Immigration newsletter 02 Nov 2011

Firstly I would like to remind you that you only have until the 5th of November if you wish to enter the US Green Card Lottery.

Additionally, If you have a professional level job offer for the US you should seriously consider the H-1B visa. There are still more than fifteen thousand visas left on the cap.

The UK Border Agency announced on Friday additional documentation requirements for Tier 2 visa applicants applying for indefinite leave to remain; Tier 2 applicants will now be required to furnish proof from their employers and sponsors that they are paid at a high salary under Tier 2 visa.

The European Commission has said that six European Union Member States had not complied with the Blue Card rules and had failed to implement the scheme by the deadline.

The six States in question were Germany, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal and Sweden who have not as yet modified their national law to include the new EU rules for the Blue Card scheme. All EU Member States except Denmark, the UK and Ireland, who have opted out of the Blue Card Scheme, are bound by the directive.

A new bill proposed by the US Senate would offer residential visas to immigrants purchasing eligible property in the US.

The bill would require foreign nationals to purchase real estate for $500,000USD or more. At least $250,000 of that total must be used to purchase a primary residence; the remainder of the money could be spent on investment properties.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has recently proposed changes to the language requirements for Canadian citizenship.

The current process requires citizenship applicants to show they are able to communicate in one of Canada's two official languages, French or English, by taking a multiple choice test, and by demonstrating language ability to immigration officials by answering simple questions and understanding basic statements.

Canadian Immigration's new rule would require applicants for Canadian citizenship to provide documentation confirming their stated language abilities.

In the past year there has been a 50 percent increase in demand by employers to sponsor and hire more skilled overseas IT workers on temporary 457 visas, according to the recent annual report released by Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

"Emerging skills shortages, posing a risk to business growth in some parts of the Australian economy, have increased demand, resulting in the strongest year on record for the subclass 457 visa program," the report said.

In the past year there has been a 50 percent increase in demand by employers to sponsor and hire more skilled overseas IT workers on temporary 457 visas, according to the recent annual report released by Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

"Emerging skills shortages, posing a risk to business growth in some parts of the Australian economy, have increased demand, resulting in the strongest year on record for the subclass 457 visa program," the report said.

Thank you for watching Work Permit Dot Com, Immigration and Visa news.  You can also keep up to date on the latest news on top immigration destinations worldwide via our website workpermit.com.  And why not subscribe to our immigration newsletter.