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A private United Kingdom business association polled 500 UK employers about their experiences with immigrant workers. A majority of the businesses said they need immigrant workers for specific skill requirements, with approximately 1 in 6 citing cost savings. Immigrant workers outperform indigenous workers across a wide range of measurements, including productivity, education and skills, work ethic, reliability and sick time taken.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) presented plans last week for a new schedule of fees for visas, citizenship documents and related services. The proposed service charge increases average 66%. The USCIS faces a $1 billion shortfall for the next two fiscal years and is required by law to raise its own revenue to balance its books.

The United States requires that data on travelers entering the country be provided to the government. Last summer, negotiations between the European Union and the U.S. broke down. An interim...

A surge in applications for the Australian 457 visa has resulted in a processing backlog. Inadequate staffing and lack of resources are being blamed for the delays. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has requested to a parliamentary inquiry this week that more resources be allocated towards dealing with this problem. Electronic applications are currently taking up to two months up from two weeks and manually processed applications are taking a minimum of three months, up from about four weeks.

Australia and Germany have renewed the Working Holiday Program agreements between the two countries. The agreement allows young people from ages 18 through 30 to work a 12-month holiday in each other's country. The renewed agreement allows for a 12-month extension that may allow a total stay of up to two years.

German professionals are emigrating from their homeland at an alarming rate, according to recent statistics that...

The High Commission in London has assured Indian medical professionals working in Britain that the Indian government will actively work with the UK Home Office and Foreign Office to try and help those affected by last years immigration rules' changes. HSMP Forum Ltd., an Indian special interest group, filed a case in the London High Court protesting the changes, claiming that medical professionals from India working in the UK have suffered due to the changes. The High Court ruled that the government did not act illegally. An appeal was filed last week.

The UK Home Office is defending numerous changes to immigration laws last year, and indicated that more changes are forthcoming. Several years ago there was a clear shortage of medical professionals in Britain. The government engaged in a drive to attract immigrants and to educate more doctors at home. Along with a free-movement labor pool from the...

The British Commission on Integration and Social Cohesion suggested in a preliminary report this month that spouses of immigrants be required to pass an English language test for entry into the UK. However, cuts in translation services are also likely to be recommended when the final report is presented in June. Universal free tuition for English language training programs was cut in January, and an effort is being made to reinstate the program. If the decision is not reversed, from August only certain people will qualify for free tuition.

The Australian Citizenship Bill of 2006 is being characterized as the most significant change to Australian immigration law in sixty years. Amendments were added in the Senate version that passed this week, and it will now go back to the House of Representatives for further consideration. The time an immigrant must be legally in Australia is increased from two to...