Dear Visitor

Britain's Home Office has removed four health care occupations from the Skills Shortage Occupations List. All applications for these occupations received from May 29th are now subject to the full "resident labour test." Employers wishing to employ non EEA nationals for these positions under the work permit scheme are required to document that all reasonable steps were taken to hire someone from within the European Economic Area.

The United Kingdoms agricultural sector is experiencing a severe shortage of workers, according to organizations such as the National Farmer's Union. They are petitioning the government to increase quotas under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme. SAWS is currently restricted to nationals from Bulgaria and Romania only. In addition to increasing the quota, farming interests are requesting that nationals from outside of the European Economic Area should be allowed to come under the scheme and work in the UK.

The British government has released statistics on asylum applications, including data for the first quarter of 2007. Applications are down about 10%, and at the same time deportation of failed asylum applicants is down about 4%. The percentage of applications fully resolved within six months, including the time taken to complete the appeal process, also increased between 2005 and 2006.

The Home Office is proposing to add ten more countries to a list of nations whose nationals may be repatriated without an appeal if their application is determined to be "unfounded."

The European Commission has published a set of proposals to levy penalties against businesses in the European Union that engage in employing illegal migrants. Businesses and individuals who employ people illegally will be subject to fines, payment of back taxes, loss of business privileges, and potential jail time for criminal offenses. Businesses that hire illegal migrants are engaging in unfair competition against businesses that follow the law. The European Commission is pushing for the reforms on humanitarian and on economic grounds.

It is said that California on its own is between the sixth and tenth largest economy in the world. It has one of the highest concentrations of science and technology businesses in the world. By 2020, 39% of all jobs will require a university degree, but only 33% of the workforce are expected to have one. The government of California must develop a plan to import students and highly skilled workers in "unprecedented numbers," according to the report, to sustain its economy.

The Chief Executive of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) said this week that New Zealand's budget for 2007 means that there will be a sharp increase in the need for engineers. A number of projects that the New Zealand government is beginning will require research and development that cannot be provided by private industry alone. Immigration Minister David Cunliffe recently outlined plans to attract more immigrants with needed engineering skills.

The Australian government has increased funding for the Settlement Grants Programme (SGP) by about AUD$19 million for the 2007 to 2008 fiscal year. 231 new projects were introduced on 29 May to help new immigrants. The main focus of the projects are to assist migrants in building practical skills and to learn about and take part in Australian society. 149 community organizations and will help refugees and other migrants "become self-reliant and participate in Australia's social and economic life."

Japan has a negative population growth rate that will result in a loss of 25% of the population by 2050. The country needs many new, young people entering its labor force to keep it productive. Since there are not nearly enough births among the native population, immigration is the only immediate solution. Japan has historically been a very closed society, but it must now implement sweeping immigration changes to bring enough people into the country to keep its economy functioning.

• New Zealand's budget likely to result in further skilled engineer shortages

  According to Dr. Andrew Cleland, Chief Executive of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ), New Zealand's budget for 2007 will create a greater shortage of professional engineers in the country. more  »

• Asylum applications to the UK down for 2007, processing becoming faster

  Asylum applications to the United Kingdom for the first quarter of 2007 are down 10% from the same quarter of the previous year. 5,680 applications have been lodged so far this year, with the top nationalities being Afghan (755), Iranian (600) and Chinese (480). more  »

• UK farmers in dire need of workers

  NOTE: New workpermit.com page in our United Kingdom section - Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) more  »

• Australia increases funding for new integration initiatives

  Australia plans to spend $32 million AUD in 2007 and 2008 on a range of services designed to help refugees and other migrants with their integration into mainstream Australian life. The budget includes $19 million AUD in new projects. more  »

• European Union to crack down on businesses employing illegal migrants

  Earlier this month, the European Commission published proposals to levy penalties against businesses in the European Union that engage in employing illegal migrants. The Justice Commissioner, Franco Frattini, cited an estimate that 7% to 16% of the European Unions gross domestic product is conducted 'off the books.' more  »

• Health care occupations removed from UK shortage occupation list

  Today, 29 May 2007, a few health care occupations have been removed from the UK's National Shortage Occupation List. The list contains occupations that an employer is not required to advertize for before employing a skilled migrant under a work permit from outside the European Economic Area (EEA).
  
  The occupations removed from the list are as follows: more  »

• Japan's struggle with immigration

  Japan has a long history of keeping a tight lid on immigration. Unlike many other countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, or Australia, there is no official immigration policy. In Japanese society, the subject is almost taboo. more  »

• California needs more skilled workers with advanced education

  A new study by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), authored by Deborah Reed and Hans Johnson, suggests that in the future, California will not have enough skilled workers to meet the demand of its economy. Home to Silicon Valley, California has long been known for a concentration of high-technology industries in the United States. more  »

• Number of work permits issued in Russia quadruples

  The deputy head of Russia's Federal Migration Service, Vyacheslav Postavnin has stated that over 800,000 work permits have been issued to labor migrants in 2007. more  »