Dear Visitor

The United States Diversity Visa 2009 Green Card Lottery is open for only a few more days. It will close on Sunday, December 2nd, 12:00 noon EST. Applications MUST be submitted online. workpermit.com offers services to evaluate and submit your entry for you. It is strongly advised that people not wait until the last day, since the servers may be too busy to process all applications on time.

UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is promoting the need for up to 5 million new immigrants to meet Britain's labor needs during the next ten years. He also said that Britain must "create a stronger sense that residence and citizenship means responsibilities too."

The government is preparing for major changes to immigration policy to take effect from February of next year. A new Australian-style points system will be implemented, and biometric ID cards for foreign nationals will become mandatory. It is expected that the current demand for unskilled workers will soon go down from the current 6 million to only about half a million. However, there are 9 million highly qualified workers currently in Britain, a need that is estimated to increase to about 14 million.

The Home Office announced a new policy that will dramatically increase fines and introduce the possibility of incarceration for employers who hire immigrants who do not have the legal right to work in the UK. The new policies will come into effect in February, along with the new points-based system and mandatory biometric ID cards.

Under the new rules, employers who unknowingly hire immigrants who do not have the legal right to work could face a maximum civil penalty fine of up to 10,000 pounds for each illegal worker. Employers who knowingly hire illegal workers will be subject to "unlimited fines" and may be sent to prison.

The United States DV-2009 Green Card Lottery will close Sunday, 12:00 noon EST, 02 December 2007! Do NOT wait to submit your application! All applications MUST be submitted online. workpermit.com offers services to evaluate and submit your entry for you. We have made a video of some frequently asked questions and a companion article on the DV-2009 for your convenience.

The numbers of international students enrolled in United States colleges and universities has increased for the first time since the 2002-2003 academic year. This is against a background of increased global competition for talent, as well as expanded higher education options in many competing nations. There is increasing concern that the best students might in the future not choose to come to America.

The U.S. government is trying to improve America's image as a welcoming destination for international students. Recent initiatives have been taken to reduce the difficulty of getting student visas. The United States Senate is considering a bill that would both increase H-1B visa quotas and increase post-graduation work time from 12 to 29 months.

A new World Bank report, issued on November 26th, shows that women now comprise nearly half of the world's immigrants. And, that number is increasing. "The fact that women now account for almost half the total migrant population is having enormous effects on development," said Andrew Morrison, a lead economist at the World Bank's Gender Group.

The report suggests several options to increase the positive effects of migrating women, including the development of mechanisms to increase a migrant woman's ability to influence allocation of household spending. Expanding guest worker programs targeted specifically toward migrant women are also recommended.

Kevin Rudd emerged as Australia's new Prime Minister in the November 24th elections. He immediately reaffirmed one of his election campaign promises to scrap Australia's offshore immigrant detention center in Nauru.

No time frame was specified, and it's unclear whether this is indicative of a more general softening of Australia's asylum policies. However, the statement strongly implies that "the Pacific Solution," the name given to Australia's policy of transporting asylum seekers to detention centers on small islands in the Pacific Ocean, may well be scrapped under the new government.

On November 26th, New Zealand introduced a replacement to its current investor immigration scheme, now called the Active Investor Migrant policy. The former policy did not prove to be very popular and failed to "connect investors with New Zealand businesses."

The Active Investor Migrant policy is subdivided into three categories which have different requirements: General (Active) investors, Professional investors, and Global investors. Generally, each category is a four-year program. During the 2nd and 4th years, participants are required to submit proof that they fulfill the requirements of the program.

• Female migration increasing around the world

  A new World Bank report issued on 26 November 2007 states that women comprise almost exactly half of the worlds immigrants, and that number is increasing. more  »

• UK prime minister highlights need for migration, skills training

  UK prime minister Gordon Brown, facing his lowest poll ratings ever, gave a speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in which he said that Britain must support highly skilled migration and help push welfare beneficiaries back into the workforce. more  »

• Australia's 'Pacific Solution' to end?

  According to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), the newly elected Labor government may end the so-called 'Pacific Solution' policy that was put in place six years ago. more  »

• NZ Active Investor immigration policy to go into effect

  On 26 November 2007, New Zealand will introduce a replacement to its current investor immigration scheme called the Active Investor Migrant policy. The current policy has not proven very popular and failed to "connect investors with New Zealand businesses." more  »

• UK to increase penalties for employing migrants who work illegally

  The Home Office has announced a new policy that would increase fines and introduce incarceration for employers who knowingly or inadvertently hire immigrants who do not have the legal right to work in the UK. more  »

• US sees increase in foreign students

  The number of international students enrolled in United States colleges and universities has increased for the first time since the 2002-2003 academic year, according to a report entitled 'Open Doors' by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The number of students increased by 3.2 percent over the previous academic year to a total of 582,984. more  »

• US Senators want to expand foreign student work program

  Nineteen senators have written a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff urging his agency to expand a program that offers temporary work authorizations for foreign students. more  »

• UK releases figures on immigration from new EU states

  The UK Home Office released figures on 20 November on the number of migrant workers from the 10 Central and Eastern European states that recently joined the European Union. The statistics show worker registration applications approved during the third quarter of 2007, from July through September. more  »

• Canada to fast-track Iraqi immigrants

  Canada will give priority to immigrants from Iraq and surrounding countries with close family in Canada, according to Immigration Minister Diane Finley. more  »