Immigration newsletter 23 Jul 2014

Do you have a professional level contract in the UK paying at least £180 per day? If so, we can help you find a sponsor and obtain a UK Tier 2 (General) skilled worker visa. It is easier to switch if you already have a Tier 1 PSW visa or Tier 4 student visa or Tier 2 Visa. The UK Tier 1 Entrepreneur scheme may also be an option. Why not contact the London office for further details.

UK Immigration Solicitor needed - Call the UK office on 0344 991 9222

UK immigration announces changes to Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route

The UK government has announced changes to the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa. Immigration minister James Brokenshire said the changes had become necessary because of visa fraud.

From now on, Tier 4 student visa holders will only be able to transfer to the Entrepreneur visa if they have acquired at least £50,000 in investment from a 'government-approved source'. Very few people meet these requirements.

People transferring from the Tier 1 (Post Study Work) visa will only be able to transfer if they have funding from a government-approved source or they can show that they had already established a genuine business before 11th July. Applicants may still qualify if they can raise £200,000 in investment capital.

UK passport and visa service 'in crisis'

The UK's passport service is in 'total crisis' according to a whistle blower. The unnamed insider says that the service cannot cope with demand for passports because staff have been laid off and demand has increased.

The head of the service, Paul Pugh, says that the service is dealing with 90% of applications within three weeks. If this is correct, this means that 300,000 people this year have experienced delays.

US Immigration reform 'unlikely' before 2017

Political insiders in the US believe that an immigration reform bill will not be passed this year.

President Obama made immigration reform a top priority for his second term in office. Both the Republicans and the Democrats say that they want reform but bitter political divisions mean that the two parties cannot agree on how it should be done.

One Democrat member of the House of Representatives, Luis Gutierrez, told journalists ‘nothing’s going to happen’. Last year, Mr Gutierrez told journalists that he expected a reform bill to pass.

Australia Immigration Opportunities

Australia has some of the best skilled immigration programs in the World. We can ensure that your Australian visa applications are dealt with competently and efficiently so maximising your chances of success. We can help with Skilled Independent and State sponsored visas and a number of other Australian visa categories.

Obama: White House will reform US immigration

President Obama has now said that he intends to use his executive powers to introduce some kind of immigration reform. This is a controversial move. In the US system, Congress makes the laws while the President is responsible for implementing them.

Speaking at the White House, Mr Obama blamed Republicans for the stalemate. He said ‘America cannot wait forever’. The President has directed officials to identify what changes his administration can legally introduce.

Canadian immigration: guidance for Intra Company Transfers

Canada has issued guidance for staff processing applications for work permits for Intra Company Transferees with 'specialized knowledge'. These work permits allow skilled workers from international companies to transfer to Canada if they have ‘specialised knowledge’. There is now a new definition of what constitutes ‘specialised knowledge’.

Applicants must now demonstrate that they have 'knowledge at an advanced level of expertise' AND 'proprietary knowledge of the company's product, service, research, equipment, techniques or management'. Applicants should have gained this knowledge through ‘significant and recent experience with the organisation'. They should also ‘contribute significantly to the employer's productivity'.

EU population growth driven by immigration

Newly released statistics suggest that the UK’s population has climbed above 64m for the first time, largely because of net immigration.

The population grew by over 400,000 in the year to June 2013 and 47% of this rise, about 185,000 people, was caused by immigration.

The rest of the rise was caused by an increased birth rate but this too is connected to immigration. Immigrant women tend to have more children than British-born women. Over the period in question, over a quarter of babies born in the UK were born to immigrant mothers.