“A technical fault occurred shortly after the Silver Fern opened which enabled people to submit applications after all the places had been filled,” said Rob Stevens, Immigration New Zealand’s service support general manager.

According to Stevens, roughly 4000 people were logged on to the website to apply for the visa; All the visas were used up less than half an hour after Immigration New Zealand started accepting applications. Then an email was sent to 630 applicants informing them that they had “successfully submitted” their applications and that their payment had been accepted. Hours later a second email was sent out to correct the original email that said: “We regret to advise you of a technical fault … and that your application was accepted in error.” Applicants were told to apply again “when the quota reopens about this time next year”.

Stevens confirmed that the first 300 applications received would be processed, while the visa applications that were accidentally approved after the quota was filled would be cancelled and the money refunded.

“We have obtained the exact time that each payment was confirmed from the payment system, and used this to determine the first 300 applicants,” Stevens said. “We are resolving the problem with our IT vendors to identify why it occurred and to prevent it from happening again.”

Since the Silver Fern Visa scheme was launched in 2010, the visa quota has been filled within 30 minutes of becoming available each year. Visa holders will be granted a nine month work visa allowing them to work for any employer in New Zealand. If they obtain skilled work, they can progress to the two-year Silver Fern Practical Experience work visa.

In order to be eligible for the visa you must:

• be between the ages of 20 and 35 years old
• apply from outside New Zealand
• hold a recognised bachelors degree, higher qualification, or a recognised trade qualification with a minimum of two years of work experience in that trade
• meet the English language requirements
• have a minimum of NZ$4,200 available funds to meet your living costs while you are in New Zealand.
• not have been previously granted a Silver Fern Job Search visa.

Once a Silver Fern Job Search Visa holder finds skilled employment, they can apply for a two year Silver Fern Practical Work Experience Visa. There will be no annual limit to the number of people who can apply under the Silver Fern Practical Experience visa but only visa holders of the Silver Fern Job Search Visa can apply; This in effect limits the number of people who can apply for the Silver Fern Practical Work Experience Visa.

Eligible applicants must:

• have a full-time job offer for at least 12 months
• have a position that meets our skill requirements in an occupation at skill level one, two or three on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).
• hold occupational registration if that is a requirement for the job.

Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in New Zealand. Please check our New Zealand page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/nz.html

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. The new rules also ban visa-holders from working in jobs in which the primary hours are between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The changes following a recent investigation that found that some participants were working and living in unsafe conditions. Last year, foreign students issued numerous complaints about work conditions to the department. The rules were changed in order to ensure that participants are treated properly and receive cultural experience while in the US.

“In recent years, the work component has too often overshadowed the core cultural component necessary for the Summer Work Travel Program to be consistent with the intent of the Fulbright-Hays Act,” the State Department said. “Also, the Department learned that criminal organizations were involving participants in incidents relating to the illegal transfer of cash, the creation of fraudulent businesses, and violations of immigration law.”

“The new reforms for the Summer Work Travel program focus on strengthening protections for the health, safety and welfare of the participants, and on bringing the program back to its primary purpose, which is to provide a cultural experience for international students,” said Robin Lerner, a deputy assistant secretary for the State Department.

Participation in the visa program has increased from about 20,000 students in 1996 to more than 150,000 in 2008. Roughly 1 million foreign students have taken part in the past decade. The students come from around the world, with some of the top participating countries being Russia, Brazil, Ukraine, Thailand, Ireland, Bulgaria, Peru, Moldova and Poland.

In November, the State Department announced they had temporarily stopped accepting any new sponsors. Only State Department approved sponsors can issue the Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status, which is the main document needed to support an application for a J-1 Visa. The State Department said that sponsors who can show their participants are being exposed to US culture outside of work will be approved to issue the Certificate of Eligibility to participants for a period of two years.

In order to be eligible for the program, applicants must be:

• Sufficiently proficient in English to successfully interact in an English speaking environment;
• Post-secondary school students enrolled in and actively pursuing a degree or other full-time course of study at an accredited post-secondary educational institution outside the US;
• Have successfully completed at least one semester or equivalent of post-secondary academic study; and

J-1 Visas issued in the Summer Work/ Travel category are valid for a stay of four months with no extensions allowed.

Global Visa Support offers a variety of programmes in United States. Please check our USA page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/usa.html

This follows a written ministerial statement from 15 March 2012 that outlines a number of changes to the Immigration Rules, including the closure of the Tier 1 Post Study Work route on 6 April 2012. The following changes will be made to the maintenance requirement for Tier 2 visa applicants:

• Tier 2 Visa Applicants: Increased from £800 to £900
• Dependents of Tier 2 applicants who have been in the UK for less than 12 months: Increased from £1,600 to £1,800
• Dependents of Tier 2 applicants – all other applications: Increased from £533 to £600

If you plan to make a Tier 2 visa application on or after 14 June 2012, you must ensure that you have the correct funds held in your account as soon as possible. The funds will need to be held in your bank or savings account for a 90 day period prior to the date of your visa application. For this reason, the UKBA has delayed the implementation date until 14 June to allow immigrants sufficient time to hold these funds for 90 days, prior to submitting a visa application.

The UKBA has stated that these increases are in line with cost of living rises in the UK.

Other Tier 2 changes that will go into effect 6 April 2012 include:

• Introducing a new minimum salary requirement of £35,000 for Tier 2 general and sportsperson migrants who wish to settle here (indefinite leave to remain or permanent residence) from April 2016 (with exemptions for those in PhD level and shortage occupation categories).
• Introducing a ‘cooling-off period’ across all the Tier 2 routes. Tier 2 migrants will need to wait for 12 months from the expiration of their previous visa before they may apply for a further Tier 2 visa. Although, it is important to note that many Tier 2 visa holders can still apply for indefinite leave to remain if they meet all of the requirements including showing that they meet the new minimum pay requirement of £35,000.
• Introducing new post-study arrangements for graduates switching into Tier 2.

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

The proposed changes are part of stage two of the Australian Government’s response to the Knight Review of the student visa program. Stage one was implemented last November.

Under the changes, student visa applicants can streamline their visa application if they submit them with a Confirmation of Enrolment from a participating university in Australia at Bachelor, Masters, or Doctoral degree level on or after 24 March 2012. Their applications will be assessed as though they were a lower migration risk, regardless of their country of origin. DIAC expects to have a list of approved participating universities published by 24 March.

Also, the maximum period of English language study for Schools Sector (Subclass 571) visa holders subject to Assessment Level 3 and above will be increased to 50 weeks. Applicants from an Assessment Level 4 country who wish to study at an Australian school will no longer be required to provide evidence of an English language proficiency test when applying for a Subclass 571 visa. Each country is assigned an Assessment Level which is based on the calculated immigration risk posed by students from that country studying in Australia. Higher assessment levels indicate a higher immigration risk. Countries in Assessment Level 3 include: Turkey, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Croatia. Countries in Assessment Level 4 include: China and Bangladesh.

Student visa-holders will also be able to have their visa granted for four months before the start of their course so they can get settled in before their classes begin.

There will also be more flexible work conditions. From 26 March 2012, the current work condition of 20 hours per week while the course is in session will be changed to 40 hours per fortnight during any fortnight while the course is in session. Higher Degree by Research Student visa holders will not be limited in the number of hours that they can work once their course has commenced.

These proposed changes would apply to both new student visa holders and existing student visa holders.

The proposed changes will go into effect once approved by the Governor-General.

Global Visa Support offers a variety of Australian programs. Please visit out Australian page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/australia.html

The report stated that from 30 June 2010 to 30 June 2011, there were over 30,000 patients treated at Victorian hospitals who were not Australian citizens. Parnis’ fear is that the increase may be due to growth in “medical tourism” wherein individuals travel to a foreign country for a medical procedure. The concern is that as not all Australian visa applicants are required to have medical insurance, some patients may leave the country without paying their bills.

Currently, individuals on student visas and skilled workers and their dependents on 457 subclass visas are required to have health insurance as part of their entry conditions. It is not a requirement for Australian tourist visa applicants to have proof of health insurance. However, forcing visit visa holders to have medical insurance may put off people from visiting Australia and have a detrimental effect on the tourist industry.

Parnis’ says that requiring health insurance for all visa categories would be a positive step for the medical industry.

“If people have the means to come to Australia on an international holiday they should have the means to make allowance for their own healthcare,” said Parnis.

Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with several countries including the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Italy, wherein citizens of these countries can access medical care in Australia in the same way as permanent residents. Although it is important to note, according to the report, most international patients seeking medical care in Australia were not from countries that fall under this agreement.

Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in Australia. Please visit our Australian page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/australia.html

All current Tier 4 sponsors must be inspected by the appropriate reviewing body in order to retain their sponsorship status. These inspections and reviews will take place throughout 2012, and the results of each inspection or review will be published on the website of the appropriate educational oversight body. If the Tier 4 visa sponsor fails to achieve a satisfactory inspection outcome they may no longer be able to sponsor international students under Tier 4 of UK immigration‘s points-based system.

In particular these changes are likely to affect those looking to sponsor international students under Tier 4 of the Points Based System. More importantly though, beginning 1 April 2012, the following major changes will be made to the Tier 4 Student Visa and to the Tier 1 Visa:

• Work placements will be restricted to one-third of the course, unless the course is at degree level and the sponsor is a higher education institution or the student is on a study abroad programme.
• Tier 4 visa holders will be limited to the time they can spend at degree level to 5 years, with certain exemptions for longer courses and doctorates at higher education institutions.
• Tier 1 Post-study work will be CLOSED from 1 April 2012. UK immigration will still offer visas through Tier 2 of the points-based system for graduates. In most cases only graduates who have an offer of a skilled job from a sponsoring employer under Tier 2 of the points-based system will be able to stay and work in the UK

Global Visa Support has a variety of programmes in UK. Please visit our UK page for more details: http://globalvisasupport.com/uk.html

• Applicants who have obtained their J-1 status through programs financed either in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, by the U.S. government or their home country government.
• Applicants whose specialized knowledge or skill is in short supply in their home country
• Applicants who have received graduate medical education or training in the U.S.

The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was formerly known as the subsidiary firm of the Department of Justice, but is now part of the Department of Homeland Security. The INS grants student visa, tourist visa or any extended stay visas for foreign born citizens who wish to extend their stay in the United States.

After the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the Immigration and Naturalization Services were made strict on strengthening the national security and tightening the antiterrorism. All the guidelines of this agency were made very stringent for issuance of visa and even on the general criteria for prolonged entry in United States.

INS also holds the responsibility of detention and questioning the suspected visa holders might be connected to terrorist organisation. The detention period can be of any reasonable length of time that might be required to check or gather the information required to scrutinise the suspect. INS is also powered by Mobilization Against Terrorism Act (MATA) thus it holds the power to deport or file a case against any foreign person that may be connected to any terrorism or such organisations. INS also holds the right to cancel the visa or green card of the suspect found in connection to any terrorist group.

INS works to cut down the number of people who entered United States through its Border Patrol. INS is also responsible for searching out the illegal foreigners and to deport them back to their nation. It also imposes stiff criminal penalties for the agents who exploit illegal aliens.

Thus INS works as a stringent security organisation that keeps an eye on each and every foreign born person who enters the United States and also keeps track on their activities.