Immigration newsletter 23 Aug 2012

Australia is currently undergoing its largest immigration drive in 40 years. The country is seeking skilled workers in many different fields. It plans to grant residency to 190,000 skilled migrants and members of their families in 2012-2013.  

Among the skilled migrants that Australia is seeking are skilled tradespeople, environmental health officers, retail pharmacists, health and safety advisors, etc.

If you believe that you have the required level of expertise and wish to emigrate to Australia please send your detailed CV/Resume toOzvisa@workpermit.com

We would like to remind you that we can help with UK Tier 2 Sponsorship Licenses. In order to sponsor applicants, an employer will need to have registered with the UK Border Agency as a Licensed Sponsor. If you are interested in applying for a Tier 2 Sponsorship License, please contact our workpermit.comLondon Office on 0344 991 9222.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) says that it hopes to increase the number of applications from Chinese nationals for tourist, student and business visas in 2012. The UK's Immigration Minister Damian Green said 'we welcome the strong growth in Chinese visitors to the UK – it shows the attractiveness of the UK as a destination for both tourism and business. 

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has launched a campaign calling for reform of the US's immigration laws.  

Mr Bloomberg says that the US should allow more people to immigrate. He challenged President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney to address the issue before the presidential election.  

Mr Bloomberg wrote, in a newspaper article, that 40 per cent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants and their children. 

'The US became great as a nation of immigrants,' he wrote. 'To remain great, we must remain a nation of immigrants.'

The UK Border Agency has announced that it will begin a new mobile biometric clinic service in west Kazakhstan on 17^th August 2012. The service will be based in the western city of Atyrau. It will enable western Kazakhs to submit biometric information in support of a UK visa application without travelling to the capital, Almaty.

Mobile clinics will take place once a month. Full details can be found on the UKBA website.

The Australian government has passed a law to recommence the processing of asylum seekers in centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Australian Home Office Minister Jason Clare said that the centre on Nauru could be re-opened within 'weeks not months'. 

The United Kingdom’s Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has announced an £8m advertising campaign to attract visitors to the UK. He said that he wanted to build on the success of the London Olympic Games to build a 'lasting tourism legacy'.

Mr Hunt said that the campaign will be focussed on attracting visitors from nine countries around the world. The main target is China. Other countries targeted are India, Brazil, The USA, Australia, France, Japan, Germany and Canada.

Mr Hunt said that he hopes to triple the number of tourist visitors from China.