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Those wishing to enter the US under the visa waiver scheme will from 12 January 2009 need to apply electronically for travel authorization. They will need to apply online under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). According to the Customs and Borders Protection Office at the US Embassy the number of British tourists applying for authorization is only about 3,700 a day. In January 2008 eight thousand British tourists travelled to the US every day. Therefore, it seems likely that many British tourists will face difficulties when entering the US.

On 5 January 2008 the UKBA announced that 4,875 businesses had registered as sponsors under the Points System. This still means that huge number of businesses that need to bring in overseas workers are not registered as sponsors. The requirement that...

The Australian migration program for the second half of 2008-09 has changed so that skilled migrants who have a confirmed job, or have skills in critical need will be given priority for a permanent visa to come to Australia. The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said the changes, effective from 1 January 2009, will ensure that the Skilled Migration program is driven by the requirements of industry and targets skills in critical need across a number of sectors.

The government's Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Bill is due to be published on Thursday 15 January 2009. The institute for public policy research (ippr), says that if it is more difficult for migrants to gain British citizenship this could have damaging consequences for the UK’s future economic recovery. Ippr warns that if the bill goes...

New UK immigration policy means that employers will first need to advertise jobs within the UK before advertising abroad. Employers will need to first advertise jobs for two weeks in the Government’s Job Centre Plus network in the UK. These changes will mainly affect applications under the Tier 2 visa scheme the replacement for the previous work permit scheme.

The UK Border Agency on 15 January 2009 published their first guide to visa processing standards and service standards. Those applying for a visa will be able to find out information on likely processing times for their visa application. This information is updated every month based on the latest information on processing times for each visa application. The UK Border Agency is also publishing standards for visa customer service processing times....