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John Kennan, an economist from the University of Wisconsin, has built an economic model which suggests that wages in the developing world would more than double from an average of US$8,903 to an average of US$19,272 if all immigration controls were abolished. His model assumes that the majority of people would migrate to gain higher wages while a minority would stay where they were because they felt a strong attachment to their home surroundings.
A recent report by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has found that Britain's tough new immigration controls may be preventing foreign companies from investing in the UK. The report says that 'The maintenance of an internationally competitive domestic business environment is fundamental to government being able to deliver the growth agenda. The ability of the UK to attract high value foreign direct investment is central to the ability for growth in the UK.' It warns that the new immigration regime is harming that business environment. The report has not been published but was leaked to The Independent newspaper.
A report, published by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (the UKCES), claims that a fifth of job vacancies in manufacturing firms in the midlands and the north west of England remain unfilled because of a lack of suitable candidates.
The UKCES canvassed opinion from 74,000 companies in England in preparation of its Employer Skills Survey 2011, which was published in May 2012. The survey revealed that the problem of 'skills shortage vacancies' has got worse only in mid-sized firms and recommends that the government should act to help them.
A crackdown on marriage fraud is preventing genuine spouses from settling in Canada, lawyers fear. One Toronto based lawyer, Jacqueline Bart, said earlier this week, 'No question, decisions on spousal sponsorships are getting tougher.'
The Canadian government came to suspect that many of the marriages involved were 'marriages of convenience', where the main purpose of the marriage was to acquire residency for the foreign national. As a result, since 2010 they have introduced a series of changes to the rules in an attempt to root out fraudulent claims and prevent the system being abused.
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) says that it hopes to increase the number of applications from Chinese nationals for tourist, student and business visas in 2012 after a rapid rise in visa applications in recent years. The UK's Immigration Minister Damian Green said 'we welcome the strong growth in Chinese visitors to the UK – it shows the attractiveness of the UK as a destination for both tourism and business.
The United Kingdom Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, announced an £8m advertising campaign to attract visitors to the UK on 14th March 2012. He said that he wanted to build on the success of the London Olympic Games to build a 'lasting tourism legacy'.