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News Update 9 January 2018

Hello and welcome to workpermit.com’s video news for 9 January 2018. I’m Sanwar Ali

2018 is our thirtieth anniversary year. workpermit.com is one of the most influential and important visa consultancies in the World.

Every day about 25,000 people visit a workpermit.com site. By visiting our site and either using our services or visiting our advertisers, you are helping to fund our site. It is extremely important for millions of people around the world that we continue to provide accurate and informative news and information about visas.

UK Tier 2 Visa Restricted Certificates of Sponsorship Shortage in December 2017 biggest in years

The last time it was more difficult for employers with a tier 2 sponsorship licence to obtain a tier 2 visa to employ people resident outside the UK (or people who have to apply from outside the UK) was some years ago. In many cases it will only be possible to obtain tier 2 visas, based on the December 2017 allocation, to employ overseas nationals living outside the UK is if the salary rate is at least £55,000 per year. There are many applying again by 5 January 2018 to see if it will be easier in January to obtain a restricted certificate of sponsorship.

Switching to a UK Tier 2 visa to be made easier for Tier 4 Visa international graduates

New government plans will make it easier for foreign students in the UK to apply to switch from within the UK from a Tier 4 visa to a Tier 2 skilled worker visa once they complete their course, rather than having to wait until they have confirmation that they have passed their exams. The plans, outlined in Budget documents published on 22 November 2017, are an effort to ‘make Britain more welcoming.’ However, the employer needs to have a Tier 2 Sponsorship Licence to employ students under the Tier 2 Visa scheme.

US L1 visa renewal fears for Britons in the US due to Trump changes

US visa changes authorized by President Donald Trump threaten to strip Britons, transferred to the United States by their employers, of their work visas. Changes to the L1B visa renewal process, made by the Department of Homeland Security, means that many UK nationals who have been in the US for years face the prospect of being kicked out of the country.

Employers should also consider alternatives such as the E2 Treaty Investor Visa, E1 Treaty Trader Visa and B1 in lieu of H1B visa. These visa categories do not yet appear to have been targeted by Trump. During 2017 it seems to have become more and more difficult to obtain and renew L1A visa and L1B visas.

US visa and green card holder social media surveillance backed by Trump needs artificial intelligence systems says ICE

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has appealed to big names across the technology industry to help it carry out social media surveillance of US visa holders deemed to be a threat to national security. The appeal came during a presentation at a recent tech industry conference, outlining plans to monitor US visa holders’ social media activity.

There are continuing concerns that Artificial Intelligence is not ready yet to provide accurate reporting to deal with the security concerns about US visa holders. AI based systems continue to grow. This is an exciting new growth area. However, there may be dangers ahead.

Thank you for watching. If you would like to apply for a visa, WorkPermit.com can help. WorkPermit.com is a specialist visa consultancy with almost thirty years of experience dealing with visa applications and is one of the top visa related websites in the world.

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