Immigration news

A recent report suggests that US employers are using the H-1B visa program to pay lower wages than the national average for programming jobs.

According to "The Bottom of the Pay Scale: Wages for H-1B Computer Programmers — F.Y. 2004," a report by Programmers Guild board member John Miano, non-U.S. citizens working in the United States on an H-1B visa are paid "significantly less than their American counterparts."

New Zealand is willing to consider allowing Pacific workers seasonal visas to New Zealand, while Australia has ruled the idea out. New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark in visits to the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea before the Pacific Forum, which opened 26 Oct. has repeatedly said the idea is one New Zealand is interested in. Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who arrived in PNG this afternoon, is not of the same mind.

Poor countries across Africa, Central America and the Caribbean are losing sometimes staggering numbers of their college-educated workers to wealthy, industrialized democracies, according to a World Bank study made public this week.

Its conclusions are based on a far-reaching survey of census and other data from the 30 countries that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which counts most of the world's richest nations among its members.

Maltese Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi and British Home Secretary Charles Clarke on Monday agreed on the need for closer cooperation between Malta and Britain and to tackle the issue of illegal immigration in the European Union . During the meeting that was held in London, the British Home Secretary offered practical assistance to help Malta tackle the issue, particularly with regards those illegal immigrants coming by sea from North Africa.

The European Union needs substantial but controlled immigration, said Joaquin Almunia, the EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner. Mr Almunia, a Spanish socialist, called for active labour market policies, reform of its public finances, including changes to its tax base, pensions and healthcare systems, to cope with a rapidly ageing population to develop the greater economic growth that is needed in order to overcome the challenges caused by Europe's aging population.

How do you prove you're a U.S. citizen if you can't even prove where you were born?

How do you get a Social Security number to get a job or a passport so you can travel? The Seattle Times looks at the story of a young Russian man fighting for his citizenship.