Immigration news

Are 65,000 H-1B visas enough per fiscal year? Does the US need to increase the quota?

Critics say the system is being abused by companies to bring in foreigners at lower wages even when there are qualified Americans available. Would additional visas simply mean more abuse of the system?

Tell us what you think.

In a global survey of 130 businesses taken by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the United States was found to have the least friendly business immigration policies. Long processing time of work permit applications was the primary problem cited. The US was followed by China and France.

"With business travel high on executives' agendas today, many organizations now face the demanding challenges associated with managing a globally mobile workforce," The Straits Times quoted Richard Schulte, PricewaterhouseCoopers's region head for human resource services, as saying.

Australia is currently undergoing its largest immigration drive in 40 years, tempting workers tothe country with promises of shorter hours, a better climate and alower cost of living. Europe – and especially the UK – is the maintarget.

Under the currentprogramme, Australia will offer immigrants four-year employer orstate-sponsored immigration, with the option to stay on permanently.

Ifyou are under 45, and have 6-7 years experience in your trade –inclusive of training/apprenticeship/study - we can almost certainlyget you a visa – even if you cannot pass the current points test!

Sixty percent of Hispanics born in the United States don't think illegal Hispanic immigrants should be given drivers' licenses, according to a new poll. Two-thirds of Hispanics born in another country think that illegal Hispanics should be allowed to obtain drivers' licenses.

The difference between foreign-born Hispanics and native-born Hispanics on the driver's license issue highlights the disparity between the two groups on several issues, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Facilities at four short-term immigrant holding centres in the UK have been condemned as "inadequate" by a group that monitors the country's prisons.

Dover Asylum Screening Centre, a centre at London City Airport and two at Gatwick Airport are not suitable for overnight stays, its report says. Detainees were found to have slept on tables or plastic chairs, it adds.

Australia is seeking to attract 20,000 skilled workers from Asia and Europe in the biggest recruitment drive for migrants in more than 40 years, Immigration spokesman Abdul Rizvi said.

The government is seeking doctors, engineers and trades people to fill labor shortages, Rizvi said in Canberra. The Immigration Department will hold recruitment fairs in London, Berlin, Chennai and Amsterdam in the next few months, Rizvi said.

"This is the biggest recruitment drive since the 1960s,'' Rizvi said in an interview. "We are looking for skills from anywhere.''