a year and half. According to Coleman, the scheme makes it easier for people to invest money in New Zealand without compromising the security and integrity of the immigration system.

If you wish to work in Hong Kong one of the most successful economies in Asia, it may be worth considering a Hong Kong skilled immigration programme. There are a number of options available if you have the right skills and experience and wish to live and work in Hong Kong: the General Employment Policy (GEP) program for skilled workers with a job offer, and the General Points Test (GPT).

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable has attempted to calm fears of Indian business interests over the planned immigration cap set to take effect in April of 2011. Cable insists that the UK will remain open for business for Indian firms and has repeated his assurances to Indian businesses in a trade mission to Mumbai on 17 January 2011.

According to the United States Government Accountability Office (GOA), 47 percent of all H-1B visa holders between 2000 and 2009 were born in India.

A new Statistics Canada study shows that highly skilled migrants in Canada earn significantly lower salaries than migrants in the United States.

From 1980 to 2005, highly skilled Canadian immigrants saw their earnings drop dramatically in comparison to native-born Canadians. As of today, new male immigrants to Canada with university degrees earn about 50 percent less than their Canadian-born counterparts. However, the gap in the United States is much lower, at 30 percent.

Reconstruction efforts in flood-stricken Queensland are expected to make it more difficult to recruit skilled labor for the Australian building industry, causing industry stakeholders to call for more skilled immigration.

Business groups have called on the Federal government to ensure immigration rules do not adversely affect their ability to hire overseas workers.

Scottish Universities are warning the UK Government that Scotland will have one of the strictest visa regimes in the World for foreign students if the Government goes ahead with its plans to reduce student immigration.

The UK Government has laid out plans to restrict student immigration for students studying at below-degree level, limit work rights for students, and ban students from bringing family with them.