Immigration newsletter 05 Dec 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 tradespeople, medical staff and engineers. If you have the right skills and wish to emigrate to Australia please send your detailed CV/Resume to Ozvisa@workpermit.com

There are now thousands of multimillionaires in China many of whom are looking for resident status elsewhere. Now, Goldman Sachs’ Australian subsidiary, JBWere, has established a service which will help wealthy Asian clients apply for visas under the Significant Investor Pathway scheme which opened for applications on 24th November 2012.

To qualify, investors have to place AUS$5m in an approved investment vehicle which invests only in Australian investments. JBWere has established a fund to make approved investments and has already attracted AUS$500m from 100 Chinese investors. Investors will be eligible for a temporary visa which will last for four years. If they spend 160 days in Australia in that time, they will be eligible for a permanent resident visa.

We would like to draw your attention to the EU Blue Card Network, a new web facility that could help you get a European Union Blue Card. The Blue Card is the EU's equivalent of the United States 'green card'. It allows non-EU nationals to live and work in the EU.

To apply, you need:
 

• A higher education qualification
• And an EU work contract.

The card entitles you to work anywhere in the EU apart from Denmark, Ireland and the UK. If you don't already have an EU job, then you can register with the Blue Card Network website and upload a CV. Then, EU recruiters can browse the database and may invite you to an interview. If you get a job offer you can apply for your EU Blue Card.

Hays, the global recruitment company has issued its Global Skills Index 2012. The report says that there are global skills shortages which are made worse by inflexible immigration laws and a shortage of students in certain subjects.  Engineers and healthcare workers are in particular demand. 

The report recommends three steps which would help alleviate skills shortages. Firstly, it says that governments should make migration simpler and quicker. They should standardise visa application systems and make them quicker. Temporary work visas should last for longer. Secondly, employers should be offered incentives to train staff. And, thirdly, governments should work with employers to draw up strategic plans to increase training for shortage skills.

Hays chief executive Alistair Cox says he hopes the report will help policymakers to stimulate economic growth. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has said that the UK government must be more welcoming to international students. 

Speaking at Amity University in Delhi, India, Mr Johnson said students should be allowed to travel freely internationally. Mr Johnson also wrote letters to the UK Home Secretary, who is responsible for enforcing immigration policy and to the Business Secretary demanding that the rules be relaxed. Mr Johnson says that overseas students currently contribute £2.5bn to London’s economy annually.