Immigration news

Foreign workers have continued to immigrate to Western Australia on 457 temporary work visas sponsored by construction and mining industry employers in order to address Australia's severe skills shortages. Australian immigration figures show that the number of visas granted for foreign workers going to Western Australia increased by 88 percent to 13,250 in the first 10 months of this financial year.

UK immigration has announced that students who worked as interns in the UK last summer and wish to return to a graduate job with the same company this summer are now temporarily exempt from Tier 2 cooling off rules. The cooling off rules, introduced to Tier 2 (General) this past February, required Tier 2 migrants to wait at least 12 months from the expiration of their previous visa before they may apply for a further Tier 2 visa.The temporary exemption will apply to all those making applications until 31 October 2012. In order to qualify you must:

According to new figures, migration to the UK still remains at more than double the government's target; The intention was to reduce migration numbers to "tens of thousands" by 2015. In the year to last September, net migration, meaning the number of immigrants arriving in the UK to stay for more than a year minus those emigrating from the UK, was 252,000. This is only a decrease of 3,000 from the previous year.

The Canadian government announced they are phasing out the plastic Social Insurance Number (SIN) card issued to millions of Canadians and others in order to save money and help avoid identity theft.All Canadian citizens, temporary and permanent residents need a SIN to work in Canada or to receive benefits and services from government programs. The nine-digit number is necessary for people to have access to government programs and benefits. It is also the number used by government officials to track the income and taxes owed by an individual.

More young people from Hong Kong and Taiwan are taking advantage of Australia's Working Holiday visa (Subclass 417 visa) attracted to Australia's strong economy and high wages.

Recently, a new bill passed in Denmark's parliament has made immigration easier for spouses of Danish citizens and immigrants in Denmark. The new rules apply for all applications submitted from 15 May 2012.Policy changesOverall, the changes will make it easier for immigrant spouses to apply for family reunification in Denmark. The changes include: