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UK Tier 1 highly skilled Visas will end in less than three months time. The replacement exceptional talent visa will be extremely difficult to obtain. If you are in the UK and qualify for the Tier 1 (General) highly skilled migrant visa you should seriously consider applying soon. It may take some time for you to obtain the relevant documents. You should also note that since 23 December 2010 it has not been possible to make Tier 1 (General) visa applications from outside the UK.

Top people in the UK education sector are warning the Government that restrictions on student immigration will adversely affect British universities. A consultation on whether the Government should tighten the reigns on student immigration for non-EU students taking below-degree level courses is currently underway.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on 27 January 2011 that it received enough H-1B petitions for...

A recent survey of 1200 Australian businesses conducted by Dun and Bradstreet found that demand for employees has reached an seven year high and that skilled migration may be the key to solving expected labour shortages. "Policy makers will need to ensure the supply of skilled labour can keep up with demand in order to avoid wages growth adding to the inflationary pressure," said D&B chief executive Christine Christian.

For some non-EU citizens who wish to study in the UK, applying now for a student visa may be advisable. The UK Government concluded a consultation on stricter student immigration rules on 31 January 2011. Immigration Minister Damien Green has said recently that stricter regulations are "in the best interest of legitimate students".

According to a pharmaceutical industry advocate group, there has been a significant reduction in the number of non-EU pharmacists working in the UK due to the...

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has recommended reducing the number of occupations that are eligible for migration under Tier 2 of the points based immigration system. The UK Coalition Government has been taking steps to reduce levels of immigration into the UK. So it is likely that these recommendations will be accepted in whole or in part. The temporary immigration cap was put into place on 19 July 2010. The permanent immigration cap which will start in April 2011 will allow 20,700 visas under the Tier 2 (General) visa category. For Tier 2, only applicants of 'graduate level' will qualify. The Tier 1 Visa highly skilled category will in effect end in April 2011.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has announced that their visa application centres in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt have been closed temporarily due to the ongoing security situation. This also affects some visa applications for people...

Firstly I remind everyone in the UK wishing to apply for a Tier 1 visa to apply now! It will be very, very difficult indeed to come under the replacement Exceptional Talent Visa from 6 April 2011.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has provided further details of the changes that will take place in April 2011 which include a permanent immigration cap on skilled immigration, a new exceptional talent visa, and new criteria for skilled workers with a job offer and intra-company transfers. There will in effect be significant changes in the rules for sponsoring non-EU workers. In addition the Tier 1 General skilled immigration visa will in effect end on 6 April 2011. From 6 April 2011, there will an annual limit of 20,700 Tier 2 visas and 1,000 visas for the new 'exceptional talent' visa category. The exceptional talent visa will replace the popular Tier 1 (General)...