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Australia needs more skilled workers. For further details of jobs and immigration call workpermit.com on 0344 991 9222.
Australian 457 visa holders filling country's digital skills gaps
Australia's migrant digital workforce has a ten times higher percentage of 457 visa holders, than the national average. The findings, which come from an AIMIA salary survey, show that 10% of Australia's digital industry workforce hold a migrant visa.
AIMIA, which is the Digital Industry Association of Australia and represents a range of digital organisations, found the migrant workforce across the digital sector to be 'well above the 1% average across other industries.'
Commentators say that the study, which surveyed 507 digital workers, further confirms the difficulties Australia has in producing enough people with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) skills.
Another work visa that is very popular is the Australian working holidaymaker visa. However, usually people on this visa do lower level work. Please feel free to contact us for further details on ozvisa@workpermit.com
L-1 and H-1B visa extensions delayed at USCIS
US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) centers are struggling to process L-1 visa petition extensions and H-1B visa extension applications, resulting in severe delays.
In this situation it may be advisable to pay the additional Government fee of US$1225 and use premium processing. An 'overwhelming backlog' is said to be the cause, however, USCIS has not publicly disclosed why delays have occurred and have not yet provided any explanation for the backlog.
It is understood that the situation is creating problems for many US employers with service centers experiencing the greatest delays with the processing of H-1B visa petition extensions. Currently, facilities in California and Vermont are taking up to seven months to complete the processing of visa extensions.
Low Cost US Business related visas
Business based entry to the US on an E-1/E-2 Treaty Visa or L-1 visa possible at a low cost. Contact the London office on 0344 991 9222 for further details.
Australian 457 visas criticised by Senate Committee
The Australian Senate Committee says that there is exploitation of temporary foreign workers in Australia - entering the country under a range of schemes including the Seasonal Worker Program for Pacific Islanders, working holiday visas (417 and 462) and 457 visas for skilled workers.
Since 2015, the Senate standing committee on education and employment has been gathering evidence supplied by temporary workers, unions, labour hire companies and businesses. Their findings have led to a recommendation for a raft of changes to the visa schemes.
Big UK visa fee increases from 18 March 2016
UK Immigration has announced that fees across most UK visa categories increased from March 18, 2016. The move will affect thousands of applicants, especially Indians, who are the largest group of skilled workers to be granted Tier 2 visas to live and work in Britain both in 2015 and in the past.
One bit of good news is that the fee for companies applying for a Tier 2 sponsorship licence - which enables them to employ Tier 2 visa holders – remains unchanged at £536 for smaller businesses and £1,476 for larger businesses.
Other changes, first announced on 11 January 2016 this year, represent a 2% rise across most visa fees including short-term visitor visas, plus most UK work visas such as the Tier 2 visa and study visa applications such as the Tier 4 visa.
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You can keep up to date on the latest news on top immigration destinations worldwide via our website workpermit.com. If you would like help with your visa application complete an online assessment form or give us a call!
