Immigration newsletter 23 Oct 2012

Some UK visas can take months to be processed by UK Immigration. Or you may have to attend in person at the public enquiry office. We are OISC registered and, if you are already in the UK, we can submit your visa application and get it processed on the same day! Please note that we only have a limited number of slots each week, so it is advisable to apply as early as possible. Call our London Office on 0344 991 9222 for further details. 

We would like to remind businessmen from India who wish to travel to the US on business that they need to apply for a B1 visit visa. These visas are usually granted for an initial six-month period but may be extended in certain circumstances.

If you would like to apply for a US visa, WorkPermit.com can help. WorkPermit.com is a specialist visa consultancy with nearly twenty-five years of experience dealing with visa applications. Please feel free to contact us for further details.

The registration period for this year’s US Green Card Lottery began on October 2nd. It will run until November 3rd. After, a draw, The United States will allow 50,000 applicants to apply for  permanent residency visas. In order to be eligible, you must have completed secondary education or two years' work in a job that requires at least two years training. For a small fee, workpermit.com can help you with your application. We also have an US Attorney who can assist.

If Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate, becomes US president on 6th November, then this year’s Green Card Lottery could be the last. The Green Card Lottery first took place in 1995. Every year, 50,000 permanent resident visas are distributed to natives of countries with low rates of immigration to the US.

However, Mr Romney’s Republicans want to introduce the STEM Jobs Act. This Act would take visas currently allocated under the Green Card Lottery, and give them to science graduates. 

Lord Bilimoria, the founder of Cobra Beer, has called the UK government’s immigration policy ‘mad’. He said 'an immigration cap is a mad idea. Restricting the supply of people from overseas would mean that industry would suffer.’ 

Lord Bilimoria also criticised the UK Border Agency for its decision to prevent London Metropolitan University from teaching international students. He said that the decision would damage the UK's ability to attract skilled immigrants in future.

A new report says that it has got harder to obtain US H-1B and L-1 visas since 2008. The National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), a US think tank, says that Indian applicants have been particularly affected. 

H-1B visas are granted to foreign graduates in a 'specialty occupation'. L-1 intra company transfer visas allow international companies to transfer management and specialized knowledge level employees to the US. In 2006, only 1.7% of initial applications for L-1B visas were refused. By 2009, this figure had risen to 22.5%. In 2011, the number of L-1 visas issued in India fell, whereas those issued around the world rose. Stuart Anderson of NFAP told India Post, that US consular staff were now being more obstructive