Immigration newsletter 19 Apr 2012

We remind you yet again that from 1 July 2012 you will have to submit an expression of interest before submitting your Australian skilled immigration application. This is likely to mean fewer people qualifying for skilled immigration and a longer processing time. If you wish to come under the current skilled immigration programme you should apply for a skills assessment as soon as possible.  You need to be ready with your skills assessment and, have passed the English language test before you can submit your immigration application.

If you are interested in studying in the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, or Australia we can help. If you complete our student immigration enquiry form one of our representatives will be happy to contact you to let you know about the immigration process and possible colleges in the Country of your choice.

As expected, the US Department of State has confirmed that EB2 visas priority date has retrogressed and moved back to 15 August 2007, from May 01, 2010 for Indian and Chinese nationals. The department will not issue any new visas to applicants from these areas with priority dates after 15 August 2007. Visa applications received after this date will have to wait for the cut off date to become current. This means that processing of visas could now take years longer for Indian and Chinese applicants.

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced 11 April that the government would introduce changes to the country’s provincial immigration programs. From 1 July 2012, most Provincial Nominee Program applicants for semi- and low-skilled professions will be required to undergo mandatory language testing. The test will determine applicant’s listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities and they will be required to meet a minimum standard across all four of these categories.

A new report has warned that Australia will need to bring in more immigrant workers, as many of the country's farmers are about to retire in the next decade. The report by the Australian branch of KPMG, an international consultancy firm, stated that the average age of Australian farmers was 56 in 2011. The report claims that there will be a considerable risk of a skills shortage due to the lack of experienced farmers to train young farmers.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services reported a large increase in skilled foreign worker H-1B visa applications during the first week of this year's application season. USCIS has received 25,600 petitions for H-1B visas since 2 April 2012, nearly twice as many as it received for the entire first month of last year's application period. The US officially began accepting H-1B applications earlier this month for positions with a start date of 1 October 2012 or later.

The Australian immigration department recently announced that from 1 April 2012, nationals of the People's Republic of China traveling to Australia on student visas will not need to have a visa label in their passport. Label-free visas allow for faster processing of visa applications. Prior to these arrangements, the majority of visa holders from the People's Republic of China were required to have an Australian visa label in their passport in order to study in Australia.

And finally, if you are based in the UK and need employment law advice Sam Riley Law Associates can help. Sam Riley Law Associates can provide you with expert UK employment law advice whether you are a  business or an individual. Sam Riley Law’s experienced consultants and lawyers can help you by giving you advice about a wide range of employment law issues including employment law documents, employment tribunal claims, and tribunal representation. Contact Sam Riley Law on 0333 577 7037 now!