Immigration newsletter 30 Oct 2012

Some UK visas can take months to be processed by UK Immigration. Or you may have to attend in person at the public enquiry office. We are OISC registered and, if you are already in the UK, we can submit your visa application and get it processed on the same day!

Please note that we only have a limited number of slots each week, so it is advisable to apply as early as possible. Call our London Office on 0344 991 9222 for further details. 

We would like to remind businessmen from India who wish to travel to the US on business that they need to apply for a B1 visit visa. These visas are usually granted for an initial six-month period but may be extended in certain circumstances.

If you would like to apply for a US visa, WorkPermit.com can help. WorkPermit.com is a specialist visa consultancy with nearly twenty-five years of experience dealing with visa applications. Please feel free to contact us for further details.

The registration period for this year’s US Green Card Lottery began on October 2nd. It will run until November 3rd. After, a draw, The United States will issue 50,000 permanent residency visas to applicants from countries with low levels of immigration to the US.

In order to be eligible, you must have completed secondary education or two years' work in a job that requires at least two years training. For a small fee, workpermit.com can help with your visa application. We also have an US Attorney who can assist.

The latest Australian census has found that 26% of Australians, or 5.3m people, are immigrants and a further 20% have at least one parent who was born overseas. An increasing number of new Australians come from China and India. 

1.1m people from the UK now live in Australia. There are also 483,000 New Zealanders,295,000 Indians and 319,000 Chinese. 

The Economist magazine has criticised the UK government's immigration policies. It says that policies on legal skilled migration and on international students coming to the UK are damaging the UK's economy. The Economist says that there were 7% fewer Tier 2 work-related visas issued in the year to June and 21% fewer Tier 4 student visas than in the previous year. 

It says that there is evidence that firms are being discouraged from applying for visas by the bureaucracy that an application entails.Firms in The City, London's financial centre, are frustrated by the restrictions on bringing in foreign workers. The Economist also criticises the government’s attack on 'export education'. The sector generated £3bn in fees alone in 2010-11.

The Economist warns that the UK is pushing talented people away. These people have many options and Britain should be welcoming them, it says.

The Information Technology Association of Canada says Canada must attract international workers if it is to remain a global centre for IT. It predicts 106,000 unfilled posts over the next four years. Citizenship and Immigration Canada recommends that IT professionals should apply for permanent resident status through programs such as the Federal Skilled Worker Class. 

If you are considering moving to Canada and need advice, workpermit.com can help. Call our London Office on 0344 991 9222 for further details.