Immigration newsletter 10 Sep 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 forentrepreneurs 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?

UK Ambassador to Nigeria: UK still not decided on visa security bond

The UK's ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Andrew Pocock, says the UK has not yet decided whether to introduce security bonds for some visa applicants. In June, the government announced that, from November, it would require some visa applicants to pay a bond of up to £3,000 to discourage them from overstaying their visas. Six ‘high risk countries’, including Nigeria and India, were targeted. The Nigerian government responded angrily saying a planned trade treaty could be affected.

Dr Pocock says the bond scheme may not be introduced. He added that, even if it is,very few people will be affected.

Latvian immigrant investor scheme may close

There are fears that the Latvian immigrant investor programme may close. The National Alliance, a party in Latvia’s Coalition government says it should be scrapped. They say the scheme is driving up property prices, making it unaffordable for ordinary Latvians. The programme opened in 2010 and allows non-EU nationals to obtain a Latvian temporary resident visa.

To qualify, applicants must invest in Latvian property or business. The minimum investment in a business is about €35,000 and in property is about €70,000. Successful applicants receive a five-year resident permit which can be renewed. Temporary residents can spend up to half the year anywhere in the European Schengen area.

More than 6m Syrians displaced by conflict

The United Nations says that more than 6m people have now been displaced by the Syrian civil war. Of these, over 2m are now living abroad. Most now live in the countries surrounding Syria. In addition to those displaced, at least 100,000 people have been killed since spring 2011. Angelina Jolie, the actress, and UN ambassador for refugees warned that the exodus has catastrophic implications for the region. She said that some neighbouring countries could be ‘brought to the point of collapse'.

Gay spouses can now apply for US family visas

Same-sex spouses can now apply for US family-based visas after the Supreme Court ruled in June that the Defense of Marriage Act 1996 is unconstitutional.

The decision made it illegal to discriminate against homosexual couples. Consequently, since August, US immigration will not reject a family-based visa application purely because a couple is homosexual. It also says it will reconsider applications dating back to July 2010.

Where an application was refused purely because the couple was homosexual, the decision will be reversed.

Sorrell says UK and US need more skilled immigration

Sir Martin Sorrell, the founder and CEO of the world’s largest advertising agency WPP, says that the UK and theUS need more skilled immigrants, particularly in the technology sector.

Sir Martin says that UK and US firms can’t get visas for the workers they need.

He added that immigrants are often entrepreneurial. He said about 25% of US and UK IT firms were founded by foreign-born entrepreneurs and42% of America's Fortune 500 companies were founded by first or second-generation immigrants. These companies have created 10m jobs and are responsible for 30% of US GDP. Sir Martinalso warned that, by 2020, the US will need 60,000 international IT graduates every year.