Immigration newsletter 23 Jul 2013

As predicted by workpermit.com in June, Canada’s Quebec Immigrant Investor Program is to reopen on 1st August 2013. It will be open until 16th August and accept 1,750 applications. 

Workpermit.com can help you with your application. Applicants must have at least CAN$1,600,000 in assets and invest $800,000 for five years in an approved investment fund. You must also have two years’ management experience and fulfil certain other criteria. Why not get in touch with us on canvisa@workpermit.com for further details.

A leading UK tech company has said that it may have to move parts of its operations overseas because it has become too difficult to bring in skilled staff with Tier 2 (General) skilled worker visas.  Alex Cheatle, the founder of Ten Group, told the Financial Times 'If you cannot recruit managers for a team here, you have to shift the entire department offshore'. 

Ten Group provides remote lifestyle management services and has one million clients and employs 350 staff in six countries.

The UK's Office for Budgetary Responsibility has advised the government that Britain requires high levels of immigration to help grow the economy. The OBR says that immigration, or a lack of immigration, will greatly affect the UK's economic performance and debt levels over the next fifty years.

It warns that, if net immigration fell to zero next year, then public debt would rise to 174% of GDP by 2066. Conversely, if immigration rose to the 2010 level of 260,000 a year then the public debt would fall to 75% of GDP by 2066. The effect would be more marked if more migrants were young, economically active migrants, the OBR says.

We are specialists in UK immigration services. If you are a skilled worker we can help you with your UK Tier 2 visa application. If you are anentrepreneur or investor we can help with your Tier 1 visa applications. If you have been living in the UK for a while and want to apply forIndefinite Leave to Remain or citizenship then we can help you with these applications too. 

We also help with other immigration services such as applications for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsorship licences. We have been working in the field of immigration for 25 years and have experts who can help you with all your immigration needs. Why not give us a call now for a free consultation?

President Obama says that the proposed immigration reform bill currently before the US Congress will add $1.4trillion to the US economy in the next 20 years if it becomes law. To become law, the bill must be passed by the House of Representatives, with at least 60% support but some Republican Representatives oppose the bill because it will allow many illegal immigrants to apply to become citizens. 

The President used his weekly address to the nation on Saturday 13th July to say that the bill would make it easier for skilled workers to come and contribute to the US economy with H-1B visas and green cards. He added that tax revenue would increase and allow the government to reduce the budget deficit by $850bn over 20 years.

Diplomats have warned that international visitors are avoiding Canada because the application for Canadian visitor visas is so complicated. Citizens of theUS, the UK and many EU countries do not need Canadian visas, but citizens of most other countries do. Applicants for visitor visas must give information about their marriages, previous marriages and about their partners and children, even if these are not intending to travel to Canada.

They are also asked to say if they have ever witnessed the ill-treatment of prisoners. Diplomats have warned Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail that the complicated application process is deterring visitors and has the potential to damage Canada's economy.