Immigration newsletter 13 Jun 2012

From 1 July 2012, Australian immigration will be introducing significant changes to their skilled migration visa program. If you are likely to have your skills assessment completed soon we can help you to beat the deadline. If you contact us by 24 June 2012 we can also obtain sponsorship quickly in Western Australia. You should contact us now at ozvisa@workpermit.com to discuss your various Australian visa options.  There will continue to be plenty ofAustralian immigration opportunities after 1 July 2012.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that as of June 11, 2012, the cap of 65,000 H-1B visa petitions has been met for fiscal year (FY) 2013. In addition, the 20,000 petition cap for the advanced degree H-1B visa was met on June 7, 2012.

USCIS began accepting applications for the H-1B visa program on April 2, 2012 for positions with a start date of October 1, 2012 or later. Each year only 65,000 visas are available for regular H-1B visa cap petitions for graduate level foreign workers in professional or specialty occupation positions. Also, an additional 20,000 H-1B visa cap petitions visas are made available for those with an US Master degree or higher degree awarded at an US university.

On 11 June 2012 the UK government announced major changes to the Immigration Rules for non-European Economic Area (non-EEA) nationals applying to enter or remain in the UK under the family migration route. The changes, part of the Government's response to recommendations made by the Migration Advisory Committee, include introducing a new minimum income threshold and restricting family visit visa appeals. To see a list of all the changes, please check out our comprehensive news report about the issue.

A new government report says that the Canadian province, British Columbia, will need more skilled immigrants to fill skills shortages in the province. The Immigration Task Force (ITF) released their final report, confirming that British Columbia still needs more immigrants to fill skill shortages. The task force, appointed by Premier Christy Clark, was set up to review key government programs with the goal of increasing the number of skilled immigrants and investors in British Columbia.

The report had 10 recommendations for the province and the Canadian government including increasing immigration levels for the province and expanding the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program.

Under newly proposed rules, European Union countries would be able to suspend passport-free travel in parts of Europe for up to two years. There are currently little or no border controls between the Countries in the EU that are in the Schengen Area.

EU home affairs ministers agreed on new rules that would allow EU countries to reintroduce border controls if one country consistently failed to stop illegal migrants from entering Europe's Schengen area. The Schengen Area consists of twenty-six countries including France, Germany, and Spain. It does not include the UK or Ireland. If you have a Schengen visa you can travel throughout all countries that are part of the Schengen Area on the one visa.

Young people in South Korea will soon be able to apply for the UK's Tier 5 youth mobility scheme visa. The UK announced that soon 1,000 young South Koreans will be able to come under the scheme each year to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years. Additionally, the same number of young people from the UK will be able to live and work in South Korea.

The Australian government announced they will fast-track Australian citizenship for partners and a greater number of family members of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel. This change will benefit partners and other family members who have migrated with an ADF member, including children over the age of 16 and dependent elderly parent. Previously, an ADF member and any children under 16 could apply for Australian citizenship after 90 days of service. Spouses and other family members, including children aged over 16 years or elderly parents, were previously required to wait for at least four years before applying for Australian citizenship; The changes will mean that these family members will be able to apply after 90 days of service by the ADF family member.