Immigration news

US Republican Congressman Lamar Smith has said that he believes expanding the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to include Poland could make it easier for terrorists to come to the US. Smith, the chairman of the US House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee, said that the VWP is a "loophole for entry by those who may wish to do us harm.""We know that terrorists have used the VWP to their benefit. Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, 'shoebomber' Richard Reid and 1993 World Trade Center conspirator Ahmed Ajaj all entered or attempted to enter the US through this program," he added.

If you have an US EB-2 employment based petition with a priority date later than 1 January 2009 and are not from China or India then you should file your adjustment of status visa application or consular processing visa application by Friday 29 June 2012. The US Department of State (DOS) has just released the July 2012 visa bulletin stating that from 1 July 2012 the employment-based EB-2 immigrant visa priority cutoff date will move back to January 1, 2009 for all countries except India and China. The situation for people from India and China is even worse.

A new study has found that the US has seen a higher level of Asian immigration to the country than immigration of Hispanics; perhaps revealing a decrease in illegal immigration and increase in demand for highly-skilled workers.

Australian immigration has announced that the pass mark to qualify for EOI - SkillSelect (Subclasses 189, 190 and 489) will be 60 points. Currently, applicants are required to earn 65 points. The new lower requirement will go into effect from 1 July 2012. This is likely to make it easier for some skilled immigration applicants to emigrate to Australia.

Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has announced that airports and border crossings across Canada will soon feature high-definition cameras and microphones to monitor employee and traveler conversations. CBSA said audio-video monitoring has already been installed in several unidentified airports and border points of entry as part of an effort to enhance "border integrity, infrastructure and asset security and health and safety."

International students studying in Australia will in future be eligible to apply for work visas lasting two to four years after they graduate from an Australian university under immigration rules to be introduced next year.