Dear Visitor

Highly skilled migrants in the United Kingdom organized a demonstration last week against recent changes to the HSMP. Changes on 07 November seventh last year are estimated by the organizers to affect up to 49,000 immigrants. Migrants already in the UK under HSMP visas must meet the new requirements of the updated points-based system to qualify for extensions.

The director of the National Training and Employment Authority, Rody Molloy, says that Ireland needs 500,000 immigrants in the coming decade to remain competitive. A comprehensive review of Ireland's immigration policy has begun in the Parliament, with a number of changes expected to be proposed and debated in the near future.

Top law enforcement officials of the European Union announced Monday that police of all Member States will have access to all EU national databases containing fingerprints, DNA samples and other biometric data. German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said there is a "broad consensus" among EU governments to expand the current 7-nation data-sharing agreement to the entire EU-27.

New Zealand's Department of Labour has released immigration statistics for 2006. The detailed report listed Britons as the largest demographic granted permanent residency, followed by Chinese. The number of visas issued increased by 21% over the previous year.

Migrants interested in obtaining an Australian citizenship will now be required to take a test. To help them prepare, the Australian government has introduced a new study tool, titled 'A Guide to Australian Life.' Designed to teach migrants about Australian life and values, the guide is compulsory reading and is inspired by a similar UK booklet.

Some Canadians could unknowingly lose their citizenship because of a newly enforced and little known law called the Citizenship Act of 1977. The law requires that citizens born outside of Canada to parents who were also born outside of the country must re-register their citizenship by their 28th birthday.

The Canadian government unveiled a new program to increase border control on the United States-Canadian border. The bulk of the allocated funds will be used for a new system of electronic manifests - the eManifest Program - that cargo carriers must file in advance of shipment. The U.S. will also begin to use unmanned spy planes to patrol the US-Canada border sometime this summer.

In a recent survey, nine out of ten farmers feel there is an unfair burden on them to prove that their workers are not illegal immigrants. Current regulations force the employers to perform some of the duties of federal immigration officials. They feel that they do not have the ability to perform proper background checks.

• European Union changes in security, police and immigration cooperative efforts

  Top law enforcement officials of the European Union announced this week efforts to give police across the entire bloc access to national databases containing fingerprints, DNA samples, other biometric data and license plate information. more  »

• Canada and the US to implement tighter border controls

  On Friday last week, the Canadian government unveiled a CND$432 million (USD$362 million) program to increase border control and security with the United States. This is immediately after plans by the U.S. were revealed that unmanned spy planes will patrol the border and only about one week before passports become mandatory for U.S. residents to cross the border by plane. more  »

• Immigration limits come into effect in Russia

  As a result of a recent crackdown on illegal immigration into Russia, some tough new laws are coming into effect that will limit the percentage of foreign-born workers who may take jobs in some areas. more  »

• Some Canadians could lose their citizenship on technicality

  Second-generation Canadians born outside of the country may unknowingly lose their citizenship due to a previously unenforced immigration law requiring them to re-register by a certain date. more  »

• Lithuania wants their migrants back

  It has become impossible to find a good plumber in Lithuania these days. Lured away by higher wages in Western European countries after their nation's accession to the EU-25 in 2004, service industry workers in Lithuania have become a rarity. more  »

• Australian citizenship test gets new study guide

  Migrants coming to Australia will be required to take a citizenship test when applying to live in the country. A staple for preparing for this test is a booklet titled 'A Guide to Australian Life', based on a similar UK booklet. more  »

• US farmers burdened by immigration status-checking requirements

  Nine of ten American farmers responded to a recent survey by indicating that they feel an unfair burden on them to prove that their workers are in the United States legally. Some believe that the verification process being required by the law should be performed by the U.S. government.
  
  Effectively, current regulations force the employers to perform some of the duties of federal immigration officials. more  »

• Ireland needs 500,000 workers, calls for immigration policy review

  More than 2,500 migrants are seeking jobs through Ireland's National Training and Employment Authority (F?S) on any given day, recent information in Ireland suggests. more  »

• UK - protest by migrants against HSMP changes

  Highly skilled migrants in the United Kingdom are organizing a demonstration against recent changes to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP). more  »