Call London +44(0)344-991-9222. ![]() The world’s most popular immigration advice site ● 32 Years in Business ● Established in 1988 Immigration newsletter 12 September 2007 The office of the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has announced plans that would require skilled workers immigrating into the United Kingdom from outside of the European Union to have good English. Workers in the "highly skilled" category already need to demonstrate a high level of English to qualify for their visas. The Czech Republic has announced a "green card" work visa to be introduced during the first half of 2008. Currently, Czech employers must prove that they cannot find a an EU citizen or resident a job opening. The process currently takes several months. The new green card would allow qualified applicants to receive the card in as little as 30 days. The World Bank has published a policy paper entitled "Brain Waste? Educated Immigrants in the US Labour Market." It looks at skilled employment of immigrants within the United States and how the country of origin may be a factor in the quality of the jobs obtained. Immigrants from countries that use English as a language for education and from countries that spend more money on tertiary education faired better in finding skilled employment. Australia and China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in an initiative to protect Chinese workers coming to Australia. Normally an Australian business pays recruitment fees, however some Chinese workers have been charged exorbitant fees by unscrupulous recruitment agencies operating in China. Chinese recruitment agents who abide by the MOU guidelines will be permitted to be listed on the Australian immigration department's website and on the Chinese Ministry of Commerce website. Violators will be removed. New Zealand has signed off on transitional arrangements ahead of implementation of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. The move came after consultation between the Department of Labour, industry stakeholders and labor unions. The transitional arrangements will come into effect from 26 November 2007 and will be in place for two years. CONNECT WITH US: |