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The General Skilled Migration (GSM) program for Australian visas changed, effective 01 September 2007. workpermit.com has re-written the General Skilled Migration section for Australia on our website. We have also updated our points-calculator.

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 Australian Citizenship Amendment Bill of 2007 passed in the Australian Parliament last week. From 01 October, people seeking Australian citizenship are required to take a test, which includes a basic grasp of English and a knowledge of Australian culture and history. 20 questions are randomly chosen from a possible 200, and there is no limit to the number of times that the test can be taken before passing it. Special arrangements will be made for those with low levels of literacy and other special needs.

The United States will begin accepting applications for the Diversity Visa 2009 Lottery at 12 noon East Coast time for the U.S. on Wednesday, 03 October 2007. The application period will end at 12 Noon Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, 02 December 2007. All applications must be submitted by electronic Entry Form on the Internet; paper entries will not be accepted. "Up to" 55,000 permanent resident visas (known as "Green Cards") will be approved for people born in eligible countries.