Immigration newsletter 22 November 2006

Call us for visa advice at our London office: +44 (0) 20 7842 0800.

New HSMP Points Calculator with latest changes - Apply from 5 December 2006 
The US DV-2008 (Greencard) Lottery - apply by 3rd December 2006

HSMP applicants may begin gathering all required documentation immediately, but applications under the new rules will not be accepted until December 5th. Persons submitting applications are advised that HSMP applications must be complete in every way or it will likely be refused.

In late August, the UK government released statistics that show about 1,425,000 people have immigrated into the United Kingdom between May 2004 and June 2006. Approximately 636,000 Eastern Europeans have emigrated to the UK. Overall there is a net population gain of approximately 80,000 East Europeans annually to the UK.

400 police constables and 40 sergeants are being assigned to specialized duty with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in a push to reduce levels of illegal immigration. With an additional 360 newly hired immigration officers, the IND will have 800 personnel currently dedicated to the task, an increase of 25%. 

A new record of nearly 5,000 deportations was set earlier this year, for the latest three-month period for which figures are available. The budget to fund deportation-related activities is being doubled, and a new Crimestoppers telephone line will be available from January first 2007 for citizens to report illegal immigration activities.

The "Technology Czar" for the United States government, Undersecretary of Commerce for Technology Robert Cresanti, recently said that there are not enough engineers, IT workers and, students in these related fields, to fulfil the needs of technology industries. According to Cresanti, the IT industry is experienceing skills shortages in some areas. He urged that more foreign workers be allowed in, including an increase in H-1B visas.

Beginning on 23 January 2007, all persons entering or leaving the United States by air will be required to show a passport. Previously, people travelling between Canada and the U.S., and various other countries in the immediate Western Hemisphere such as Jamaica and Bermuda, could enter and leave the U.S. with other methods of identification.

Ten days remain to apply for the 2008 Diversity Visa Lottery. Also commonly known as the Green Card Lottery, it gives people a chance to obtain a United States Green Card. 50,000 are being issued this year. 

Registration for the lottery ends at 12:00 noon on Sunday, December 03. All registrations must use an electronic Internet form. Duplicate entries will disqualify people, and interested persons are advised to register as soon as possible.

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