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A recent ruling by a High Court in the United Kingdom resulted in some individuals being able to come under previous visa extension rules for the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP). An advocacy group, the HSMP Forum Ltd., who filed the successful judicial review application, is now pushing to have the old permanent residence rules put back in place for those benefiting from the judgment. A letter was sent to the United Kingdom's Border & Immigration Agency (BIA) warning that another judicial review application will be made if action was not taken within 14 days toward bringing back the old four-year settlement rule for those who entered the UK under HSMP prior to 06 April 2006. The letter referred to guidances used in 2002 and 2003 to evaluate HSMP applications. The BIA has not yet responded.

Colleges and universities in the United Kingdom who wish to enroll foreign students...

As a reminder for people who entered Britain under the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) scheme prior to 07 November 2006, it is now possible to extend their HSMP under the old rules. People denied an extension to their HSMP visa under rules established after the change can have the UK Border & Immigration Agency (BIA) reconsider their applications. Following a judicial review, the United Kingdom's High Court decided that the BIA acted unlawfully by requiring HSMP visa holders who entered under the old rules to effectively re-qualify under newer, much more difficult requirements.

The travel site, Destination New Zealand, recently conducted a reader survey that shows more people immigrating to New Zealand are using immigration consultants. 47.1% of readers are using an immigration consultant for their applications. The survey also found that many people had difficulty in providing all the documentation required for the application. It was found...

The United Kingdom's Border & Immigration Agency (BIA) is urging employers to apply now for a sponsorship license ahead of the introduction of Tiers 2 and 5 in November. Britain is phasing in a new five-tier, points based system to cover all employment, student, and training-based immigration into the country. Tier 2 for skilled workers and Tier 5 for temporary workers will require Certificates of Sponsorship with applications for these visas. UK employers must be licensed by the UK government to issue Certificates of Sponsorship.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a series of proposed rule changes intended to streamline procedures for hiring foreign workers under the H-2B program. The U.S. H-2B program allows employers to hire foreign workers to fill temporary, non-agricultural occupations for which U.S. workers cannot be found. The maximum validity of an H-2B visa is usually for one year. Among several...

The UK Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) has published statistics which shows further reductions in the number of Eastern European immigrants coming to the United Kingdom continues to decrease. The UK was one of three EU member states to allow unrestricted free movement of labor for A8 citizens in 2004. The economies and labor rates in the new EU nations have since gone up, so there is less incentive today for Eastern European citizens to come to the UK. This could be good news for non-EU nationals hoping to live and work in the UK; fewer Eastern European immigrants in the UK could mean improved labor market prospects for others. For the second quarter (April through June) of 2008, there were 40,000 applications under the UK's Worker Registration Scheme for EU nationals, compared to the same period for 2007 when there were 54,000 applications.a

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC),...