Fewer Asians immigrating to Canada

May 18th, 2012 Tushar Mathur

Since 2006, Canadian immigration applications from many Asian countries have dropped by more than half. Critics claim that the drop in applications from China, India, the Philippines and Pakistan is because the country’s recent policy changes favour some immigrant countries over others.

Statistics show a significant drop in the annual number of Chinese, Indians, Filipinos and Pakistanis applying for permanent residency between 2006 and 2011. Specifically, applications from China fell 45 percent; India by almost 51 percent; the Philippines by 32 percent; and Pakistan by 65 percent.

While the number of Canadian immigration applications did decrease overall for the top 10 source countries, the declines of the Asian countries were bigger than English or French-speaking countries.

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Changes announced for US J-1 Summer Work and Travel Program

May 17th, 2012 Tushar Mathur

The US State Department has announced significant changes to the J-1 Summer Work and Travel Program following an investigation that found widespread abuses in the program.

The J-1 Summer Work and Travel Program is a cultural-exchange program that brings more than 100,000 foreign college students to the US each year. It allows foreign college students to spend up to four months living and working in the US.

While some of the rules are effective immediately, others won’t take effect until November 2012, including one of the most significant changes, which would prohibit visa-holders from working in “goods-producing” industries, such as manufacturing, construction and agriculture.

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Australian Immigration creates video to advise visa overstayers

May 16th, 2012 Tushar Mathur

Australian Immigration has released a new video online in 14 languages that advises Australian visa overstayers on how to resolve their immigration status.

The new video, created by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship contains necessary information for those that are unsure of how to resolve their situation.

“People who have overstayed their visas can be unaware of what to do or even where they can go to find out,” a departmental spokesman said. “They often rely on information from family, friends or the general community, which can be misleading or not relevant to them.”

According to the departmental spokesman, visa overstayers can be granted a short-term Bridging Visa so the individual has time to make the proper arrangements to leave Australia, or, if they are eligible, to apply for another Australian visa.

“Resolving someone’s visa status proactively not only saves the person a lot of angst, but benefits our compliance teams who can concentrate on illegal workers and employers or contractors willfully flouting the Migration Act,” the spokesman added.

Visa over stayers should probably research their situation on their own before seeking advice from an immigration officer as there is the possibility of being detained or immediately deported from the country if you don’t have a valid visa.

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Canada’s Federal Skilled Worker occupation cap is filling up – Apply now!

May 14th, 2012 Tushar Mathur

Canada‘s Federal Skilled Worker visa program is filling up quickly. Those looking to emigrate should consider the Federal Skilled Worker program. This skilled immigration program is for people in a range of different occupations.

If you have skills and experience in occupations listed on the Priority Occupation List under the Canadian skilled worker visa category you will not need sponsorship by an employer.

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H-1B Visa Cap Update

May 14th, 2012 Tushar Mathur

  FY 2013 H-1B Cap Count - as released by USCIS
Cap Type 
Cap Amount 
Cap Eligible Petitions  
Date of Last Count
H-1B Regular Cap 
65,000 
36,700
05/11/2012
H-1B Master’s Degree Exemption 
20,000
14,800
05/11/2012


June 2012 Visa Bulletin: China and India EB-2 Become Unavailable

May 14th, 2012 Tushar Mathur

For June, the
status of China
and India Employment Second preference (EB-2) categories has become “unavailable.”
The recent increases in the volume of filings for these visa categories have resulted
in major retrogression in the May visa bulletin to August 2007, and
unavailability of visa number in June’s bulletin.   The State Department explained that the
upgrading of cases from the EB-3 category to the EB-2 category is also a major
reason for the exhaustion of visa numbers. 
In order to avoid jeopardizing the availability of visa numbers for
“other countries”, the State Department decided to make EB-2 unavailable for China and India till the end of this fiscal
year.  However, the State Department also
states that they will try their best to return the China and India Employment EB-2
cut-off date to May 1, 2010 (reached in April 2012) as soon as possible,
although it will not likely to happen before Spring 2013.

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Study finds US immigrants more likely to start a business than non-immigrants

May 13th, 2012 Tushar Mathur

A recent study has found that US immigrants are more likely to start a business than native-born US citizens. The study was conducted by the Office of Advocacy of the US Small Business Administration an independent group that voices concerns from small businesses to the federal government.

The study, titled Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners, and their Access to Financial Capital found that 10 percent of immigrants in the US own their own business. Furthermore, nearly 20 percent of immigrant-owned businesses had USD$50,000 or more in startup capital, compared to only 15.9 percent for non-immigrant-owned businesses.

“Immigrant entrepreneurs are essential to our nation’s growth and economic prosperity,” said Chief Counsel for Advocacy, Winslow Sargeant.

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Canada proposes changes to immigrant entrepreneur visa program

May 11th, 2012 Tushar Mathur

Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced the department would be discussing the possibility of bringing in changes to the immigrant entrepreneur scheme. Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s current immigrant entrepreneur program has been suspended since 1 July 2011.

“Our Government’s top priority remains jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Canada cannot afford to lose out in the competition for foreign entrepreneurs among immigrant-receiving countries,” said Kenney. “We need to proactively target a new type of immigrant entrepreneur who has the potential to build innovative companies that can compete on a global scale and create jobs for Canadians.”

In the coming months, CIC said they plan to consult with industry associations in the development of a new “startup” visa program for entrepreneurs.

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