We remind you yet again that from 1 July 2012 you will have to submit an expression of interest before submitting your Australian skilled immigration application. This is likely to mean fewer people qualifying for skilled immigration and a longer processing time. If you wish to come under the current skilled immigration programme you should apply for a skills assessment as soon as possible.  You need to be ready with your skills assessment and, have passed the English language test before you can submit your immigration application.

If you are interested in studying in the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, or Australia we can help. If you complete our student immigration enquiry form one of our representatives will be happy to contact you to let you know about the immigration process and possible colleges in the Country of your choice.

US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, as of 24 April 2012, it has already received 25,000 H-1Bcap-subject petitions. Additionally, they have received 10,090 H-1B visa petitions for foreigners with US advanced degrees.The rate of filings for April has increased markedly for FY 2013 when compared to FY 2012. We recommend you submit your H-1B visa applications as soon as possible before all the visas for FY2013 are given out.

Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced this week that in order to more quickly meet Canada's labour market needs, the immigration department will make changes to allow highly-skilled temporary foreign workers to transition to permanent residence more quickly. The department announced they will reduce the work experience requirement for eligible temporary foreign workers applying for permanent residency.

Pakistani students wishing to study in the UK will face tough new tests after a pilot scheme found that as many as four in ten applicants should be rejected mostly due to poor English language skills. UK Home Office figures have revealed that thousands of Pakistani student visa applicants cannot speak English, despite claiming they have good English skills when applying for their student visas.

The New Zealand government has announced they are increasing their border protection by creating a new process to immediately penalize airlines that do not comply with their obligations under the Immigration Act. Currently, if airlines do not follow immigration protocol they may be subject to court prosecution, but that takes time and money for the government. Therefore, under this new process, the government will take immediate action at the time of the offence.

Canadian immigration has started a consultation process on revamping their Immigrant Investor Program, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced on 13 April 2012. According to Kenney, the government will introduce legislation to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow Kenney to create, change or cancel specialized programs according to market demand and proven effectiveness.

International students will soon find it easier to study at Australian educational institutions on Technical and Further Education (TAFE) courses under new streamlined visa arrangements. TAFE courses are typically vocational courses in industries such as business, finance, tourism, construction and engineering. The streamlined arrangements are currently only available to students studying at universities, and would now be extended to high-quality vocational education and training providers including TAFE courses.

And finally, if you are based in the UK and need employment law advice Sam Riley Law Associates can help. Sam Riley Law Associates is available to provide you with expert UK employment law legal services for businesses, and individuals. Sam Riley Law’s experienced consultants and lawyers can help you by giving you advice about a wide range of employment law issues including employment law documents, employment tribunal claims, and tribunal representation. Contact Sam Riley Law on 0333 577 7037 now!