Immigration news

On October 1 the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMIA) in Australia has taken the decision to remove certain IT skills from the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL)

People seeking to migrate to Australia on the basis of their work skills receive points if their nominated occupation is on the MODL, which is current at the time their application is assessed (not when their application is lodged).

They receive extra points if they have a job offer in their nominated occupation from an organisation that has employed at least 10 people on a full-time basis for the previous two financial years.

Must reach the US between October 7, 2002 and November 6, 2002!

The US Government in an unique scheme grants 50,000 immigrant visas a year on the basis of a lottery scheme. This year you have to mail the application so that it reaches the US between October 7, 2002 and November 6, 2002. The requirements of the Green Card Lottery are as follows:

The Innovators scheme is to be extended, the Home Office announced recently.

The Innovators Scheme is to be extended indefinitely after a two-year pilotin which 112 of the most talented people in theworld have come to Britain to set up high tech businesses in areas such ase-commerce, electronic share dealing and music industry technology.

Home Office Minister, Beverley Hughes, said:

Effective October 1, 2002, the ACS has implemented new guidelines for IT Professionals applying for a standard skills assessment or RPL assessment for the purposes of migration to Australia.

Major changes to the requirements for the qualifications and skills of IT Professionals to be assessed as "suitable" for migration include the following:

Services at British Diplomatic Posts in Pakistan

The Visa Sections in Karachi and Lahore have been closed until further notice for security reasons.

The Visa Section in Islamabad is also closed to the public, but is offering a limited service through the offices in Pakistan of Gerrys/FEDEX courier service (the addresses of their offices throughout Pakistan will be found on the High Commission's website - see below).

Visa applications are currently being accepted by the High Commission (through Gerrys/FEDEX) only from the following:

Due to ever-increasing migration applications for New Zealand, the New Zealand Immigration Service has again increased the current pass mark for General Skills migration visas from 28 to 29 for the month of September. The changes come into effect on 7 September 2002.

This is the second time that the Government has given short notice of changes. It ended the practise of a month's warning after previous changes in January led to a flood of applications prior to their implementation. Now the pass mark is reviewed monthly and changes implemented in a week.