Immigration newsletter 24 Mar 2011

If you wish to come under the Tier 1 General highly skilled visa there is not much time left.  Only two weeks to go.  After 5 April 2011 it will be very difficult indeed to qualify for independent skilled immigration to the UK.

The UK has released more information concerning the new 'Exceptional Talent' visa which will replace Tier 1 (General) of Britain's points based immigration system. 

The visa will be capped at 1,000 per year and is aimed at a very small number of top highly skilled immigrants. After 5 April 2011 it will be very difficult to gain entry to the UK as an independent skilled immigrant.

Intense lobbying by Britain's education sector and others has resulted in the Tier 1 Post Study Work immigration scheme continuing for another year. Tier 1 PSW allows non-EU students of UK educational institutions to live and work in the UK after graduation for up to two years. The Government is also expected to allow private further-education colleges which provide "pathway" courses to apply for student visa sponsorship accreditation.

Several economists have said that the UK's immigration cap will hurt economic growth in the country and harm Britain's continued recovery from the global financial meltdown of 2008.

"Limits on skilled migration have a significantly negative effect on growth," said Jonathan Portes of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR).

The UK has announced new visa rules which would allow wealthy foreign-born investors and entrepreneurs to gain permanent residence (properly known as indefinite leave to remain) in the UK much more quickly than normal.

If you have a professional or tertiary level qualification and would like to live and work in Singapore, you may be eligible for a one-year visa to find a job. You will normally be granted permanent residence if during this time you find a job in Singapore; Singapore has hardly any unemployment.

Many Countries have tightened their immigration laws. Singapore still has relatively liberal immigration laws. If you meet the requirements Singapore provides a great immigration opportunity under its Landed Permanent Residence (LPR) visa scheme.

Over 60 CEOs from San Francisco's Silicon Valley have met with Obama Administration officials and Congressional leaders in Washington to urge the Administration to make it easier to import and retain highly skilled immigrants from abroad.

A bipartisan network of CEOs called TechNet said in a statement that  they would support a complete overhaul of the US immigration system  which would help to promote innovation in the economy. In particular,  they would like to see more H-1B visas and immigrant visas.