Immigration newsletter 3 March 2011

If you are already in the UK and wish to switch into a Tier 1 (General) highly skilled visa, you should apply as soon as possible. On 6 April 2011, this category will end and be replaced with the 'exceptional talent' visa which will be very difficult to obtain.

Exceptional talent visas will be limited to 1,000 visas per year, making the chances of entry to the UK under this visa even less likely.

A new survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) finds that many employers in the UK public sector are having a difficult time filling job openings due to more stringent immigration rules.

The study found that one in six employers -- a good proportion of which are in the National Health Service -- say that they have not been able to recruit workers from overseas due to the recent cap on immigration.

The Australian mining industry has had some good news recently; Recent reports suggest that the government may increase levels of skilled migration to Australia. As the Australian economy picks up the only way in which employers will be able to deal with expected labour shortages is by hiring overseas workers

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy (CME) of Western Australia -- where current and future natural resource based projects are likely to take place -- said that it was vital to hire foreign workers under skilled migration visas. There is insufficient local labour to meet their needs.

The Business Council of Australia has urged the Australian government to increase temporary skilled immigration.

The resources sector of Australia, which includes industries such as mining, are concerned about expected skills shortages as a number of multi-billion dollar projects get underway.

The BCA has urged the government to make changes to the 457 visa program and introduce a special faster labour agreement to approve visas for large projects.

A recent report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) estimates that almost 1,000 people are leaving Ireland each week, many of them highly skilled workers.

"Worldwide, [Canada] is looking like the superstar of how to manage your economy," Eamonn O'Loghlin, executive director of the Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce told the 'National Post.'

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