Dear Visitor

The United States and the European Union continue to negotiate visa-free travel for all EU Member States. This week, Estonia and Latvia signed agreements for their citizens. Hungary, Lithuania, Greece and Slovakia are all expected to sign "memorandums" that may result in visa-free travel for their citizens this year.

There is some controversy about the U.S. negotiating individual agreements with countries. The European Commission would rather negotiate blanket arrangements for all EU members.

Research published by the National Foundation for American Policy claims that hiring people under the H-1B visa program is associated with increases in employment at United States technology companies. The study undermines a common position of critics that H-1B visas take jobs from Americans. According to the study, for every H-1B position, U.S. technology companies increased their employment by 5 workers, thus new H-1B professionals are complementing other U.S. hires, rather than displacing them.

In January, the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an enormous backlog of immigrant petitions for naturalization and other services. The increased demand was caused by the announcement of sharp increases in fees that went into effect during summer of 2007.

It was originally expected that naturalization petitions in particular would take 16-18 months to be processed. However, the Director of USCIS announced on March 11th that they have shortened the estimate to 14-16 months, but which is still up from the previous 7 month wait.

ANNOUNCING - job opening :

We have an opening for an immigration consultant specializing in UK immigration. Experience in HSMP visas and knowledge of the Tier points-based system is strongly preferred.

Please visit the London section of our job openings for more details.

During a recent Budget Speech, Canada's finance minister highlighted Canada's advances in supporting immigration. He took the opportunity to announce plans to speed up the application process for migrants and to increase funding to support programs that assist newcomers. As part of the initiative, Canada will provide $22 million in new funding to support immigration initiatives over the next two years.

According to statistics released by Canadian immigration authorities, Canada accepted the highest number of temporary and permanent residents in its history in 2007.

Canada admitted 429,649 permanent residents, temporary foreign workers, and foreign students. This is more than 60,000 higher than four years ago. 2007 saw a 12% increase in temporary foreign workers, which provided most of the boost in immigration numbers. There was also a 4.6% increase in foreign students.

The chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission stated in a recent interview that the United Kingdom's new points-based immigration system should be "tilted" to allow more flexibility for foreigners who will work in Scotland. He said that added points could be introduced under a work permit system - presumably Tier 2 - which would encourage prospective migrants to choose Scotland as a destination.

Scotland currently uses the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland immigration scheme to encourage foreign students of Scottish educational institutions to stay in Scotland upon completion of their studies. That program has now become part of a sub-category of Tier 1 for general UK foreign graduates, reducing the specific advantage for Scotland.

The Australia Needs Skills expo took place in London on March 15th and 16th. Employers and government agencies set up shop in an attempt to lure British skilled workers to Australia.

Australia, whose economy and labor growth depend heavily on immigration, uses a highly successful points-based system called the General Skilled Migration program for skilled professionals and trades people from overseas to come in for work and permanent residence. A job offer from an Australian employer, while helpful, is not required.

• UK: Points system should tilt in favor of Scotland

  In an interview with BBC Radio Scotland's 'Good Morning Scotland', Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said that Britain's new points based immigration system should allow more flexibility for foreigners who will work in Scotland. more  »

• Canada: Record number of immigrants in 2007

  According to statistics released by Canadian immigration authorities, Canada accepted the highest number of temporary and permanent residents in its history in 2007. more  »

• United States speeds up citizenship petitions

  In January, United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an enormous backlog of immigrant petitions for naturalization and other services in response to the announcement of a sharp increase in fees that went into effect in summer of 2007.more  »

• Canada to speed up immigration process

  During a recent Budget Speech, Canadian finance minister James M. Flaherty highlighted Canada's advances in supporting immigration and announced plans to improve its position in attracting top talent from around the world.more  »

• New study shows that H-1B program increases US job creation

  New research conducted by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) shows that hiring H-1B visa holders is associated with increases in employment at United States technology companies.more  »

• Australia lures British citizens down under

  The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has announced a two-day Australia Needs Skills expo in London starting 15 March 2008 designed to entice British skilled workers to live and work in Australia. more  »

• Estonia and Latvia move towards visa-free access to US

  Estonia and Latvia have signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States on 12 March 2008 pertaining to visas and air security, according to Estonia's president. The deal would move the two Baltic States closer to visa-free status ...more  »

• UK - Judicial review requested for HSMP holders

  On 05 March 2008, a United Kingdom High Court was told that changes to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) in late 2006 were unfair and could possibly result in 44,000 people being forced to leave the UK. more  »

• New Zealand immigration changes

  A number of changes to New Zealand immigration rules will come into effect on 31 March 2008, most notably in regard to English language requirements. more  »