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A non-profit think tank in the United Kingdom, The Work Foundation, has published a new study that concludes Britain needs to attract more highly skilled workers to "secure the future" of its high technology sector. The study's author, Katerina Rüdiger, says that a "climate of hostility" toward immigration could hinder the ability of UK firms to attract the professionally and technically skilled talent. Rüdiger feels that current concerns over "high" levels of immigration are unwarranted; global firms in the UK need "global people" to help them innovate, and not to just fill shortages. According to her research, Indians were by far the largest group of highly skilled migrants to enter the UK in 2005, followed by immigrants from the United States, the Philippines, South Africa, and Australia.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the first U.S. military spouse to be naturalized overseas. The National Defense...

On 09 June 2008, the Canadian House of Commons passed the Budget Implementation Act, 2008 by a vote of 120-90. Also known as Bill C-50, it contains provisions to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of Canada. These amendments allow the government to process applications from immigrants based upon job skills that the Canadian federal government decides are required in Canada. Quotas could be set without specifying a particular region, and applications related to job skills not in demand could be denied.

At a recent conference for language training administrators in Canada, the Parliamentary Secretary highlighted the government's commitment to provide language training for new immigrants. Organizations in Canada provide English and French language training under the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. LINC is one of several federally funded programs designed to help immigrants integrate into Canadian society. The Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO) is...

The British government "overwhelmingly agreed" with a recent House of Lords Committee report that outlines the economic benefits of migration into the United Kingdom. The Committee recommends that potential economic benefits for the country should influence immigration policy. Government statistics show that immigration made a positive contribution from 1997 through 2007. The UK Border Agency stated that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth should be the "key test" by which to judge their immigration policies.

Two new sections have been added to workpermit.com under the United Kingdom's Tier 2 immigration section. The sub-categories explain the UK's plans for sports people and ministers of religion who are covered under the Tier 2 points-based system. Tier 2 visas for sports people cover those who "excel at the highest levels" of their sport and can make the same contribution to the sport in the UK. Ministers of religion...

Beginning from June 30th, the Tier 1 (General) category under the United Kingdom's new points-based immigration system will go into effect worldwide. Three new sub-categories of Tier 1 will also be introduced: Tier 1 (Investors), Tier 1 (Entrepreneurs), and Tier 1 (Post-Study Work). These three sub-categories will replace more than a half-dozen other categories. The next several months will see a number of other changes to UK immigration as other phases of the Tier system come into effect.

In an attempt to crackdown on illegal immigration into the European Union, the European Parliament has passed a standardized policy on deporting illegal immigrants. The new policy sets maximum penalties that may be applied against illegal immigrants; for example, Member States can detain illegal immigrants for up to 18 months if they use specialized detention centers. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have criticized...