Newsletter archive

Call us for visa advice at our London office: +44 (0) 20 7842 0800.

No decision has yet been made regarding access rights by Romanians and Bulgarians to the UK labor market when they join the EU. Evaluation of the UK's labor market and the impact of the previous EU expansion will affect the decision, which will be made after the date of accession is confirmed.

Romania appealed to Britain to not impose restrictions on Romanian workers in Britain. Bulgaria and Romania have been expecting the same "open-door" policy for the EU-27 as was used during the EU-25 expansion in 2004.

The Business for New Europe Group in Britain (NEGB), comprised of leaders from some of Britain's biggest businesses are pressuring the Government for an "open-door" policy toward Bulgarians and Romanians. The two former Eastern Bloc states are scheduled to join the European Union on January 1st,...

Call us for visa advice at our London office: +44 (0) 20 7842 0800.

Effective September 11th, a new subcategory to the TWES for British work permits is available. Qualified medical students and professionals are eligible for the Medical Training Initiatives (MTI). Sponsorship by the Royal Colleges and other organizations within the medical field is required.

A new record was set in the 12-month period previous to April of this year for immigration into Ireland. Nearly 87 thousand people entered. The net population increase of 2.5% brings the residents of Ireland to 4.2 million.

French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy has sharply criticized the Spanish and Italian policies of regularizing illegal immigrants. He noted that within the Schengen zone, massive regularization of illegal migrants should not be undertaken without consulting other Member States.

The president of the Spanish Canary Islands has called the arrival of 1,000 people...

Call us for visa advice at our London office: +44 (0) 20 7842 0800. The US DV-2008 (Greencard) Lottery is about to begin

Australian mining and construction companies have been expanding in order to meet increased demand. The government is actively recruiting more hospital workers and teachers, in addition to the 80,000 jobs added to the health and community service sector in 2005. Mining investment increased by 91% in the last year. Overall, employment in Australia climbed five times more than expected during June this year.

Prime Minister John Howard's administration has introduced a preliminary plan to tighten citizenship eligibility for Australia. The proposal introduces a formal test for citizenship and will go to Parliament for debate.

The Swiss will vote on a referendum plan to further restrict immigration into Switzerland in the upcoming week. Already passed by Parliament, the new law aims to...

Call us for visa advice at our London office: +44 (0) 20 7842 0800. The US DV-2008 (Greencard) Lottery is about to begin

The United States Diversity Visa Lottery for 2008, commonly known as the Greencard Lottery, will begin accepting submission of electronic applications at 12 noon, U.S. Eastern time on Wednesday, October 4th. Interested persons are reminded to begin preparations immediately if they have not already done so.

The European Commission announced that Romania and Bulgaria will be admitted to the European Union on January 1st 2007. The EU-25 will now become the EU-27, but under strict new conditions. Bulgaria and Romania joining will increase the population of the EU by 30 million citizens. There will be restrictions on migration to other EU/EEA countries for up to three years. The new Accession States will have to report on progress in fighting crime and corruption...