Immigration news

A combination of Australian state border restrictions, COVID-related staffing issues and lockdowns, plus the temporary closure of one of three US Consulates in Australia has created a huge bottleneck of US visa application appointment requests. The delays have sparked a backlash from Australians trying to secure US work, study and immigrant visas.

 

The Home Office has paused issuing UK visas to unaccompanied Ukrainian minors fleeing the Russian invasion of their homeland amid safeguarding fears. It’s understood that the UK government has still not made a decision on how to deal with UK visa applications made by children with no parents or guardians.

 

US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has announced new US visa sanctions against Russian and Belarussian military personnel believed to have operated in Bucha – a town on the outskirts of Ukrainian capital Kyiv where Russian officers are accused of executing residents, according to a recent Reuters report.

 

The much-anticipated UK high potential visa is set to launch at the end of May, the UK government has confirmed. The highly selective UK visa scheme will be exclusive to graduates of the world’s top-ranked universities. The scheme is set to open for applications on 30 May 2022, and the UK government hopes it will enhance Britain’s skill base.

 

The US is currently experiencing a labour shortage, which in part has been fueled by a slump in immigration to the US. During the coronavirus pandemic, former US President Donald Trump put restrictions in place that brought immigration to the US to a halt, which almost saw United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) collapse due to lack of funds.

 

Refugee charities have warned that the UK government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme is beginning to unravel. It’s been claimed that the government is scrambling to rehouse hundreds of Ukrainian refugees granted UK visas because the people they were meant to be staying with have been dubbed unsuitable, according to a report published by The Observer.