Green Card & Visa News » Immigrants

Canada Immigration plans to introduce changes to immigration system

Tushar Mathur — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:44:00 +0000

Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced this week that changes are coming to Canada’s immigration system soon. According to Kenney, the changes will make the system more flexible in an effort to combat labour shortages.

Kenney said Canadian immigration is planning to change the points system they currently use for selecting immigrants to make it easier for applicants in skilled trades to qualify for Canadian skilled immigration. This means the focus would be on admitting more tradespeople as opposed to just university-educated immigrants like engineers and doctors.

“People who are skilled tradespeople have an almost impossible job of coming to Canada under our current system because the skilled worker program basically selects people with advanced university degrees,” Kenney said.

He added that once the government opens up the border to more skilled workers, they can attract “hidden jewels” that can help fill labour shortages.
Global Visa Support offers a variety of Canadian programs. Please check our Canadian page for more information: http://globalvisasupport.com/canada.html

High Court rules immigrant spouses must speak English before moving to UK

Tushar Mathur — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:08:00 +0000

The High Court in the UK has dismissed a legal challenge to a new immigration rule requiring people to be able to speak English before coming to the UK to live with their spouse.
The law was implemented back in November 2010 and had recently been challenged by three couples who deemed the rules to be unfair and racist. However the UK High Court dismissed the challenges.

Justice Beatson, presiding judge over the appeals, stated, “The new language test was not a disproportionate interference with the couples’ right to family life.”

UK Immigration Minister Damian Green commented on the case saying, “We believe it is entirely reasonable that someone intending to live in the UK should understand English, so that they can integrate and participate fully in our society. We are very pleased that the courts agree with us.”

Theresa May added that “the policy was designed to improve integration.”

The law had primarily been introduced because the Home Office is attempting to reduce the cost of having to hire translators for public services such as the NHS. The cost of covering translator services to deal with a growing population who do not speak the English language has further added to the pressures of tackling UK Immigration issues.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants stated that the ruling “would affect many UK citizens.”

Global Visa Support offers a variety of UK programs. Please check our UK page for more information: http://globalvisasupport.com/uk.html

Report reveals UK immigration numbers expected to fall in 2012

Tushar Mathur — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:51:00 +0000

A recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research, an independent think-tank, predicted that the number of migrants coming to the UK from outside the EU will fall by about 10 per cent in 2012. The continuing financial crisis, in addition to the government’s attempts to reduce the number of immigrants coming into the UK, is expected to lead to the decrease in immigrant numbers.
Although UK immigration numbers were lower in 2011 than in 2010, the numbers far exceed the government’s original goal of reducing immigration to “tens of thousands”, according to the report.

The report also gave a critical assessment of the government’s approach to immigration numbers, stating that UK immigration’s strategy to lower immigrant numbers is likely to harm any prospect of economic recovery. UK immigration policies identified as having a negative effect on the economy include attempts to reduce foreign student numbers. It is now more difficult to obtain a Tier 4 student visa. Fewer Students are now allowed to work in the UK. In addition, in April 2012 the Tier 1 Post-study work visa ends, which allows students to work in the UK for 2 years after their course ends. All these factors make the UK less attractive to overseas students and results in a reduction in Tier 4 visa student applicants.

Global Visa Support offers various UK programs, please visit our UK page: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/uk.html for more information.

Canada introduces new ‘super visa’ for families

Tushar Mathur — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 08:33:00 +0000

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Canadian officials on Friday announced a new two-year, multi-entry “super visa” for parents and grandparents of immigrants settled in Canada.

The move came after wait times for sponsorship of “family class” applications had grown to an unwieldy seven years or longer.

“Without taking action, those times will continue to grow, and that is unacceptable,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney in announcing the move.

“Action must be taken to cut the backlog, reduce the wait times, and ensure that the parents and grandparents program is sustainable over the long run,” Kenney said.

The multiple-entry “Parent and Grandparent Super Visa” will be valid for up to 10 years, officials said, and allow applicants to remain in Canada for 24 months before needing seek visa renewal.

The new visas will begin on December 1 and the will be issued, “on average, within eight weeks of the application,” officials said.

Canada seeks public opinion on immigration

Tushar Mathur — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 20:44:00 +0000

It has long been a destination for people from all over the world, but now Canada is looking to find out what its citizens think of its approach to immigration.

Welcome to Canada: around a quarter of a million immigrants arrive in Canada every year

An online questionnaire has been launched by the Canadian government to try and gauge the public’s opinion on its immigration policies.

Nearly 2000 people have already signed up to answer the survey, which is part of an ongoing consultation into immigration carried out by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration (CIC).

“The online consultation provides an important opportunity to gather input from stakeholders and the public on key questions facing CIC,” said Jason Kenney, minister for citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism. “This is also a chance to highlight some of the considerations and difficult choices involved in managing a global immigration system.”

Canada has one of the highest per capita rates of immigration in the world, accepting around 200,000 to 280,000 new migrants every year. It is predicted that by 2031, between 25 and 28 per cent of the population will be foreign-born.

While this “open arms” policy may help to combat the country’s ageing population, low birthrate and skills shortage, how to manage the constant influx has come under increasing debate in recent years.

Tier 2 Visa – Major changes from 6 April 2011

Tushar Mathur — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Tier 2 Visa changes include the following:
All immigrants wishing entry to the UK must be filling a graduate level position. You do not necessarily need to have an academic position. However, you will need to show that you have the right level of skills for the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). Following recommendations from the Migration Advisory Committee 71 occupations can no longer come under the Tier 2 visa scheme. UK immigration considers that these occupations are below “graduate level”. This will be relevant both for Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (ICT) applications.

The UKBA also published a revised List of Shortage Occupations, 8 occupations were removed from the list where it was decided there is no longer a shortage of skills.

Tier 2 General Visa Changes:
Over a period of a year from 6 April 2011 to 5 April 2011 there will be an annual limit of 20,700 visas. This will apply to restricted Certificates of Sponsorship. Unrestricted Certificates of Sponsorship will apply in the following cases:

If you were previously sponsored under Tier 2 (General) or as a Work Permit holder on or before 5 April 2011 and wish to extend your visa;
If you wish to move to a different employer;
If you have an annual salary of GBP150,000 or more;
If you wish to switch immigration category from Tier 1 PSW or Tier 1 General categories to Tier 2 Visa.

In April 2011 4,200 certificates of sponsorship will be available. After the first month 1,500 certificates of sponsorship will be available per month until 5 April 2012.
You will as a Sponsor be able to request ‘restricted’ CoS up to three months before the start date. The certificates of sponsorship will be allocated on the 11th of each month.

Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer changes
From 6 April 2011 there will two new sub-categories of Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer (ICT). Below are further details of the two Tier 2 (ICT) subcategories:

For stays of up to Four years:

Tier 2 (ICT) is available for graduate level employees for a period exceeding 12 months, up to a maximum 60 months in total.
The job the migrant will do must be at a graduate level or above with a minimum salary of £40,000 per annum.
You will granted a Tier 2 Visa for a period of 3 years and 4 months. This visa category will not lead to settlement (permanent residence) in the UK.

For stays of up to twelve months:
The Tier 2 (ICT) Visa in this situation is available again only for graduate level positions with a minimum salary of £24,000.

You will granted a Tier 2 Visa for a period of up to twelve months. This visa category will not lead to settlement (permanent residence) in the UK.
If you will be earning £40,000 per annum you may be able to apply for a longer term Tier 2 (ICT) visa.

English Language Requirements Tier 2 (General) Visa
The English language requirements from 6 April 2011 for Tier 2 General applicants have been increased from basic to intermediate level. This is level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The English language requirements for Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer are unchanged.

Western Australia continues call for more immigrants

Tushar Mathur — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:23:00 +0000

Western Australia is continuing its efforts to recruit workers from abroad in an effort to head off labour shortages.

The Australian state expects to create 240,000 new jobs as AUD $225 million in resources and infrastructure projects get underway; It is estimated that Western Australia will see a shortfall of 150,000 workers.

“This growth will present significant challenges for government, industry and the community as the demand for skilled labour to service the state’s growing industries places pressure on many sectors of the economy,” Training and Workforce Development Minister Peter Collier said.

To meet the demand for skilled labour, the state will be bringing in immigrants under the Western Australian Skilled Migration Strategy. This includes a wide range of initiatives to help meet the state’s work force requirements with labour from abroad.

The minister was quick to add that their first priority was to train the local Australian workforce.

“However, we know this will not be enough and that targeted migration will be essential to boost our skilled labour needs,” Collier said.

“We need to explore all options for not just increasing the participation of our local population, but also adding to the labour pool by attracting skilled workers from overseas and other parts of Australia,” he added.
State-sponsored skilled migration is an important component in Australia’s overall skilled migration efforts.

By meeting certain criteria, an applicant who wishes to live and work in Australia can gain permanent residence in Australia.

UK lures rich immigrants

Tushar Mathur — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 13:17:00 +0000

The UK has announced new visa rules which would allow wealthy foreign-born investors and entrepreneurs to gain permanent residence (properly known as indefinite leave to remain) in the UK much more quickly than normal.

The new rules, which take effect in April 2011, would allow people who invest at least 5 million to settle (indefinite leave to remain) in Britain after three years. Those who invest at least 10 million will be able to settle after two years. Normally, people must live in the UK lawfully for five years to attain settlement.

Immigration minister Damian Green also announced a new visa which will allow an investor or entrepreneur with 50,000 of funding from a reputable organisation in a “high potential” business to come to the UK. The usual entrepreneur visa requires that an applicant already has 200,000 available to invest in the UK.

There will also be a new visitor visa for prospective entrepreneurs. This will allow you to enter the UK to secure funding, and make arrangements to start your business; You will then be able to apply for a full entrepreneur visa that will allow you to live in the UK on a long term basis.

Entrepreneurs in the UK will also be able to gain permanent residence more quickly by creating 10 jobs or by turning over 5 million pounds over a three-year period.

It remains to be seen how successful these changes in the immigration rules will be in practice. Only one thousand of these new visas will be available. Very few people in the World have GBP5 Million to invest anyway. Probably a number of businessmen will employ at least ten people in their new business in the UK in the first three years; These people may turn out to be the main beneficiaries of the changes.

Other Countries are also taking steps to encourage entrepreneur immigration. The US has announced legislation which if enacted will create a new “E-6″ or “StartUp” visa, to attract foreign-born entrepreneurs to the US.

Seattle Immigration Lawyer | Employment Preferences Continued

Tushar Mathur — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:11:00 +0000

Picking up where I left off last in discussing the Third Preference category, the subcategory of “Professionals” includes not only attorneys, doctors, engineers, teachers and architects, but also, generally anyone who has a degree and who is working in a field related to their education and/or experience background.

To qualify for the subcategory of “Skilled workers,” an immigrant must have at least two years of training or experience (no university degree required). As of November 2010, the priority date for “Professionals” and “Skilled workers” was January 22, 2005, meaning that if you have a priority date before 1/8/05, you are eligible for a visa number. (However, the wait is even longer for immigrants from China, India, or Mexico.)

The subcategory entitled “Unskilled workers” is for jobs that typically require fewer than two years of training or experience. Not surprisingly, since very few green cards are given for unskilled workers (only 10,000 available per year), the current priority date is April 1, 2003. (However, there is an even longer wait for immigrants from India or Mexico.) A common mistake that immigrants make when applying under the “Unskilled worker” subcategory is that just because this subcategory requires less than two years of training or experience does not mean that the immigrant’s qualifications do not have to match the actual job requirements—they still do.

Fourth Preference (EB-4): “Special immigrants,” including certain religious workers, employees of U.S. foreign service posts, retired employees of international organizations, alien minors who are wards of courts in the U.S., and certain other classes of persons. (Labor Cert. is NOT required.)

Fifth Preference (EB-5): Business investors who invest $1m or $500,000 (if the investment is made in a targeted employment area) in a new business that employs at least 10 full-time U.S. workers. (Labor Cert. is NOT required.)

EB 5- A good Alternative to H1 B

Tushar Mathur — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:05:37 +0000

One of the most popular and sought after visa for non immigrants’ skilled workers is H1-B visa, which provide them legitimate right to work in United States for a particular period of time. This is aspect is very problematic for migrants who are trying to apply for immigration and sponsorship. For such people EB-5 visa is considered as best alternative for H1-B visa.

It is very easy for a migrant who is living in United States for a considerable period of time to invest. This is because he would have gain a good understanding of the various aspects of the economy of the United States of America during his stay. He would have become more familiar with the functioning of economy. This knowledge of United States would help him in avoiding the culture shock which he would have otherwise faced. In these cases, getting accustomed and adjusted to the totally different culture of United States would be of prime concern.

Another advantage of this would be that he would have save some investment which could again be invested in United States economy. The task of researching and deciding about the regions to set the business and invest accordingly would be much more easy and simple if person have a good understanding of the economy.

Another advantage is that person would have proper understanding of local job market as well. The very basic requirement of getting EB-5 visa is that a minimum ten new jobs should be created for the local people and hence selecting right employees for jobs would not be so difficult. At the same time local job seekers would find it much easier to trust the immigrant as he is accustomed to local culture. This in turn will save a lot of money and time and subsequently would add to investment.

Since individual is already working in United States so he must have developed a vast professional network. This network can help him in promoting his business in easy fashion. An applicant can even work in collaboration with any American citizen.

Lastly an immigrant can be saved if he does not get involved in all deceitful and unlawful activities which might come in his way during the whole process of his venture.

It is always recommended for such profession to contact some good EB-5 attorney or any specialist in EB-5 who can help him in entire procedure.