Immigration newsletter 6 February 2008

The United Kingdom's Home Office announced a general increase in most existing immigration fees. The government is downplaying the size of the increases but, in some cases, fees will go up as much as 33% or more. Most fees, however, will only increase slightly.

In the announcement, the government said that the new fee increases will take effect "in the near future." Some new fees will be introduced, as well. Among the changes, businesses hiring workers from outside the European Economic Area will now have to pay a one-time, "sponsorship license" fee.

Immigrants applying for permanent residence in the UK and who don't pass the "knowledge of language and life" requirements will continue to have their applications considered as an extension application to their current temporary leave to remain. Previously, the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) had announced that this arrangement would be discontinued on January 31st. The BIA still intends to end the arrangement, but will make an announcement on this at a later date.

Immigration Minister, Liam Byrne, has begun a national and international consultation regarding changes to Britain's immigration system. Specifically, he intends to focus on the recently released Visitors Consultation Paper, which is soliciting feedback from the public until March 10th.

Mr. Byrne will visit India and hold community meetings in London and across the UK to discuss if visitor visa limits should be reduced from 6 months to 3 months. One of several proposed changes is the creation of a specific category of visa for family visitors.

The Irish Minister for Justice, Equality, and Law Reform, announced a new immigration bill on January 29th. The legislation covers many areas of Irish immigration law, including procedures for admission to Ireland for people from outside of the European Union. It significantly changes procedures for obtaining and renewing residence permits.

The bill introduces a new status of "long-term resident," which eliminates the current practice of indefinitely renewing temporary residence permits until a migrant qualifies for naturalization. Most immigrants will need to live in Ireland for at least 5 years to be eligible. However, highly sought-after immigrants, such as Irish Green Card holders, will have shorter qualifying periods to obtain their long-term residence.

From February 4th, some changes were introduced to New Zealand's Skilled Migrant Category. Migrants wishing to gain residence in New Zealand under the Skilled Migrant Category can score points by taking employment in occupations designated as 'skilled employment.' The changes affect how New Zealand assesses a migrant's job offer or current New Zealand employment under the points category.

The Canadian federal government plans to launch a new resource, in partnership with provincial, municipal, and community stakeholders, in an attempt to attract immigrants to less densely populated areas. A guide entitled 'Attracting and Retaining Immigrants: A Tool Box of Ideas for Smaller Centres,' will be released to communities who wish to create their own immigration strategy.

The guide includes information on immigration and employment, as well as recommendations on strategies for creating supportive communities. The guide comes in the wake of recent studies showing that there is a smaller income gap between migrants living in small cities and rural areas and native-born Canadians than occurs when immigrants live in larger urban areas.

Our website, workpermit.com, continues to grow its readership as people from all over the world seek information on immigrating to over 20 of the top destination countries. January 2008 was our busiest month ever, with a 33% increase in visitors over the previous January. We also recently produced our 1000th news video. Our videos have become more popular, contributing to a 233% increase in data traffic over the previous year.

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