Immigration newsletter 2 August 2011

At the moment there is increased demand for Canadian skilled worker visas.  There are only 500 visas per occupation for the 29 occupations on the list. If you are interested in immigration to Canada you should seriously consider applying sooner rather than later.

Starting 9 August 2011, exceptionally talented leaders in the fields of science, humanities, engineering, and arts will be able to immigrate tothe UK under a new Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) immigration category.

The new scheme will not only allow those who are already recognized as leaders in their field, but also those who potentially may become leaders in their field to emigrate to the UK. The scheme will be limited to 1,000 places during the first year of operation.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee is attempting to push through legislation that would expand the H-1B visa system and grant green card work permits to foreign students who graduate from US universities with a science, maths, or technology degree.

During a Senate hearing, Senators Chuck Schumer and John Cornyn called for immigration reform that would allow more highly-skilled workers into the US. Schumer said that it doesn't make sense to educate foreign students and then not let them stay; Letting more foreign students stay would help boost America's economy.

A new report by English language and settlement services provider AMES finds that employers are missing out on a valuable segment of the Australian workforce: skilled migrants.

The report, Words to Work, follows a recent announcement that Western Australia has declared the city of Perth as a regional employment zone, allowing it to nominate skilled migrants for jobs that do not normally qualify under Australia's skilled immigration schemes.

On 29 July, 2011, Canada swore in 1,140 new citizens from 104 countries in ceremonies across the Country.

"For new Canadians, the day they take the oath of citizenship and join our dominion as full citizens is a special day," said Canadian immigration minister Jason Kenney.

"During these citizenship ceremonies, we are reminded of the value of our citizenship...." he added.

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