Immigration news

The US Congress has exempted foreign employees retuning to a previous job from the annual cap of 66,000 H2B visas meant for temporary, non-agricultural workers.

This was part of the immigration provisions of the spending bill approved on 3 May by negotiators for the House of Representatives and Senate. This provision had been sought by the summer hospitality industry and seasonable industries.

The bill also makes it difficult for illegal aliens to obtain driver's licences.

Same-sex couples wishing to immigrate to New Zealand will now have to prove they have been together for one year rather than two, the same as heterosexual couples.

Canadian companies are reaching out to immigrants frustrated by US restrictions.

The Canadian government has been making an effort in recent weeks to attract students and skilled workers from all over the world. Canadian companies promising jobs and visas are also attracting Mexican professionals.

The UK Home Office has announced that individuals who have already registered on the Worker Registration Scheme, and have been working in the UK for 12 months can now apply for a residence permit.

The Worker Registration Scheme, which expired earlier this year, was applicable to citizens from the eight Central and Eastern European EU accession countries who wished to come to work in the UK.

Those who wish to apply should use form EEC1.

On 2 May 2005, US Senate negotiators accepted a House plan to make states verify that driver's license applicants are US citizens or legal immigrants, but softened House-proposed changes in asylum laws.

The legislation won't be final until the House and Senate vote on it. The House could take it up later this week but the Senate won't vote until after it reconvenes 9 May.

Small-business owners in the US who rely on international workers say they need more H2B visas to be available for foreign workers.

The US government offered 66,000 visas under the H2B program, but they were quickly used up at the beginning of 2005. That's because more businesses are competing to hire the workers who under the program can come to the United States to work for up to a year. The H2B visa scheme began in 1990 and allows unskilled workers to enter the country to work in nonagricultural jobs.