Immigration news

The UK government is recruiting staff from embassies abroad and civil servants to replace immigration officials at ports and airports who will join a nationwide public sector strike this week, UK immigration officials announced. The strike could cause long queues at passport and UK visa controls.More than two million workers, including as many as 18,000 UK immigration officials, are expected to strike over pensions in what unions say will be the biggest walkout of state workers for a generation.

Australian immigration is opening two new Australian visa application centres in New Zealand, making it more convenient for people to apply for Australian visas. The two new application centres will be based in Auckland and Christchurch.The new Australian visa application centres will make it easier and quicker for people to access Australian immigration and citizenship services and apply for the necessary documentation to travel to Australia.

UK immigration Minister Damien Green announced on Wednesday that UK immigration will keep work restrictions on Romanians and Bulgarians wishing to work in Britain until the end of 2013. According to the statement, the restrictions will keep more jobs available for unemployed domestic workers.

Canada has a large demand for doctors and dentists and those looking to emigrate can apply under the Federal Skilled Worker program. The program is for tradespeople, professionals and other skilled migrants who are not sponsored by an employer and have skills in occupations listed on the Priority Occupation List for the Canadian skilled worker visa category.

Foreign Software Programmers and other IT professionals looking to emigrate to Australia can apply under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) Program. Applicants will need to meet the basic requirements for GSM, pass the Australian immigration Points Test and pass an occupation skills assessment to qualify for an Australian visa.

The US H-1B visa program is about to reach its maximum cap of 65,000 visas. As of 18 November, 61,800 visas have been granted leaving only a small number left for employers looking to employ graduate level foreign workers in the US under this program.