Immigration newsletter 07 Nov 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. 

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.  Australia welcomes many immigrants from India and the UK.

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

On 28th October 2012, the Australian government issued a policy document called ‘Australia in the Asian Century’. The document lays out a plan for Australia to take advantage of its position at the edge of Asia in the coming decades. Australia's immigration minister, Chris Bowen, said that Australia intended to attract highly skilled Asian immigrants in order to boost the economy.

Mr Bowen said that seven of the top ten source countries for immigrants to Australia are in Asia, with India top of the list. Mr Bowen said 'The rise of Australia's close neighbours has the potential to greatly benefit our nation over the coming century.'

On Wednesday 31st October 2012, Lord Heseltine, a former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, delivered a report entitled No Stone Unturned, to the UK government. Lord Heseltine had been asked by the government to recommend ways in which the UK could become more competitive. In his chapter on immigration, Lord Heseltine makes three recommendations.

• The Home Office should act to improve understanding among business people of the skilled worker immigration rules.
• The government should simplify immigration regulations to make the system easier to navigate.
• The government should launch a vigorous campaign against illegal immigration

The report has the backing both of the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Unions. The government has welcomed the report and says it will consider the recommendations.

On Wednesday 31st October 2012, Stewart Jackson, a Conservative MP, introduced a bill in the House of Commons that would, if it became law, limit the numbers of European Union citizens who could come to live in the UK.

Mr Jackson says that there should be less unskilled immigration from the European Union and more skilled migration from Asia if the UK economy is to prosper. Mr Jackson's bill would change the law so that only workers who had a definite job offer in the UK or who were self-employed could come to live in Britain.

The bill will be debated in the House of Commons on 14th December. It is extremely unlikely that it will become law because the UK's Coalition government does not support it.

New figures released by the UK's Office for National Statistics show that 24% of babies born in the UK in 2011 were born to mothers born outside the UK.

The ONS said that 'the increase in the proportion of births to non-UK born mothers living in the UK illustrates how the demographic make-up of the UK is changing.'  The figures show that in London, 57% of children were born to non-UK born mothers.

The five countries from where the most mothers came were 

• Poland, 
• Pakistan 
• India 
• Bangladesh and
• Nigeria