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Immigration news

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney celebrated the anniversary of Operation Stork with families helped by the scheme that unites Haitian children with their adoptive parents.

Operation Stork brought 203 Haitian children to Canada following the earthquake that devastated Haiti last year.

"This was a truly monumental task," said Kenney. "In just six weeks, Canadian and provincial officials processed as many adoptions from Haiti as are normally done in two years."

Many countries allow entry of economic migrants based on a points based system that assesses an applicant's likelihood of finding a job and contributing to the economy. In general, the more highly skilled you are based on criteria such as education and work experience, the more likely it is that you will be granted a visa.

The Australian government is trying to lure Indian skilled workers to its shores, according to the Australian High Commissioner for India.

"India is the second largest source of skilled migrants to Australia and we want this number to increase," said Australian envoy Peter Varghese.

He said the Australian government will organize a promotional campaign in India during 2012 that would target Chandigarh, Punjab, and other cities in northern India.

The UK economy is recovering from the economic downturn in 2008. There are skills shortages in certain areas with many UK employers having to recruit from abroad to find suitable staff.

It's important for companies to understand the UK's various routes of entry for foreign workers from outside the European Union. This is especially true for businesses in skills shortage areas such as in healthcare and engineering.

The UK is likely to implement stricter English language requirements in a bid to reduce student immigration for below degree level courses. If the measures are put in place, tens of thousands of potential students would no longer meet the UK student visa requirements.

As a reminder, until the end of March 2011, there is no limit on the number of Tier 1 (General) visa applications that can be made from within the UK. This is now the only way in which you can apply for a Tier 1 (General) visa.

It has not been possible to make Tier 1 (General) visa applications from outside of the UK since 23 December 2010 when the Tier 1 (General) limit was reached. There remains a possibility that a successful legal challenge may mean that in future the interim limit will in future no longer be lawful.