Immigration news

There has been some confusion about the changes to the Working Holidaymaker Scheme of 8 February 2005. We are including some further details below.

We are including an analysis below of one important part of the Government's five year plan announced last month. A single points based system will replace all the different UK work permits and entry schemes. Work and study programmes will have a parallel system. The more skills you have, the more points you will get, increasing your chances of entry to the UK.

European Union workers and a few other European countries will not be affected, as they will be able to come and go under the EU free movement rules.

Australia's Prime Minister John Howard has said the number of skilled immigrants should be increased to counter labour shortages, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports.

In a radio interview on March 3, Mr. Howard stated that more skilled workers are needed and that more immigration to Australia could be the solution. There is speculation that the skilled migrant intake could rise by 20,000 in the next financial year.

Australia's Federal Government is predicting a fall in the number of Skilled Migration visas issued to technology applicants in 2004-05, reports The Australian newspaper.

The leader of Britain's opposition Conservative Party, who comes from an immigrant family himself, has said that employers should provide financial guarantees for staff on temporary work permits, the Financial Times newspaper reports.

Norway is to consider requiring large bank deposits from tourists coming from certain Countries in a bid to discourage asylum seekers from entering the Country, the newspaper Aftenposten reports.

Under the proposal, tourists from Countries requiring visas to enter Norway, including those from Russia, India, China and African Countries, or those in Norway who have invited them, would have to pay a deposit of NOK 50,000 (about US$8,500) into a bank account when applying for tourist visas. If the visitor goes home the deposit is refunded, but if the visitor seeks asylum it would go into the State Treasury.