Immigration newsletter 09 Oct 2013

This year, workpermit.com celebrates 25 years in business. We have helped thousands of people to move to the UK and around the world. We can help with many UK applications including Tier 2 visas, Tier 1 visas for entrepreneurs and investors, citizenship and Indefinite Leave to Remain.

If you are in the UK with a Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) visa, we can help switch to a Tier 2 (General) skilled worker visa. We can even help you to find a Tier 2 sponsor. We also help with sponsorship licences for Tier 2 and Tier 5 employers and for Tier 4 student visas.

We can also help with applications for Canada, Australia, the US and many other countries. Our expert staff are ready to help so why not give us a call now for a free consultation?

US immigration 'hardly impacted' by federal government shutdown

The US Federal budget crisis will not greatly affect US immigration, according to a spokesman. A spokesman for US Immigration said that, becausethe service is 95% funded from visa fees, itwill not have to lay staff off.

The US Congress must approve the federal budget each financial year. This year, a dispute between Republicans and President Obama about the Affordable Health Care Act (known as 'Obamacare') has led to a stalemate and the budget has not been approved.

Non-essential services in many federal government departments have closed and will not reopen until the dispute is resolved.

Student Opportunities

The Times newspaper recently published its list of the top 100 universities in the world. 46 of them are in the US and 11 in the UK. If you are a student looking to study overseas, we can help you with your US or UK student visa application. We can even help you find a course which suits you. Give us a call now on +44 (0)344 991 9222 for a consultation.

Canadian immigration strike over

Canadian overseas immigration officers have ended a dispute with the Canadian government after four months of industrial action.

The dispute affected visa services at consulates and embassies around the world particularly in China, India, the Philippines and Mexico. The officers’ union complained that its members were being paid less than staff in Canada. The dispute appears to be over after the government offered a generous pay deal backdated to 2011. The Union has recommended that its members accept the offer. If they do, work on eliminating the backlog will begin immediately.

UK must 'look at Chinese visa issue' – Airline boss

Willie Walsh, the chief executive of International Airlines Group, has said that the UK's expensive visa regime deters Chinese people from travelling to the UK. He said that it costs £56 ($90) to get a visa for the EU's Schengen Area and £80 ($128) to get one for the UK.

The Schengen Area consists of 26 European countries. A Schengen visa allows its holder to visit all of them. Mr Walsh said that the UK will miss out on trade and tourism and will alsofail to attract Chinese workers who speak Cantonese and Mandarin.

UK minister rules out illegal immigration amnesty

The British Home Secretary, Theresa May, has said that the UK has no intention of granting an amnesty to illegal immigrants currently in the country because it would 'send out the wrong message'. There are thought to be about 1,000,000 people living illegally in the UK.

Mrs May said that granting an amnesty would not help control immigration and would be likely to encourage more people to come to the UK in future in the expectation of a further amnesty in a few years’ time.

US immigration warns of fraudsters targeting immigrants

US immigration has warned of a phone scam currently occurring in the US. Fraudsters are phoning people expecting contact from the US immigration authorities, pretending to be US immigration officers and asking for payments. US immigration advises everyone receiving these callsnot to pay. US immigration never asks for money over the phone.

The scammer will often claim to have identified irregularities in a visa application and request a fee to correct them. If you receive such a call, US immigration asks you to advisethe US Federal Trade Commission.