We are pleased to be able to bring you our first ever workpermit.com mid-year immigration update. Please see a brief overview of some changes below:

Canada

Canada’s popular Federal Skilled Worker visa program will be available again from 1 July 2012. The current cap of 10,000 new applications should reset on 1 July 2012. If you are interested in applying for a Federal Skilled Worker visa, you should start preparing now to submit your application for a likely in-demand occupation.  It is easier to gain entry to Canada if you have an occupation on the skilled occupation list and can come under the visa cap.  If you are interested in Canadian immigration you may also wish to consider immigration under the Quebec immigration scheme.  Contact us at Canada@workpermit.com for further details.

Australia

From 1 July 2012, Australian immigration will be introducing significant changes to their skilled migration visa program. If you are likely to have your skills assessment completed soon we can help you to beat the deadline. If you contact us by 24 June 2012 we can also obtain sponsorship quickly in Western Australia. You should contact us now at ozvisa@workpermit.com to discuss your various Australian visa options.  There will continue to be plenty of Australian immigration opportunities after 1 July 2012.

Australian immigration's new skilled worker program will be called the Skilled Migrant Selection Register, known as SkillSelect. In order to apply, you will have to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).

UK

Workpermit.com can in many cases offer you a same day service for your visa application to be dealt with at the Home Office in the UK on the same day. If you are interested in these same day services please contact our London office at uk@workpermit.com or call +44 (0)344 991 9222 for further details.

Skilled immigrants looking to work in the UK may be eligible to apply under the Tier 2 visa. In all cases if you are applying for entry under this visa scheme you must be sponsored by an employer and fulfill other criteria as detailed for the different visa categories. From 14 June 2012, the UK government will raise the skill level necessary to qualify for a Tier 2 visa from National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 4 to NQF level 6. This will result in 27 occupations no longer being eligible under Tier 2.

Students

Workpermit.com can help you apply for a student visa from Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US. If you email us at studentvisas@workpermit.com or complete our student immigration enquiryform 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

H-1B visas are rapidly running out.  US Citizenship & Immigration Services has announced that, as of 18 May 2012, it has already received 42,000 H-1B cap-subject petitions out of the 65,000 available visas. Additionally, they have already received 16,000 H-1B visa petitions for foreigners with US advanced degrees out of the 20,000 available visas.

If you are an employer wishing to apply for an H-1B visa petition we suggest you apply as soon as possible. workpermit.com can help you submit your application; please feel free to contact us at us@workpermit.com or call +44 (0)344 991 9222 for further details.

Other Countries

There are various skilled immigration programs to other countries like Denmark and South Africa. If you are interested in Danish immigration, contact us at danishvisa@workpermit.com and we can discuss your visa options with you.

South Africa also has several different workpermits available for foreigners including those with exceptional skills and intra-company transfers.

The European Union Blue Card is also a popular choice for foreigners looking to immigrate as it allows highly skilled migrants to work in  a number of EU Countries

If you wish to benefit from our almost twenty five years of experience in the immigration business call us on +44 (0)344 991 9222 for our London office or +91 11 4120 7222 for our New Delhi office or email us at uk@workpermit.com. You can also benefit from regular immigration updates by subscribing to the WorkPermit.com immigration newsletter.

We hope to hear from you soon.

 The workpermit.com Immigration Consultancy and News Team
+44 (0)344 991 9222 | London
+91 11 4120 7222 | New Delhi

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