Immigration news

UK Universities are warning that the tightening of student visa rules are likely to prevent much needed income coming into UK Universities from international students.

Canadian Immigration is considering changes to the citizenship rules in order to target so-called birth tourism. Birth tourism is where a foreign national comes to Canada to give birth so the baby can receive Canadian citizenship.The citizenship review comes after a Hong Kong newspaper revealed in an investigation that bogus birth consultants, mainly in Hong Kong, were advising Chinese women to hide their pregnancies and apply for Canadian visitor or student visas so they could give birth in Canada.

The US Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal announced from 1 March 2012, they are no longer processing immigrant or diversity visa applications. All US visa applications from Portuguese nationals will need to be submitted to The US Embassy in Paris, France.

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced last week his vision for a more efficient immigration system that would allow Canadian employers a greater say in selecting new immigrants."Immigration is playing an increasingly important role in our economy and we need a system that does a better job of attracting the people who have the skills that are in demand and getting them here quickly," Kenney said. "We have made some great strides towards an immigration system that is fast and flexible, but know that there is more work to do."

UK Immigration Minister Damien Green has announced that the government will be reforming all routes of entry to the UK in an attempt to further reduce immigration levels and reduce net migration.

UK employers and the British Chambers of Commerce are urging ministers not to reduce the number of migrant workers allowed into the UK via the intra-company transfer (ICT) route. They say it is vital for companies to be able to access the specialist skills they need.