Immigration newsletter 7 December 2011

We take this opportunity to remind you that Australian visa application fees will go up beginning this January 2012 so you should apply soon!

Also, you only have until April 2012 to apply for the UK Tier 1 Post-Study Work Visa. You should apply soon for this visa as well.

The Australian government announced this week that more international students will be eligible for the Post-Study work visa as part of the Australian government's response to the Knight Review of the student visa program. The new arrangements will extend the visa stay period for Bachelor students to two years, while Masters students will be eligible for stays of three and PhD students for four years.

The UK Border Agency announced they will no longer be processing visas at the application centre at the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran and the entire embassy will be closed until further notice.

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced recently that federal funding of immigrant settlement services in most Canadian provinces and territories will be increased for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The funding goes towards services that help new immigrants settle in Canada.

Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen pushes for an increase in Australia's refugee intake by almost 50 percent. Under Bowen's proposal, Australian immigration would allow more refugees to reside in Australia, increasing the current figure of 13,750 to as many as 20,000 people annually.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced they are in the post-development testing phase of a new online application system that will eventually change the paper-based agency into an electronic, online organization

The new Electronic Immigration System will reduce the US immigration department's reliance on paper and make it easier to access information for benefit requests.

Foreign students believe that recent policy changes to the UK's visa system, specifically the ending of the Post-Study Work Visa in April next year, mean they are no longer welcome, according to a recent survey.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has ordered a complete review of J-1 Summer Work Travel visa program that has been used by US businesses to hire international students for  seasonal work. Foreign students this year have issued numerous complaints about work conditions to the department.

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