Immigration newsletter 06 Apr 2011

Firstly I remind you that 6 April 2011 is an important day for UK immigration. Tier 1 Highly skilled immigration in effect no longer exists from this day. There are major changes to the Tier 2 sponsored work visa scheme on this day and most UK visa fees go up on this day.

5 April 2011 is the last day to apply for your Tier 1 General Highly Skilled Visa, but only from within the UK. From tomorrow the only independent skilled migration visa that will be available is the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa which will be almost impossible to obtain and will be limited to only one thousand people a year Worldwide.

All immigrants wishing entry to the UK under the Tier 2 Visa must be filling a graduate level position. You do not necessarily need to have an academic position. However, you will need to show that you have the right level of skills for the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). Following recommendations from the Migration Advisory Committee 71 occupations can no longer come under the Tier 2 visa scheme. UK immigration considers that these occupations are below "graduate level". This will be relevant both for Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (ICT) applications.

The UKBA also published a revised List of Shortage Occupations, 8 occupations were removed from the list where it was decided there is no longer a shortage of skills.

Some UK Government Visa fees will more than double from 6 April 2011.  This will affect non-EU nationals who wish to live, work or study in the UK.  UK employers and educational institutions will also have to pay higher UK sponsorship fees.

Some of the changes to UK visa fees are as follows: 
 

• A number of same day PEO applications for dependents made from within the UK will double in price or more than double in price.
• Tier 1 Visas made from within the UK will go up from £850 to £1,000.
• Short term student visas for periods of less than twelve months will double from £70 to £140.

From 1 April 2011 you can again apply for an US H-1B visa. However, the earliest employment start date is 1 October 2011. 

Recently Business leaders asked a congressional subcommittee to reduce the amount of red tape required to obtain an H-1B visa. However an academic claimed that the H-1B visa program makes it easier for employers to hire cheaper foreign labor.

UK immigration has announced a number of changes to the Tier 4 student visa category. There will be new accreditation criteria for sponsors and tougher English language requirements.

Canadian immigration Minister Kenney claims that the changes will mean an improvement to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and had the following to say:

“We saw a need for clear regulations to better protect workers from poor treatment and to ensure that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program continued to address short-term labour and skills shortages,” said Minister Kenney.