Europe Immigration News

The European Commission (EC) wants to implement a common immigration policy directive which may make it easier for companies to bring in key-staff members from overseas on a temporary basis.

The EU has been working on a number of measures to make skilled immigration easier for European businesses.

The number of illegal immigrants arriving by boat to Spain fell by fifty percent in 2010, according to Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba.

Last year, 3,632 people were detained by Spanish immigration control.

Arrivals in the Canary Islands, the most widely used route for illegal immigration from Africa, fell by ninety percent to 196 people. Over the last decade, the number of people illegally crossing into Spain from Africa has dropped by 80 percent.

The European Union and the EU business community are saying that the EU needs to increase skilled immigration and harmonize immigration procedures across the 27-member bloc if it is to deal with skills shortages in the labour market.

Despite the recession, the EU had approximately 4 million unfilled vacancies last year, many in professional sectors such as in engineering, technology, and health care.

Ireland is seeing a large drop in skilled immigrants entering the country through its work permit program. The number of people entering the country through this route dropped by 19 percent in 2010.

Ireland -- an economic powerhouse only a few years ago -- is seeing thoudsands of its citizens leave its shores each month for a better life in other countries such as the UK, Canada, and Australia.

The European Parliament rejected a draft Directive for a single permit law to simplify procedures for residence and work permits for legal immigrants in the European Union. The European Commission now has to decide whether to withdraw the proposal, present a new one, or try to keep the current proposal alive.