Immigration news

There have been no significant changes to processing times for WorkPermits UK. Customers can expect the following waiting times:

According to a high-ranking official, Australia and New Zealand are seeking immigrants from the same pool of skilled workers, reports the New Zealand Herald newspaper.

Speaking in advance of a business symposium in the Australian city of Melbourne, New Zealand's Finance Minister Michael Cullen said the two Countries require the same types of workers to boost their economies.

"Inevitably there is some degree of competition - we are looking for extraordinarily similar people," said Mr. Cullen.

Canada accepted 235,808 people as new permanent residents in 2004 according to preliminary figures released on March 7 by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

According to Canada's Immigration Minister Joe Volpe this is within the anticipated range of migrants for 2004 outlined to the Parliament in 2003. The official figures will be released in Spring 2005 but are expected to be very close to the preliminary data.

A new study claims that the British Government's statements about the benefits immigration brings to the country are exaggerated, reports The Telegraph newspaper.

It is likely that various UK Government nationality application fees will go up from 1 April 2005:

If you have been in the UK for five years and are not married to a British Citizen:

Naturalisation 6(1) - £268 (includes ceremony fee)

If you have been in the UK for at least three years and are married to a British Citizen:

Naturalisation 6(2) - £268 (includes ceremony fee)

If both you and your spouse are applying for UK citizenship at the same time:

In a press release dated March 4, 2005, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) advised US Employers not to file petitions for individuals that would be eligible for the new H-1B exemption created under the Omnibus Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2005.