Immigration news

Senator John McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate, returned to his home state of Arizona this week for a series of meetings about immigration with his constituents.

Mr McCain is a member of a species that was very rare in Washington until the last US presidential election, a Republican in favour of immigration reform. Now, there are many more Republican voices speaking out for reform in the US capital but in Arizona, as Mr McCain found out on Tuesday, Republicans and immigration reform are still an explosive combination.

David Cameron has given an interview with UK newspaper The Daily Express in which he says he intends to introduce a 'simple, common sense test' which will be used to find out whether immigrants are actually resident in the UK before they are entitled to any UK social benefits such as legal aid, healthcare or unemployment benefit.

Mr Cameron says that he has asked the Justice Secretary Chris Grayling to devise the new residency test. Mr Cameron told the Express 'We're a fair and welcoming country but not a soft touch. Let's make sure that ours is the toughest country instead of the softest'.

Each fiscal year, the US issues 65,000 H-1B visas to employ foreign-born workers in graduate level 'specialty occupations' in the US. A further 20,000 H-1Bs are reserved for foreign nationals who have a higher degree (such as a master's) from a US university. The employer must file visa petitions with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Republicans in the US Congress have been upset by the revelation that the White House is working on a draft immigration reform bill. Republican senator Marco Rubio has issued a statement which reads 'it is a mistake for the White House to draft immigration legislation without seeking input from Republican members of Congress. If actually proposed, the President's bill would be dead in the water'.

The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has revealed that he urged his UK counterpart David Cameron to introduce 'a visa regime that facilitates greater movement of people between the two countries' at a meeting.

Mr Singh was speaking at a Delhi press conference given by the two prime ministers on Tuesday 18th February 2013. Mr Cameron is in India heading a UK trade delegation.

Four London men who worked for the same north London solicitors firm have been jailed for a total of nearly 35 years for their parts in a sham marriage operation during which they organised about 8,000 bogus marriages. It is believed that the scam may have netted them £20m. The Judge, Judge John Bevan said that the four men were guilty of the 'systematic perverting of the processes of the UK Border Agency over a period of years'.