New extended period for Australian Subclass 400 Temporary Work visa

Temporary workers in Australia can in some circumstances now apply for a Subclass 400 visa for an increased period of six months. Previously the maximum period of stay was three months. These changes were introduced on 23rd November 2014.


The subclass 400 visa is a short term, temporary work visa which is normally issued quickly to employ overseas workers who are urgently required for specialist level work in Australia. Overall it is much easier obtaining a Subclass 400 visa than, for example, a Subclass 457 Temporary skilled work visa.


In order to be granted a six month visa, you will need to put forward a strong business case detailing the reason for the extended stay. The Department of Immigration will consider the following when deciding whether to grant the six month extended visa period:

• The number of Australian workers employed on the project, or within the company
• The salary of the applicant, and whether they meet local labour market requirements
• The size, nature and duration of the project to be carried out, and its impact to the local community
• Whether there is time available for an Australian worker to be trained to carry out the proposed work

If these conditions are met then the Australian Government will consider granting the extended six month visa period.


Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in Australia. Please visit our Australian page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/australia.html

Immigration is now top priority for UK voters

Immigration is now the main concern for UK voters, according to various polls carried out by the opinion poll company YouGov.


In a series of surveys, immigration has come out either above, or tied with the economy in importance for voters in each survey carried out since May last year. In September, immigration polled 58%, while the economy only reached 48% as being of greatest concern to UK voters. YouGov have stated that this is one of the most important opinion trends of last year.


Will Dahlgreen from YouGov explains:


'From May to December immigration was seen as the most important issue facing the country, except for on three occasions when it was tied with the economy.'


'Although immigration began to narrow the gap at the end of 2013, 2014 is the first year since 2010 when the economy has not been the top issue.'


'Immigration had an average lead of one point over the whole year, compared to a deficit of 18 in 2013 and 32 in 2012.'

 

 

Europe

The data from these surveys also indicates that Europe is of increasing concern amongst voters, with only 7% of people choosing it in 2010 as being of greatest concern, compared to 25% in October. These concerns can somewhat explain the rise of UKIP over the past year, as currently they are the only party who have openly stated that they want the UK to leave the EU. If this were to happen then the UK would no longer be governed by EU migration laws.


In May last year, UKIP came out on top in the European elections, winning 4.3m votes, pushing Labour into second place, and the Conservatives into third. UKIP also won two local by-elections for parliamentary seats in the House of Commons, in Rochester and Clacton.

 

 

UKIP

The other political parties have responded to this surge in support for UKIP – David Cameron has promised to stop EU migrants claiming benefits until they have paid into the system for four years. Ed Miliband of the Labour Party has also tried to be seen to be tough on immigration; however it has been suggested that he appears to fumble and change the subject when asked a question directly on immigration.


Lord Green, crossbench peer and Chairman of the anti-immigration MigrationWatch says 'These are remarkable findings. It's simply not possible for the political class to remain in denial any longer. Suggestions that those who are canvassing should simply change the subject are now clearly absurd. The public want effective answers on immigration and will see through attempts to dodge the issue.'


Labour MP for Rochdale Simon Danczuk himself of Eastern European descent has explained that politicians have been too slow to recognise immigration as an issue. He said: 'People have been mentioning immigration to me a lot on the doorstep, people from all different backgrounds including ethnic minorities, working class and middle class people. People feel strongly about it.'


Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in United Kingdom. Please visit our UK page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/uk.html

UK immigration: Home Office loses even more illegal immigrants

The Home Office has 'lost' about 174,000 illegal immigrants, according to a new report by John Vine, Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration.


According to the report, there were 232,000 foreign migrants who had their visa extension applications rejected prior to 2008. It was expected that these migrants would then have returned to their home countries – however the report suggests that by 2012 only 58,000 of these migrants had left the UK, only one quarter of the total.


It seems that the remaining three quarters (174,057) who had been refused further leave to remain in the UK were still residing in the UK and can no longer be traced by immigration authorities. Since 2012 the number of people who can no longer be found by UK immigration has seen only a small reduction to 173,562 people.

 

 

Warning

'Any failure to take action against foreign nationals who overstay their permission to be in the UK has the potential to undermine public confidence in immigration control,' Mr Vine warned.


The report also suggested that 80 percent of foreign students remain in the UK once their student visas expire. Many of course qualify for other types of visas, but some also enter into 'sham' weddings in order to remain in the UK. According to the report, some 85 percent of all sham marriage grooms are students.


In a recent case, marriage ringleader Ibrahim Mahter was caught hiring out his own girlfriend to take part in bogus marriage ceremonies for £8000 a time. Most of the grooms were from India or Pakistan.


UK Home Secretary Theresa May has been accused of attempting to suppress the report; she has previously clashed with Vine over the timing of immigration reports embarrassing to the Government. Last year a report on border security was censored by the Home Secretary

 

 

Allegations

Theresa May is set to face questions over allegations that she attempted to 'bury' the report just days before the UK parliament went into recess for the Christmas period.


David Hanson, Shadow Immigration Minister commented: 'Theresa May has sought to bury reports because they lay bare the total chaos within her own department. They have exposed a murderer granted British citizenship, a growing asylum backlog and 175,000 people here illegally who have disappeared.'


Ms May did not respond directly to these allegations, however the UK Immigration and Security minister, James Brokenshire said:


'We are committed to building an immigration system which is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants and, as this report makes clear, applying a rigour to the immigration system that it has been lacking for many years.'


Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in United Kingdom. Please visit our UK page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/uk.html

Major Changes to UK visa applications

On 16 October 2014 the Government announced a number of important changes to the UK visa system. Some of these changes have already taken place. Further changes will follow.


Tier 2 visas


From 6 November 2014 immigration officers have had greater powers to refuse Tier 2 visa applications if they believe that it is not a genuine role. Also if immigration officers believe that the migrant worker does not have the necessary qualifications to do the job a Tier 2 visa can be refused.


Recent figures have suggested that the demand for Tier 2 certificates of sponsorship is increasing; monthly quotas for companies applying may soon be reached. Employers need to have a Tier 2 certificate of sponsorship and need to apply for certificates of sponsorship to employ workers from outside of the EU. Employers may have to wait longer for COSs which will lead to greater delay in the processing of Tier 2 visas.

 

 

Tier 1 (General) visas

For most new applicants the Tier 1 (General) visas program has already ended; the government continues to allow existing Tier 1 visa holders to renew their visas. But, from 6 April 2015 you will no longer be able to apply for Tier 1 General extensions. Existing Tier 1 General visa holders will have to consider alternative visa options if they wish to continue to live and work in the UK. The Tier 1 (General) category was created for highly skilled foreign workers to come to the UK to work for any employer. However from 6 April 2015 those on Tier 1 General Visas will, if they qualify, have to apply for UK indefinite leave to remain, or in many cases apply for employment with an employer with a Tier 2 sponsorship licence.

 

 

Visitor visas

From 6 November 2014 the number of visit visa options available to foreign nationals was reduced. The previous fifteen different travel visa types was reduced to four broader visa types; simplifying the process.

 

 

UK-Ireland joint visa

As previously announced, the UK and Ireland have agreed a joint visa scheme which will allow visitors to travel to both countries under the one visa.

 

 

Landlord checks

From December 2014 UK landlords in the West Midlands will be required to check the immigration status of all prospective tenants, or face a fine for failing to do so. The scheme if considered successful will be rolled out across the rest of the country.



Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in United Kingdom. Please visit our UK page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/uk.html

US immigration undergoing a 'second great wave'

The US is undergoing a 'second great wave of immigration,' according to a recent study by USA Today.In the report US immigration over the past 20 years has been compared to the huge arrival of immigrants in the early 20th Century.


The effect of this 'second wave' is its positive impact on ethnic diversity across the whole of the US, even in rural areas such as the Midwest where, up until recently, residents were predominantly white.


Racial and ethnic diversity is no longer confined to cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami; in fact some of the figures show that smaller towns and cities are now some of the most diverse in the US. Some metro areas such as Lumberton, North Carolina and Yakima, Washington are now just as diverse as some of the larger cities, according to the report.


In the USA Today survey 49% of Americans believe that this increase in diversity has had a positive impact on the Country. Only 25% of those asked, thought the US was worse off.


The first 'great wave' lasted from around the 1880s to the 1920s and saw many Europeans move across the Atlantic. It was this wave of immigration which transformed the social and political landscape, and helped create the USA we recognise today.


This 'second wave' began in the 1970s, but really gathered pace with the tech explosion in the 1990s. During this time there was a huge increase in migrant foreign workers coming to the US.


Many migrant workers come to the US on a temporary work visa to begin with, before applying for permanent residence. Some of the more popular non-immigrant work related visa types are the H-1B for professional level workers, L-1A/L-1B visas for intra-company transferees, E-1 Treaty Trader and E-2 Treaty Investor visas for skilled work or management level work, and H-2B visas for any non-agricultural work where there are no US citizens available to do the work.


According to the report the current rate of immigration is set to continue for the foreseeable future, and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.


Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in United States. Please visit our USA page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/usa.html

Last Chance for Canadian Federal Skilled Worker Visas

The Federal Skilled Worker Program in Canada will end at the end of this year, giving candidates interested in skilled immigration less than three months to apply.


The program is based on a points system, which it is hoped will mean that only candidates who are likely to establish themselves successfully in Canada will gain entry. To be eligible for the program you need to gain enough points and meet one of the basic eligibility requirements:

• Work experience in one of the '50 eligible occupations'
• In some circumstances employment in Canada.
• Enrolment in a PhD program in Canada.

As well as the points system there are also minimum requirements, which every candidate needs to meet in order to apply:

• At least one year (1560 hours) work experience in the same occupation within the past ten years.
• Ability to pass a language test.
• A Canadian diploma, or international equivalent.
• Sufficient funds to support yourself and your family after arriving in Canada.

There is no limit to the number of visas that can be issued to people with a job in Canada. There is a cap on the number of visas that can be issued in each occupation under the eligible occupations sub-category, many of which are already nearing their limit. Successful applicants will gain permanent residence.


The Federal Skilled Worker program will be replaced in January by the Express Entry system. Under this new system, candidates will be added to a pool of applicants who qualify for one of the following programs

• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Federal Skilled Trades Program
• Canadian Experience Class
• Provincial Nominee Program

The best candidates in each pool will then be hand-selected for visas, which will reportedly be processed within six months, instead of the current processing time of around a year.


It is still unclear how this new system will work: one of the advantages will be the quicker turnaround for the top candidates who are selected. However there may still be many candidates left in the pool uncertain of whether their visa will be approved.


Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in Canada. Please visit our Canadian page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/canada.html

Finding jobs in Australia could become easier with proposed visa changes

Proposed changes to the Subclass 457 Visa in Australia could mean that finding a job there will become easier.


A government-commissioned report has criticised the Temporary Skilled Worker visa program for being too complicated for applicants and employers alike.


The Subclass 457 visa allows employers to recruit overseas workers when there are no suitable Australians or permanent residents to fill the position. Since 2013 with the introduction of labour market testing and other changes it has been more difficult the meet the 457 visa requirements.


Labour market testing regulations applicable in many 457 visa cases means that employers must advertise positions locally first, and only if no suitable applicants are found then they can hire overseas workers. Employers must also provide documentary evidence of all their advertisements and attempts to hire Australian and permanent resident workers first.


Some of the recommendations made in the report include scrapping labour market testing, more support for sponsors, and changes to English Language requirements.


If approved, these changes will make it easier for candidates to meet visa requirements, and make it easier for employers to hire foreign workers.


Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said that labour market testing was unlikely to be abolished, however he welcomed the other proposed changes.


He said 'The English language requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, serving more as an industrial lock-out rather than an honest attempt to ensure appropriate language skills which the government does believe is important.'


Since the visa requirements were updated in July 2013 and labour market testing introduced later in the same year there has been a steady reduction in the number of 457 visas being approved. Prior to this there were around 66,000 successful applications each year.


Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in Australia. Please check our Australian page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/australia.html