Dear Visitor

The Shadow Immigration Minister for the United Kingdom, Damian Green, has asked the British government to suspend changes to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme that were put into effect last year. Mr. Green sharply criticized the retrospective application of the changes to people who qualified for the HSMP visa under the old rules.

The High Court of the United Kingdom is conducting a judicial review into the legality of similar retrospective changes to the Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) scheme. The Commission for Racial Equality has said that the changes to the HSMP scheme are in violation of Racial Equality legislation.

The Home Office has released the 'Managing Global Migration' report for 2007. It outlines a strategy for immigration reform and changes for the next several years. Border security and identification of all people in the United Kingdom are mentioned in the report. The new five-tier, points-based system for immigration into Britain is discussed in some detail. Attracting skilled immigrants and allowing easier entry for legal immigrants, and further steps to combat human trafficking and sexual slavery are outlined.

Ireland has updated its Third Level Graduate Scheme. It allows graduates from Irish universities a one-time, non-renewable extension to their student visa under which they may work for up to six months from the date of their exam results. New graduates will require another visa or work permit to remain in Ireland when their student visa expires. It is hoped that students will secure long-term employment and remain in the country. Retaining recent graduates and integrating their advanced skills into the economy is increasingly becoming a prime goal in the immigration strategies of many countries.

We have a new Third Level Graduate Scheme section

Completely updated this week for Ireland university graduates. Extend your stay after graduation and work in Ireland: Check it out!

By 398 of 614, the German Parliament has passed a number of reforms and changes to Germany's immigration laws and policies. 11 European Union guidelines were adopted, and other amendments were added to the 2005 immigration law.

German language requirements have been increased, and immigrants will face greater restrictions on access to welfare benefits. Security requirements for visas are increased, some business investment criteria for immigration have been cut in half, and potential new citizens face stronger knowledge tests regarding German law and society.

The immigration reform debate in the United States Senate is near deadlock. The carefully crafted bill has been pulled from the floor of the Senate for debate after several amendments were passed that prevented bi-partisan support for the original version of the bill. Increasingly, far-right interests have solidified their positions and created a voting bloc that will prevent passage in the Senate. President Bush so far has been helpless to push his own immigration initiative through. Republicans have now presented their own bill, largely ignoring the bi-partisan effort that took half a year to negotiate. In the House of Representatives, resistance to many of the Senate bills provisions is even stronger.

• The UK's strategy in 'managing migration' - report

  On 18 June 2007, the Home Office released 'Managing Global Migration', a report outlining the United Kingdom's plans to manage migration to the country in the future. The plan includes strengthening borders, enforcing immigration laws, and fast tracking asylum decisions. The government also plans to boost the UK economy by attracting highly skilled migrants and making the country easy to visit legally. more  »

• Canada to give seminar on immigration in Russia's far east

  Residents of Vladivostok and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk will be offered a series of seminars in late June by Paul Whelan, the Minister Counselor and Immigration Program Manager for the Canadian Embassy in Russia. more  »

• US criticizes Australian immigration scheme

  The United States State Department slammed Australia's 457 visa scheme, saying it was possible to be linked to illegal labor trafficking. more  »

• Ireland's Third Level Graduate Scheme

  As of 10 April 2007, Ireland has implemented a scheme to allow legally resident third level graduates from outside the European Union/European Economic Area (EEA) to stay in Ireland for an additional six months after obtaining their degree. The intention of the scheme is to allow fresh graduates to seek employment in Ireland with their newly acquired knowledge. more  »

• New Zealand praised for changes to immigration rules

  An enterprise advocacy group, Business NZ, praised recent changes to New Zealand's immigration rules. more  »

• German parliament passes new immigration legislation

  The German parliament has passed some reforms to the country's immigration laws, implementing 11 European Union guidelines affecting rules related to spousal immigration, integration, and residency regulations. more  »

• UK Shadow Immigration Minister wants changes to HSMP suspended

  In a letter addressed to Immigration Minister Liam Byrne, shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green asked the UK government to suspend changes to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP). He believes that the changes are unfair to immigrants who obtained their visas under the old rules and who are now required to renew their visa under the new criteria. more  »

• Google says US should increase H-1B visa quota

  On 06 June 2007, Google executives called for the United States government to raise the annual H-1B visa cap from the current annual quota of 65,000. Google used the example of Sergey Brin, one of the Google founders, to illustrate how highly skilled migrants benefit the U.S. economy. more  »

• Russia and Norway sign travel and visa agreement

  Following talks between Russia's and Norway's prime ministers, Mikhail Yefimovich Fradkov and Jens Stoltenberg respectively, both countries signed visa facilitation and readmission agreements in Moscow on 08 June 2007 during Stoltenberg's three-day, official visit. more  »

• US Senate votes for 5-year limit on temp worker program

  The United States Senate voted 49-48 this morning to place a five-year limit on a program that would have provided U.S. employers with 200,000 temporary foreign workers annually. The amendment was introduced by Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota. more  »