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Britain's Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) scheme officially ended 29 June 2008. From 30 June 2008, highly skilled immigration into the United Kingdom comes under the Tier 1 (General) category . The UK Border Agency has also launched the other Tier 1 sub-categories: Tier 1 (Investors), Tier 1 (Entrepreneurs), and Tier 1 (Post-Study Work). People coming under Tier 1 (General) will see few differences in the requirements, compared to the old HSMP scheme. Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) is for people starting a new business, or who are taking over an existing one. Tier 1 (Investor) is for wealthy individuals who make a substantial investment in the UK economy. Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) replaces the previous International Graduates Scheme, allowing non-European Union graduates of British universities (and other eligible educational institutions) to stay in the UK for up to 2 years while gaining valuable UK work experience.

The current...

A panel of experts comprised of Australian state government officials, industry groups, and union representatives will advise the Australian government on how to improve its 457 visa scheme. Australia's 457 visa allows Australian employers to temporarily hire workers from abroad. The panel will advise the government on an ongoing "integrity" review of the 457 visa program and provide feedback on reform proposals. It will also examine how the 457 visa program "can best integrate with the employer and state-sponsored permanent skilled migration program."

Australia's Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, is urging states and territories to increase their use of state-sponsored skilled migration to meet labor market demands. In an effort to help employers in Australia deal with skills shortages, Australia recently added 31,000 skilled migrant places to the 2008-2009 Migration Program. According to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, state and territory sponsored skilled migration only made up 10% of...

The United Kingdom has finished a review of its visa system -- called the Visa Waiver Test -- and will possibly implement visa regimes for 11 additional countries. Review criteria included passport security and integrity, the level of cooperation in dealing with deportations of a country's nationals from the UK, levels of crime and terrorism risk posed to the UK, the number of illegal workers in the UK and other "immigration abuse." The review covered all non-European Union countries and concluded that there is a "strong case" for implementing visa regimes in the countries.

After a decisive win in court against the UK's Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) by an advocacy group called the HSMP Forum, some Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) visa holders will have easier rules for extending their stay in Britain. Immigrants granted an HSMP approval letter before 07 November 2006 will be allowed to renew...

Germany has approved proposals to help make the country more attractive to highly skilled foreign workers. The German cabinet approved the plan on July 16th, aimed at reducing skilled labor shortages in sectors such as engineering and information technology. Graduates from newer European Union Member States may work freely in Germany from January 1st, 2009 without having to prove a German worker was available to fill the position. The required wage for highly skilled foreign workers to be approved for a work permit is reduced by over 25%.

Employers in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan need more qualified personnel in fields such as mechanical trades. A new test project has been announced to make it easier for immigrants in Saskatchewan to have their foreign credentials recognized. The new project will implement a system allowing immigrants to have credentials & job experience obtained abroad recognized as...

The government of Australia has announced a "suite of reforms" to its immigration detention system. The previous policy of automatically detaining asylum seekers has now ended; the government will now only detain "unlawful non-citizens" who are deemed a security threat. Detention centers will only be used as a "last resort" and for the "shortest practical time" for people arriving in Australia under unlawful circumstances, according to Immigration Minister Chris Evans. Prior to this change, the rules enacted by the previous government under John Howard required automatic detention, sometimes for years, even when no threat was posed to the Australian community. Some people will still be subject to detention under the reforms. Unlawful non-citizens who present an unacceptable risk to the community and people who have repeatedly refused to comply with their visa conditions will still be detained. People arriving by boat to areas such as Christmas Island and Ashmore Reef...