Immigration Lawyer Blog

President Ma Ying-jeou said Saturday that Burkina Faso will become the 124th nation or region to grant visa-free entry or landing visas to Republic of China (Taiwan) passport holders.

The decision was made earlier in the day by the government of the African ally, the president said at the opening of an exhibition held to mark the Republic of China's 100th year.

"It is normal to apply for a visa when traveling internationally," he said. "Visa-free treatment is a privilege."

Traveling has become easier for Taiwanese because of the many visa waivers the country had obtained, Ma said, as he shared a story of how a friend benefited from the program when taking a trip to Europe.

Taiwan gained visa-free access to 35 nations or regions in the European Union on Jan. 11, 2011. During Ma's presidency, the number of countries or regions granting visa waivers to Taiwan has risen from 54 to 124.

Ukraine hopes for the liberalization of the visa regime with Greece, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said.
"We hope that at the level of bilateral relations, Greece will continue constructively changing its visa policy for Ukrainian citizens," Yanukovych said in Athens on Thursday, during a meeting with President of Greece Karolos Papoulias.

The Ukrainian head of state added that Ukraine highly appreciates the position of Greece on the liberalization of the visa regime between the two states, and its support for Ukraine's movement towards European integration, especially before the signing of the association agreement with the EU.

Yanukovych added that during talks with his counterpart he expressed Ukraine's support for Greece "in difficult times."

The Ukrainian president invited the president of Greece to make a state visit to Ukraine and continue the dialogue.

The Ukrainian president's press service said that during the meeting, Yanukovych said that the Ukrainian and Greek peoples have been united by mutual respect and support for a long time.

"The traditions and relations between the Ukrainian and Greek peoples do not depend on any political situations," he said.

"Greece and its people are facing a difficult period. Ukraine [is facing difficult times] too, but we are making a visit today, because we realize that it is high time to take a very active position, and we have to find a way to support and help each other. This will support the long, traditional good relations between Ukraine and Greece," Yanukovych said during a meeting with Papoulias in Athens.

The president of Greece, in turn, welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart on behalf of the Greek people and said that his state visit was an important step in development of bilateral relations between the states.

The Netherlands has agreed to grant ROC passport holders the right to enter all its territories visa-free, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oct. 4.

At present, Holland is the only country within the Netherlands that ROC nationals are allowed to enter without having to apply for a visa in advance. In the future, this privilege will be extended to include Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten, as well as the three Carribean special municipalities of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, the MOFA said.

“We welcome the decision by the Netherlands,” the MOFA said in a news release, adding that the date the new policy will take effect has not been determined.

The decision by the Netherlands brings the total number of countries and territories that offer visa-free entry or landing visas to ROC citizens to 123, according to the MOFA.

When ROC President Ma Ying-jeou took office in May 2008, the MOFA noted, only 54 countries gave Taiwan the same privilege. “In three years 69 additional countries have given Taiwan visa-free rights, a 128-percent increase.”

“The visa-waiver privilege will save weeks of time for ROC passport holders on visa applications, and will become a big incentive for those who are into water sports and ecotourism,” the MOFA said.

ROC citizens were allowed visa-free entry to Holland and all other European countries within the Schengen Area since Jan. 1. Since then, the number of ROC nationals travelling to Europe has increased by almost 40 percent compared to the same time last year, according to the MOFA.

Australia’s seaports are more secure than ever before, highlighted by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s grant this week of the millionth maritime crew visa (MCV).

“This is an impressive milestone given that the department first introduced the MCV on 1 January 2008,” a departmental spokesman said.

Since its introduction, all foreign shipping crew are required to apply for the visa, which involves a formal visa application process.

This process strengthens border protection at Australian ports by allowing for security checking as with other temporary entrants. Prior to the MCV’s introduction, crew accessed special purpose visa arrangements that did not involve a formal application process.

“The MCV is specifically for crew entering by sea and allows multiple entries during its three-year life. Visa holders are then permitted to continue work in relation to the usual operational requirements of the ship while they are in Australia,” the spokesman said.

The top nationalities using the visas include Filipino, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Ukrainian. In an average month, up to 20 000 MCVs are granted.

“The MCV scheme has maintained an impressive compliance rate of 99.8 per cent since its inception. This is testament to the support the visa has had from the shipping industry, crew manning agents, shipping operators and foreign crew themselves,” the spokesman said.

More than 60 per cent of maritime crew visas are applied for and granted online, while about 40 per cent are referred to the department’s global processing centre for additional manual assessment and processing.

Major factors that have contributed to the overall success of the MCV include the streamlined application form and processing arrangements, the absence of an application fee and the timeliness of decision-making. Most electronically lodged applications are finalised within a few days, if not immediately upon receipt.

The Republic of Kenya has opened its embassy in Oman in an apparent move to strengthen its bilateral relations and for attracting leisure tourists from the Sultanate.

Kenya’s Charge d’Affairs Yabesh O Monari said that although the embassy recently started its operation at Shatti al Qurum, a formal inauguration will be held sometime next month, when cabinet ministers from Kenya visit Oman,

“Since we opened in April, we have issued about 900 visas, 700 for Omanis and 200 for expatriates,” he said, adding, “The demand for Kenyan visas is rising steadily. The embassy now issues visas instantly upon application.”

Monari said people of both countries share a unique historical relation that dates back to several centuries. Swahili is widely spoken in Oman. In Kenya, Swahili is the official language and Muscat and Mombasa share a lot in common, he added. Monari said Kenya offers a unique and unforgettable experience for tourists, especially for those who love wildlife tourism. “Kenya has a total of 54 national parks and reserves. Kenya is one of the world’s leading travel destinations thanks to its scenery, magnificent wild life, sports and pleasant year round climate.”

A spectacular annual event that has been recognised as one of the wonders of the world is the biggest migration of large mammals. In July every year, over 1.5 million wild beasts migrate from Serengeti plains in Tanzania to fresh pastures in the Masai Mara before going back in October.

A Kenyan safari is an African experience, combining animals in the plains, the beaches in Mombasa, Rift Valley and Malindi.

Referring to the procedures for getting a visit visa to Kenya, he said Omani visa applicants have to submit their application, along with a copy of identify card and passport, passport-size photographs and a fee of RO20. For expatriates, apart from these necessary documents, the embassy needs a letter from
the employer.

Turkey is enjoying a growing number of tourists visiting this year and it has seen a nearly 11 percent increase in the first seven months of this year, the Turkish government has said.

Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry data shows that Turkey received 17,624,969 tourists in the first seven months of this year -- a 10.64 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The month of July has also seen an increase in the number of tourists visiting the country by 5.49 percent. A total of 4,597,475 tourists visited Turkey in July alone. While Germany is topping the list, Russia is second and the UK third in terms of the number of tourists visiting Turkey.

Out of nearly 18 million tourists, 990,906 tourists (5.62 percent) spent only a single day in the country.

Recent statistics covering the years 2002-2010 released by the Culture and Tourism Ministry reveal the progress Turkish tourism has made over the last eight years. While in terms of the number of tourists it was ranked 17th among the most visited tourist destinations in 2002, the numbers show that Turkey clinched seventh place in 2009, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The number of tourist who visited Turkey in 2002 was 13.2 million, whereas the same number rose to 28.6 million in 2009, representing a 117 percent increase.

While 14.29 percent of tourists came from Germany, 11.79 percent came from Russia, 7.95 percent from England, 6.28 percent from Iran, 4.62 percent from Bulgaria, 4.08 percent from the Netherlands, 3.94 percent from France, 3.45 percent from Georgia, 3.11 percent from Syria and 2.28 percent from the US in the first seven months of this year.

Until August, while 2,518,202 tourists visited Turkey from Germany, 2,078,741 from Russia, 1,401,833 from England, 1,107,067 from Iran and 813,976 tourists from Bulgaria chose Turkey as a place for their vacation.

Tourists visiting Turkey this year have mostly entered through border gates in Antalya (33.57 percent), followed by İstanbul (25.41 percent) and Muğla (9.48 percent).

Thanks to its retaining close political and economic relationships with its neighbors, Turkey managed to remove visa requirements for many countries in the region, resulting in a huge increase in incoming and outgoing tourists in the area. However, the political uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, or the Arab Spring, has lead to a significant drop in tourists from those countries visiting Turkey

Germany, Russia and England is again topping the list in the number of tourists visiting Turkey in July. Out of 4,597,475 tourists who visited the country in July, 310,225 tourists (6.75 percent) stayed in Turkey only for a single day.

In July, while Germany sent 602,511 tourists (13.11 percent) to Turkey, 586,905 tourists (12.17 percent) were from Russia, 435,143 (9.46 percent) from England, 242,870 (5.28 percent) from the Netherlands, 191,681 (4.17 percent) from Iran, 186,631 (4.06 percent) from France, 146,162 (3.18 percent) from Bulgaria, 127,527 ( 2.77 percent) from Austria, 127,240 ( 2.77 percent) from Belgium, 124,147 (2.70 percent) from Georgia.

While the number of tourists visiting Turkey was 4,343,025 in July in 2009, this number was 4,358,275 in 2010. In the January-July period, the number of tourists visiting Turkey was 14,933,656 and this number increased to 15,929,702 in 2010.

The UAE extended the visa period of property owners to three years from six months in a move to re-ignite investor confidence the real estate sector.

The decision, part of a raft of measures taken by the government to underpin economic growth as per the strategic plan 2011-2013, was taken at a cabinet meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday chaired by Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai. Under the existing law, foreign owners of property worth more than Dh1 million are eligible to get only a six-month visa, which has to be reviewed every six months for Dh2,120 at a time. The applicant for the property investor residence visa also needs to open a bank account locally or aboard and is required to provide proof of a minimum monthly income of Dh10,000. The investor shall also get a medical insurance renewable every six months, apart from a valid medical fitness test every two years.

The requirements and conditions under the new law will be announced soon. “The UAE Federal Cabinet decision to extend residence visa for real estate investors to three years will significantly enhance investor confidence and drive the growth of the country’s property sector, said Mohamed Alabbar, chairman, Emaar Properties PJSC, while welcoming the decision.
“The property sector is a key contributor to the non-oil GDP of the country, and is one of the largest employment providers apart from supporting several associated industries,” Alabbar added.

The sector also plays in driving foreign direct investment to the country, and the Cabinet decision will enhance the appeal of the UAE as a preferred destination for safe investments in property. The Cabinet decision underlines the vision of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai to further boost the competitiveness of the UAE” Alabbar concluded.

The Short-stay Visa Waiver Program was announced by the Government as part of its Jobs Initiative with a view to promoting tourism from emerging markets. It is due to commence on 1 July 2011. The program will run as a pilot up to end October 2012 but may be amended or expanded at any point depending on experience of the pilot.

The main points of the programme are:

- Holders of UK "general visas" will be able to travel to Ireland within the period of validity of that visa without the requirement to obtain a separate Irish visa. The period of validity of such a visa is 180 days but the maximum stay in Ireland will be 90 days or to the end of the period of validity of the visa, whichever is the shorter. It should be stressed that the need for a visa to visit Ireland is not eliminated by this programme. Visitors from visa-required countries will still require an Irish visa (for direct travel to Ireland) or a UK visa (for travel to Ireland via the UK). What is eliminated by this programme is the need to have both an Irish and UK visa when visiting Ireland via the UK.
- The person travelling will be required to land in and have gained lawful entry to the UK, on foot of the current visa, prior to travel to Ireland. Lawful entry will be attested by the appropriate entry stamp of the UK Border Agency. Therefore, transit passengers through the UK to Ireland, who do not pass through immigration in the UK, will still require an Irish visa. There is no minimum length of stay in the UK required before travel to Ireland.
- The persons travelling to Ireland under the programme will be treated at their Irish port of entry just as they would have been previously if arriving with an Irish visa i.e. their passport will be further stamped by immigration officers at the Irish port of entry with an entry stamp and a date until which the visitor is allowed to stay. Visitors will have to satisfy immigration officers as to the purpose of their visit in the normal way.
- A person may return to Ireland within the period of validity of the UK visa but will not be able to stay in Ireland for more than 90 days in any one visit. As above, the immigration officer at port of entry has the ultimate decision on the length of stay.

In relation to persons travelling between Ireland and Northern Ireland, the following scenarios will apply:

- If arriving in Ireland and then travelling to Northern Ireland, both an Irish and UK visa will be required, as is the case at present
- If arriving in Northern Ireland and travelling to Ireland, the visa waiver programme will apply and only a UK visa will be required
- If arriving in Ireland, travelling to Northern Ireland and then returning to Ireland, both an Irish and UK visa will be required but the UK visa will be accepted under the programme for the return visit
- If arriving in Northern Ireland, travelling to Ireland and then returning to Northern Ireland, the visa waiver programme will apply to the visit to Ireland but the appropriate UK visa will be required to allow a second entry into Northern Ireland. The person may travel out of the Common Travel Area from either Ireland or the UK but this must happen before the expiry of the stamp issued by the immigration officer on arrival in Ireland (if leaving from Ireland) or the expiration of the UK visa (if leaving from the UK).

"General visas" cover short-term tourist and business visitors. Other types of visa, for example transit visas, long-term student visas, join spouse or family reunification visas, are not encompassed.

Nationals of the following countries are proposed for inclusion in the programme:

- Eastern Europe: Belarus, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine
- Middle East: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
- Other Asian: India, Kazakhstan, Peoples Republic of China , Uzbekistan

Only passport holders of those countries are included in the scheme. Long-term residents in those countries, who are not nationals of that country, are not covered. Arrangements are being made for holders of diplomatic and special passports from Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, who are visa exempt for the UK, to be included in the program. Nationals of the countries above, who are long-term legal residents in the UK, will still require an Irish visa but will have the visa fee waived as part of the programme.

India took a lead in resolving the vexed visa issue by liberalising its rules for the Russian citizens visiting India on business and tourism.

"We are now issuing multi-entry business visas valid for one year against six months single or double entry in the past and tourist visas valid for six months with multiple entries," India's Ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra has said.The Embassy of India in Moscow has streamlined and liberalised its issuance of business and tourist visas with a view to further encourage business contacts and promote tourism between India and Russia.

India and the Russian Federation already have in place a visa-free regime for diplomatic and official passport holders of both countries, that facilitates regular official contact. Both business and tourist visas would normally be issued in three working days following the date of application against minimum ten working days previously.

The new pattern is also being followed by the Indian Consulates General in St Petersburg and Vladivostok. The Russian citizens normally have to apply for the Indian visa by a Russian company appointed by the Indian mission to allow them to submit their applications even on weekends and holidays, when the Embassy is closed.

Ambassador Malhotra said these measures to facilitate the travel by Russian businessmen and tourists to India were actually implemented from June 12, Russia's national day. According to him, the Indian Embassy in Moscow and the Consulates in St Petersburg and Vladivostok had issued about 110,000 visas to Russian citizens during 2010.

"I expect this number to increase by about 25 per cent this year", Malhotra said.

Tourist flows from Russia to India have picked up in recent years, with Goa, New Delhi- Agra- Jaipur Golden Triangle, Mumbai and Kulu-Manali emerging as major attractions. According to a recent report issued by the State Statistics Committee last year 12 million Russians visited foreign countries.

The Government of Rwanda has introduced a New Immigration Law No O4/2011 of 21/03/2011 and its implementing ministerial orders on regulation and fees published on Official Gazette No 24 of 13 June 2011. The New Law comes to implement the National Migration Policy aimed at attracting skilled workers, promoting investment, tourism and enhance national security.

The Law has also been harmonized with EAC Protocol on Free movement of people, labor and services as a requirement of the EAC partner states. The law provides that Citizens of East African Community partner states shall have the right to visit Rwanda for a period of up to six months without visa. They will be issued with a specific visitors pass by simple endorsement in their valid travel document.

In order to facilitate movements of Rwandans, new travel documents have been introduced in addition to the existing ones such as a collective Laissez-Passer issued to people traveling as a group mainly for social activities.

This collective Laissez-Passer will facilitate Rwandans traveling as a group and shall cost 10.000frw for ten people instead of 3000frw for individual application.

The law also has introduced a travel document for Border communities known as border pass. This travel document shall be issued free of charge and will facilitate cross border activities. Likewise, Rwandans intending to travel in emergency situations may also be issued with an emergency travel document which shall be issued free of charge.

A new CEPGL travel document has been re-introduced for Rwandans and foreigners residing in Rwanda while traveling within CEPGL member states. The issuance of CEPGL documents comes after being harmonization with CEPGL member states.

Furthermore the law gives the right for an individual to hold more than one passport after presenting clear justification. This is in case a person intending to travel while his/her passport is still in visa processes may apply for an additional passport.

The New law has introduced different classes of Visas and residence Permits to cater for different purposes of visiting, working, or residing in Rwanda. Each category of visa or permit shall have a corresponding fee. The repealed Immigration law had only five categories of visas which made it difficult to manage entry and stay of foreigners.

In this new immigration regulation, the duration of an entry visa has been extended from 15 up to 30 days with multiple entries. This will facilitate visitors of Rwanda to visit other countries within the region contrary using the Single entry visa.

A specific visitor’s pass was also introduced for EAC nationals for a period of up to 6 months. Tourist visa is defined in accordance with the Rwanda tourism policy where all visitors who enter the country and stay for less than a year are considered as tourists.

It is in this regard, that there are 11 classes of tourist visas among them being group tourist visa for tourists coming as a group, conference visa for facilitating visitors coming for conferences, job search visa for skilled people seeking employment in Rwanda, business visa for business persons searching for business opportunities, Itinerant business person visa for business persons with established business in Rwanda but do not reside, medical treatment visa for foreigners seeking medical treatment and Bridging visa which intends to help people.

Generally, the duration of tourist visas shall range from 3 months up to 2 years.
In promotion of e-governance, many visas shall be applied online at www.migration.gov.rw, but also Rwanda diplomatic mission or at the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration.

In an effort to facilitate foreigners wishing to work or reside in Rwanda, a work and resident permits have been combined. A person who will have acquired a resident permit will subsequently have a right to reside and work. Permits are divided into temporary resident permits and permanent resident permits. Temporary resident permits allow holders to reside in Rwanda for a specified period while permanent resident permit allows holders to reside for unspecified period.

Investors who invest in sectors such as agriculture and animal husbandry, ICT, hospitality industry, mining, manufacturing and other sectors shall be issued with 3 years temporary resident permit as an incentive.

This also applies for entrepreneurs investing in rural developments. Other Entrepreneurs shall be issued with 2 years temporary resident permit instead of 1 year as it was provided by the old law. All this was done as a way ofeasing doing business in Rwanda.

In aneffort to attract skilled workers as stated in the national migration policy, professionals whose qualification are listed on Occupation in Demand List (ODL) shall be eligible to a 3 years temporary resident permit.

Other employees shall get two years permit instead of one year as it used to be. The law has also catered for non-skilled workers permit. In order to facilitate cross border activities, Foreigners residing in Rwanda within the border area but working or doing business in the neighboring countries shall be issued Frontier pass. The same pass shall be issued to Foreigners residing within border area in one of the neighboring country who works or does business in Rwanda.

Students’ permit has been introduced to cater for foreigner students in Rwanda for study purposes and its fee has been reduced to 10,000 Frw. Similarly, a holiday’s workers permit has also been introduced to facilitate students and other people wishing to work during their holidays. A permit for a retired person with assured income has also been introduced to facilitate people who wish to have their retirements in Rwanda.

A temporary resident permit holder who has lawfully stayed in Rwanda for a period of 5 years shall be eligible to a permanent resident permit. Dependants and Spouses of a temporary resident permit holder shall be allowed to work and their permits shall cost a half fee of the principal applicant contrary to the existing practice. Foreigner ID card has also been catered for and shall be used as a resident card. In this regard, the card shall facilitate a foreigner who resides in Rwanda to acquire a Rwanda driving license.

Furthermore, People of Rwandan origin leaving in Diaspora but have lost their Rwandan citizenship due to acquisition of other nationalities but can not get dual citizenship may be eligible to permanent residence as a way of facilitating them to establish themselves in Rwanda.

In order to achieve its objectives the DG I&E officers have been given by the law the powers to investigate crimes related to Immigration and shall take the lead in the management of Rwandan borders.

The law has set penalties to those who shall not follow the existing immigration procedures. For effective management of immigrants, the law has established the obligations for foreigners and stakeholders such as employers, institutions of learning, hotels, and travel/transport agencies.

Generally, travel documents fees have not been changed, however new travel documents have been introduced to facilitate movement of Rwandans such as a Border pass which shall be issued free of charge, a collective laisser passer for Rwandans traveling as a group of ten people at reasonable fee of 10.000Frw and an emergency travel documents shall be issued free of charge to Rwandans.

Though the fee for the current laisser passer remains the same, there is an ongoing project for a new secure machine readable laisser passer which shall be in a booklet form and shall have a different fee.

A Diplomatic passport shall also be issued for the fee of 50,000 Frwas ordinary passport; however there will be a penalty for lost passport. The entry visa fee has been reduced from 60USD to 30 USD as a way of promoting tourist as early indicated there is a provision for multiple entry visa which shall be issued at a fee of 60 USD.

Germany hopes to attract doctors and mechanical and electrical engineers from abroad by scrapping restrictions that made it more difficult for them to find work.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government agreed recently to change immigration laws so that German companies can more easily hire engineers and doctors from abroad. Currently foreigners can only land a job if it pays more than euro66,000 ($95,000) annually, or the company can prove there are no qualified German or European Union citizens.

Experts say Germany is not turning out enough graduates and could face a shortage of 6.5 million qualified professionals by 2025. The proposed changes are part of a package aimed at increasing Germany's skilled labor force.

Hsieh Li-kung, director-general of Taiwan's National Immigration Agency (NIA), said on Monday that negotiations on securing U.S. visa waiver approval for Taiwanese passport holders were proceeding at a rapid pace. Hsieh, currently on a short trip to Washington D.C. conveyed that Ministry of Foreign Affairs is playing the leading role in the visa waiver talks.

Hsieh said the two sides had reached a high degree of consensus, and he hoped the U.S. could come to a decision soon in areas such as anti-terrorism cooperation, anti-human trafficking capabilities and documentation verification capabilities.

Meanwhile, Hsieh was also asked whether Taiwan was ready to handle the potential problem of Chinese independent tourists overstaying their visas once they are allowed into Taiwan starting at the end of the month. Hsieh replied that the rate of Chinese tourists overstaying their visas and disappearing has been lower than that of other countries since Taiwan opened its doors wider to Chinese visitors three years ago. During that time, however, the vast majority of Chinese nationals have been part of tightly structured tours, and will only be able to visit Taiwan on their own rather than as part of a tour group when the free independent traveler program begins in late June, increasing the potential for problems.

Hsieh hoped measures could be taken to lower runaway risks, suggesting, for instance, that officials of the two sides carefully examine visitors' identities .

The 10-year Canadian visa for Indians will be available from mid-July this year, a Canadian official said. In an announcement made last week, the Canadian government announced the validity of multi-entry visas issued for Indians will be increased to 10 years, from the present period of five years.

"The 10-year visas will be available from mid-July," Bruce Grundison, Deputy Immigration Programme Manager of the Canadian High Commission , said here Thursday. "There are some technical changes which need to be made," he said.

Announcing the new visa regime last week, Canadian International Trade Minister and Asia-Pacific Gateway Minister Edward Fast said the new visa regime will boost trade ties between the two countries, which seek to treble their trade to $15 billion by 2015.

Replying to a question, Canadian Deputy High Commissioner Jim Nickel said there was no problem in Indian students getting students visa for Canada .

Citizens of the Maldives will soon have access to a convenient online tourist visa for Australia, with the Australian government's announcement that the e676 electronic tourist visa will soon be expanded into the area.

Maldivians can apply for the e676 electronic tourist visa online from 1 July. The application process is fast, secure and convenient, and gives applicants the ability to check the progress of their application electronically. The visa does not require a visa label to be placed in a passport.

A notification is sent to the client providing details of the visa and airlines are able to confirm the visa entitlements through the Advanced Passenger Processing System. Clients can also print a copy of their visa approval notification email to carry with them whilst travelling to Australia.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Anatoliy Mohyliov has predicted that ID cards will be issued instead of internal passports in Ukraine in a year.

"As for the replacement of internal passports in Ukraine with ID cards, I think that it will take about nine months or a year," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday, after an EU-Ukraine ministerial meeting on the implementation of an action plan on liberalizing the visa regime.

Mohyliov said that the provision of Interior Ministry departments and many government agencies with devices for reading these cards remained a problem in this area.

Canada gave a new push to Indo-Canada trade relations when it announced a new visa regime that would allow Indians 10-year multiple entry visas to the country. The announcement was made by the Canadian Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway Edward Fast at the roundtable discussion with high-level representatives of the Indian government and business community at the two-day mini PBD Canada 2011 convention, a day for Overseas Indians.

The minister said that the new visa regime would accelerate bilateral trade and investment and cultural bonds.

The convention is being organised here for the first time by the Government of India and the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and the High Commission of India as part of the celebrations to mark the Year of India in Canada. Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, who is leading the Indian delegation to the convention of the Indian-origin people settled in North America and the Caribbean, said that both countries were committed to strengthen and deepen their bilateral trade.

She said India and Canada aim at a bilateral trade target of US $15 billion in the next five years. Both countries were in talks for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that would yield significant economic benefit and lower tariff on a large number of products for both the countries.

Kaur said that the India-Canada relations had undergone a “sea change” recently. On November 12, 2010, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper announced the launch of talks on the CEPA.

“A Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement is an free trade agreement (FTA) from Indian perspective. It is aimed at promoting market opening policies and stands to become one of the most important building blocks in constructing a broader and deeper bilateral relationship,” she said.

S M Gavai, the High Commissioner of India, said that the new 10 years multiple entry visa would help to meet the longstanding demand of Indians businesses and others who would like to come Canada frequently and would help in ‘Building Bridges’ between the two countries.

The PBD-Canada 2011 is a conference that brings more than 1500 high-level business and government delegates together, in Canada. It comes just a few weeks before the Bollywood Oscars in Toronto, whose TV audience of 700 million will put Canada, however briefly, at the centre of Indian cultural consciousness.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hails the favorable vote returned by the European Parliament, by a wide margin (487 votes in favor, 77 votes against and 29 abstentions) today, June 8th, 2011, to Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen Area. By this vote the European parliament is sending a clear political message in support of Romania’s quickest joining of the Schengen Area.

The fact that beyond the actual recognition of Romania’s meeting the accession criteria under the Schengen acquis, the European political groups and parliamentarians in general adopted an extremely constructive, principled approach throughout the debates in recognizing the advanced stage of our preparations and, by way of consequence, in declaring open support for our accession.
In the current European context today’s favorable vote reconfirms that the European Parliament remains deeply attached to the European emblematic projects, and that enhancing cooperation at European level is extremely valuable and allows our citizens to appreciate the full benefits of the European construction.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses hope that the positive message conveyed by the European Parliament today with its confidence vote given Romania for its joining the Schengen Area will allow for the adoption by the Council, within the shortest delays, of the decision concerning Romania joining the Schengen Area.

France will be granting Taiwanese youth the working holiday visa soon, the Bureau Francais de Taipei said Wednesday at the institute's name change press conference. The Taiwan-France working holiday program is at its final stage of completion and hopefully will be ready before the arrival of summer, said the Bureau Director Patrick Bonneville.

Bonneville noted that a consensus has been reached between the two sides and France will become a new working holiday destination for Taiwanese people as soon as the administrative procedures are finished.

"We hope as soon as possible, " Bonneville said, but he was unable to give a date for the launch.

Taiwan currently has working holiday visa agreements with six countries -- Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and Germany. France is expected to be the seventh.

Institut Francais de Taipei, a name used by the French representative office in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties since 1991, was changed to the Bureau Francais de Taipei in accordance with the French government's cultural policy abroad.

The French government, since the beginning of 2011, has created a specific public establishment responsible for all overseas cultural and promotional affairs and named it Institut Francais.

During the month of May 2011, a total number of 865 Visa on Arrival ( VoAs ) were issued . The number of VoAs issued during the month of April 2011 were 1234. During the period January-May 2011, a total number of 5004 VoAs were issued.

The country wise break up of VoAs issued during May 2011 was, Indonesia (122), New Zealand (121), Philippines (206), Japan (177), Singapore (149), Finland (57), Vietnam (6), Myanmar (4), Luxemburg (4) , Laos (1) and Cambodia (18).

The country wise break up of VoAs issued during January-May 2011 was, New Zealand (1067), Japan (954), Philippines (829), Singapore (745), Indonesia (673), Finland (573), Cambodia (67), Vietnam (38), Luxemburg (29) Myanmar (27) and Laos (2).

India is doing a step ahead in the Immigration reform in terms of issuance of Tourist visa. During the period January-May 2011, the maximum number of VoAs were issued at Delhi airport (2766), followed by Mumbai (1166), Chennai (825) and Kolkata (247).

As a facilitative measure to attract more foreign tourists to India, Government has launched a Scheme of “Visa on Arrival” (VoA) from January 2010 for citizens of five countries, viz. Finland, Japan, Luxemburg, New Zealand and Singapore, visiting India for tourism purposes. This scheme has been extended for the citizens of six more countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos and Myanmar from January 2011

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced on its official website on Wednesday that China's first electronic passport, introduced on January 30 of this year, will take effect beginning July 1.

According to the announcement, the ministry has informed other countries of the electronic passport by providing the new passport sample, description and electronic certificate and has asked for the necessary cooperation from foreign governments.

The e-passport features an electronic data storage chip that contains personal information about the passport holder, including photos and fingerprints, which greatly increase security and the credibility of the passport.

The e-passport for foreign affairs carries images of China in the background, including sights of the Great Wall, while the common e-passport features the images of Chinese world cultural sites in front of images of red Chinese-style knots, according the Department of Consular Affairs. A member of the department said that the ministry will also continue to issue traditional passports, as the switch to e-passports will take some time.

Russia and the European Union have reached an agreement on long-term visas, for up to five years, a Foreign Ministry official said on Wednesday.

"In addition to a visa-free regime with the EU, we are also negotiating visa facilitation," said Vladimir Voronkov, director of the ministry's European Cooperation Department.
The EU currently issues short-term visas - from several days to one year, although the Schengen Agreement allows five-year visas, he said.

Five-year visas will not be issued immediately but only after a person has received a short-term visa and shown himself to be a responsible, law-abiding citizen, Voronkov said. Russia has no plans to scrap visa requirements unilaterally, he added.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has proposed a new process for filing H-1B visa petitions that it says could help businesses save millions of dollars, particularly due to reduced legal fees.

But some critics warn that the government proposal would also create a new way to game the H-1B visa system.

The USCIS proposal aims to prevent a recurrence of what happened in 2009, when the government received 163,000 H-1B petitions for 85,000 slots allowed under the cap.

The result of that year's overload of H-1B applications: "Multiple truckloads of petitions were stacked on pallets on loading docks, in offices and in hallways," said the USCIS in its proposal.Employers had to spend thousands of dollars in legal fees to file these petitions, without any guarantee that it would survive a lottery held to make the final selection.

The USCIS said its proposal aims to fix the problem. Under the proposed rule, employers would initially register electronically by completing a relatively simple form in a process that should take about 30 minutes. The electronic registrations would be used by officials to create a first cut of full registrants. A waiting list would be created if the number of H-1B registrations exceeds the cap limit.

The USCIS says that the "main benefit that will result from this rule is that employers that want to hire an H-1B worker will be able to forgo the time, effort and expense associated with the preparation of a full H-1B petition" and completing U.S. Department of Labor paperwork, "until USCIS notifies the H-1B employer that space exists under the cap."

Some immigration attorneys believe the USCIS plan would create a new way to game the system of applying for H-1B visas. The American Immigration Lawyers Association is warning that the system will create a rush of registrations and "generate false H-1B demand" by "creating a flood of unnecessary or unqualified registrations, potentially numbering in the thousands, that will ultimately be abandoned or denied."

It's expected that the USCIS will set up this electronic registration period each March, just prior to the April 1 start date for new fiscal year applications. The lawyers' association said the proposal presupposes that employers will have completed work on projecting staffing levels needed for the entire U.S. fiscal year.

The USCIS projects that the new rules would save employers some $24 million in preparation costs over the next ten years.

The USCIS ended the comment period on the proposal rule last month. This USCIS proposal was borne out of the crush of the H-1B petitions the agency received in the pre-recession years. The pace of demand has slowed since then.

As of last week, the government has received 13,100 H-1B petitions toward its 65,000 cap, and 9,000 petitions toward the cap of 20,000 that's set aside for advanced degree holders. It's expected that the USCIS will reach the fiscal 2012 cap for the year, though it's still months away from doing so.

The relative fall-off in demand is blamed on a still weak economy, as well as a recent move by Congress to impose a new $2,000 fee for H-1B petitions on companies, mostly offshore firms, that rely heavily on holders of U.S. visas.

Offshore firms may be shifting to other visas, such as L-1, as well as improving the efficiency of their onshore operations, and/or boosting U.S. hiring, to reduce the need for visa holders.

Ukrainian and Serbian officials have signed here an agreement on a visa-free regime for short-term travel between two countries.

"I am pleased to proclaim that we have just signed a bilateral agreement to ease visa requirements for our citizens," said Kostyantyn Gryschenko, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, during a press conference with his Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic.

The agreement provides for visa-free regime for citizens of Ukraine and Serbia for a period of 30 days within 60 days from the date of first entry.

Gryschenko noted that the introduction of the visa-free regime is very important for stirring up visits of Ukraine and Serbia citizens to friendly countries. It will also strengthen relations between the two states and promote intensification of contacts in the economic, culture-humanitarian and other spheres.

In early May, the Republic of Macedonia introduced a visa-free regime of short-term travel for citizens of Ukraine for the period from May 10 to Oct. 31, 2011. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry prepared a draft agreement on visa regime liberalization with six countries, such as Paraguay, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Croatia, Mexico and Argentina.

Saudi Arabia aims to create more jobs for its nationals by not renewing the work permits of foreign workers who have spent six years in the country, the Saudi labor minister said. The current situation calls for strong cooperation between the government and private sector in solving the problem of unemployment with hundreds of thousands looking for work.

It remains unclear as to when the decision will be implemented or whether it will be applicable to all foreigners or to specific jobs. There are currently eight million foreign workers in the Kingdom, of which six million are employed in the private sector.

Companies across Saudi have targeted workers from Asia, who are allegedly willing to work long hours for low salaries, or have swerved towards well-paid foreign experts. Unemployment in the Kingdom currently stands at 10.5 percent, the minister said. An estimated 28 percent of the unemployed were women and 40 percent high school graduates, he added.

Saudi Arabia has an estimated population of 25 million, with almost 70 percent of Saudis under the age of 30. The Gulf Arab state, the largest economy of the GCC and largest oil exporter in the world, has an annual GDP of $622 billion, and a GDP per capita of $24,200.

Unemployment amongst Saudi nationals has risen despite the country’s wealth. Analysts say that a dated school system focused on religion and the Arabic language is a factor that has produced graduates who have difficulty finding jobs in the private sector. Also, a rapidly growing population - increasing by around 2.4 percent annually – adds to the difficulty for finding jobs.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle confirmed that Russia and the United States will soon agree on three-year multiple entry visas. At their meeting on Thursday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama announced plans to liberalize visa restrictions for businessmen and tourists traveling between the two countries. Under the new agreement, eligible business travelers and tourists would be issued visas valid for 36 months at a unified and reciprocal fee.

"I think that in two months maximum we will sign an agreement to issue new multiple entry visas for three years," Beyrle said in Russian during an interview with Ekho Moskvy radio station. "The presidents instructed to complete negotiations on the issue, that's why I expect the agreement to be ready by summer, maximum by fall."

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed scrapping visa restrictions between the two countries altogether during a meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Moscow in March.

Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Klyuyev said here on Wednesday that biometric passports will be introduced in the country by the end of this year. "This is a very important task and, in my opinion, we will be able to resolve the issue till the end of the current year," said Klyuyev at a meeting in Kiev.

The main purpose of the new passports introduction is to facilitate travel of Ukrainian citizens abroad. A new system of biometric verification and identification will enable to get visas faster. The new passports will be very close to the EU standards. They will contain a non-contact electronic data with passport biometrical data in accordance with international rules. An ID number, digital images and digital signature will be also the elements of the new documents.

According to preliminary calculations, biometric passport will cost about 92 U.S. dollars in Ukraine. While the average European price of biometric passports is about 62 dollars. Klyuyev, also minister of economic development and trade of Ukraine, stressed that the president and prime minister of Ukraine personally control the process of visa regime with EU liberalization.

A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport is a combined paper and electronic document that contains biometric information that can be used to identify the traveler's features.

In an effort to cater to foreign investors and businesses, President Chinchilla signed a new policy this week that will grant 2-year temporary residencies to foreign executives and employees in Costa Rica. Certain foreign companies operating in free-trade zones and the tourism, export, import and business sectors will now have an easier time at the Costa Rican immigration office.

The laborious process of obtaining a visa in Costa Rica will soon become easier, thanks to a new regulation signed by President Laura Chinchilla. The new “Foreign Business Registration Policy” will expedite the visa process for foreign business executives and employees working and investing in Costa Rica.The policy change will grant two-year temporary residencies to foreign executives, managers and technical personnel employed in free-trade zones or by the tourism, telecommunications, airlines, and import and export sectors.

A representative of the Foreign Trade Ministry (COMEX) told that this policy doesn't apply to individuals unless they are employed by foreign businesses or operations that fit the criteria outlined by the government agencies.

Estonian Ambassador to Denmark Meelike Palli opened the fifth Estonian Honorary Consulate in Denmark. Estonia’s new honorary consul is Thomas Graversen. The honorary consulate is located in the city of Fredericia in South Jutland.

Estonian Ambassador Meelike Palli said at the opening that an honorary consulate in Fredericia will help to develop closer economic and cultural ties than before. “Opening an honorary consulate in the economically active area of Jutland – the triangle of Fredericia, Vejle and Kolding – will create new opportunities for Estonian businesses in business relations, export, and investments,” the ambassador stated.

“Since Denmark and Estonia have such good, long-lived and historical relations, being the Estonian honorary consul is a particularly great honour for me,” noted Thomas Graversen during the opening of the honorary consulate.

Head of the foreign offices of Enterprise Estonia Krista Humal was present at the opening to introduce Estonia’s favourable investment environment and tourism opportunities. Others present at the opening of the honorary consulate were members of South Jutland’s local government and representatives of business, cultural, educational and consular circles, including Mayor of Fredericia Thomas Banke.

Honorary Consul Thomas Graversen was born in Fredericia in 1962. He studied at the Fredericia International Business College and at the Trekantområdet Business Academy. In 1984 he began working at the furniture production company Fredericia Furniture and in 1995 he became the owner of the company.

The new honorary consulate is located at the address Treldevej 183, 7000 Fredericia, Denmark. The honorary consul can be reached by phone at +45 7592 3344, by fax at +45 7592 3876, or emails can be sent to estonianconsul@fredericia.com.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today published an expanded list of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degree programs that qualify eligible graduates on student visas for an Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension-an important step forward in the Obama administration's continued commitment to fixing our broken immigration system and expanding access to the nation's pool of talented high skilled graduates in the science and technology fields.

The announcement follows President Obama's recent remarks in El Paso, Texas, where he reiterated his strong support for new policies that embrace talented students from other countries, who enrich the nation by working in science and technology jobs and fueling innovation in their chosen fields here in the United States, as a part of comprehensive reform.

By expanding the list of STEM degrees to include such fields as Neuroscience, Medical Informatics, Pharmaceutics and Drug Design, Mathematics and Computer Science, the Obama administration is helping to address shortages in certain high tech sectors of talented scientists and technology experts-permitting highly skilled foreign graduates who wish to work in their field of study upon graduation and extend their post-graduate training in the United States.

Under the OPT program, foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges and universities are able to remain in the U.S. and receive training through work experience for up to 12 months. Students who graduate with one of the newly-expanded STEM degrees can remain for an additional 17 months on an OPT STEM extension.

Sudan and Eritrea have agreed to open their common borders to facilitate passage between the two countries through ID cards without the need for entry visas. In addition, the two countries have agreed to facilitate goods and commodities traffic, without restrictions, organize inter trade and remove all border crossing points that hinder movement of citizens of the two countries.

Eritrean President, Isaias Afewerki, said the close relations between Sudan and Eritrea has prompted governments of the two countries to work for facilitating natural movement of the peoples of the two countries.

In his meeting in Asmara yesterday with the visiting Minister of Interior, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kamal Hassan and the accompanying delegation, the Eritrean President said the stability of North Sudan and South Sudan means the stability of the entire region.

The Minister of Interior said the visit by the Sudanese delegation to Eritrea comes by within the directives of President Omer Al Bashir who has directed for the removal of all obstacles that hinder smooth traffic between the two countries.

Melbourne, Beleaguered Australian universities have come together to plead for easing of visa restrictions for students from India and China. The two most populous countries in the world provide the vast bulk of international students to Australia. There has been a significant drop in students from India putting many self-funded Australian universities and other higher education providers in deep financial crisis.

Though the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) recently eased the visa norms for India and 37 other countries, a body representing Australian universities want more relaxations to save the third largest export of the country.

There has been a call to revamp the Assessment Level system which decides the key requirements like financials and English Language requirements for the international students interested in Australian education. Currently, students from India and China are classified under Assessment Level 3 and 4. The visa requirements become stringent as the level goes up.

"Broadly, the extraordinary burden placed on high quality university students from Assessment Level 3 and 4 countries, particularly in terms of financial proof, is critically prohibitive to the ongoing sustainability of the international education industry," Universities Australia (UA) said in a submission to the Knight Review of Student Visa Program. The submission suggests varied Assessment Levels within countries like China and India.

The need for selective Assessment Levels has been made as "in India and China if high rates of fraud and non-compliance exist in Punjab and Fujian respectively, then they should attract a much higher assessment level compared to other regions within those large countries", UA argued in the submission to the review body. The Universities Australia has blamed "Commonwealth" agencies for not acting in time to prevent fraudulent practices even though "the triple digit growth in 572 visas from Nepal and India (Punjab) was very obvious" in 2009-10. The subclass 572 visas were granted to students enrolled in vocational courses like hairdressing and cookery.

Georgian Foreign Ministry welcomes the U.S. decision to extend the visa term for Georgian citizens. Given the visa-free regime that Georgia has established for United States citizens, based on the agreement reached at a meeting of a working group under the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Charter, the U.S. government has decided on a maximum extension of the visa term for certain categories of Georgian citizens, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

The maximum visa term for tourist and business visas (B1/B2) and transit (C1/D) visas will increase from the current 12 months, multiple entry, to 120 months, multiple entry and in the A, F, G, H, J, L, M, O, P, Q, R categories - from the current 12 months to 60 months; in the B, C, D categories - from the current 12 months to 120 months.

Georgia introduces a visa-free regime for citizens of Albania, Iraq, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the Parliamentary Secretary of the government Gia Khuroshvili told Trend, citizens of these countries will be eligible for visa-free stay in Georgia for 360 days.

According to the Georgian government, the introduction of the visa-free regime will facilitate the inflow of foreign investments in the country and tourism development. Earlier, Georgia introduced a visa-free regime for citizens of the United States and European Union states. The bill was considered by ministers at yesterday's governmental meeting, and will be submitted to parliament for approval in the next few days.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that visa procedures would be lifted with Malaysia. Prime Minister Erdogan appeared at a joint news conference after meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Mohamed Najib bin Abdul Razak and said that they agreed to lift visa procedures between the two countries.

"We are also planning to launch direct flights between Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport and Kuala Lumpur," he said. Erdogan said that Abdul Razak was the first Malaysian prime minister paying a state visit to Turkey in 28 years.

"We will sign a free trade agreement between Turkey and Malaysia this year. Such an agreement will add momentum to our economic and commercial relations. Currently, our trade volume is about 1.2 billion USD. We can increase it up to 5 billion USD. We are going to attend Turkey-Malaysia Business Forum in Istanbul tomorrow. We will tell our businessmen that we are ready to extend full support to mutual investments. Our businessmen can also work together in the third countries," he said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdul Razak, on his part, said that he invited Prime Minister Erdogan to Malaysia by the end of 2011 to sign strategic cooperation agreement and free trade agreement. "These two agreements will mark beginning of a new era in Turkey-Malaysia relations. There will be no more visa procedures between our countries," he said.

The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers has approved a draft agreement with Switzerland on visa facilitation.

"The government has approved a draft agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Swiss Federal Council on the facilitation of the issuance of visas. A relevant resolution was passed at its meeting on December15," the Department of Information and Communications of the Cabinet Secretariat said.

The implementation of this agreement will help relax the rules for trips to Switzerland, in particular expanding the categories of Ukrainian citizens who to whom the simplified procedure for gaining Swiss visas applies. In addition, the agreement proposes cutting the time for processing visa applications, increasing the term of validity of multiple-entry visas and simplifying the procedure for their issuing.

The draft agreement also suggests the abolition of visa fees for certain categories of Ukrainians. As reported, Ukraine intends to agree on the relaxation of visa requirements with 14 countries, in including Switzerland, in 2011.

An interim cap introduced last summer has been deemed unlawful by the UK High Court; High Court Judges have ruled that ministers needed parliamentary approval before going ahead with the temporary immigration.

As a result, the temporary immigration cap is no longer in force. If you wish to apply for a tier 1 visa or tier 2 visa you should apply as soon as possible. Ministers can introduce a new cap when Parliament returns in January. MPs and Peers would then have an opportunity to oppose the immigration cap within 40 days.Ministers introduced the temporary cap -- set at 24,100 a year -- last summer as an attempt to reduce net immigration into the UK. The cap was challenged by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) and the English Community Care Association.

Lord Justice Sullivan and Mr. Justice Burton found that the home secretary had not gone through proper channels when implementing the cap; The proposals should have been put to a vote in Parliament.

"There can be no doubt that [Theresa May] was attempting to side-step provisions for Parliamentary scrutiny set up under provisions of the 1971 Immigration Act and her attempt was for that reason unlawful," they stated.

Because of this, the High Court ruled that no limits were to be in place for Tiers 1 and 2 of the points based immigration system.

The English Community Care Association said the cap was implemented without regard for how it would affect care providers. Vacancies could not be filled by British staff. There is insufficient demand for these jobs among the UK Citizens and residents.

The immigration cap has been highly controversial, even within the UK Government. The Lib Dems the junior Coalition partner has called for the cap to be more flexible so that UK companies can hire the highly skilled staff they need from abroad.

The Ghanaian High Commission in the UK is in the process of introducing automated visa and passport application procedures.

In a press release copied to ghanabusinessnews.com, the High Commission says the news system when completed will facilitate online visa and passport applications. The new system the Mission said will come into effect on January 17, 2011 and applicants can complete their applications on the Mission’s website at www.ghanahighcommissionuk.com.

It will also use text messaging and email services to notify applicants when the Mission receives applicant’s documents, and when approved applications are ready for collection or dispatch

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will again start accepting applications under the federal Immigration Investor Program from 1 December 2010. Applicants under the Immigration Investor Program will need to have a personal net worth of $1.6 million CAD, which doubles the previous net worth requirement of $800,000. Moreover, applicants will be required to make an investment of $800,000. Under the previous rules, only a $400,000 investment was needed.
According to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, changes to the criteria for the immigration investor program were overdue.

"These changes were necessary," said Kenney. "The requirements had not been increased in more than a decade and we need to keep pace with the changing economy."

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) said that Canada had the lowest requirements for their investor immigration schemes compared to other countries with similar programs. To reduce the backlog of applications and to avoid a rush of applications before the changes take place Canada suspended the Immigration Investor Program in June 2010.

"The new criteria now align it more closely with other immigrant-receiving countries," CIC said in a statement.

CIC said that the previous requirements were leading to a backlog of applications. By raising the net worth and investment requirements, Canada hopes to reduce the number of applicants and only let in those who can make a substantial investment in the Canadian economy.

"Higher investment amounts mean provinces and territories will receive more investment capital to put toward job creation and economic development projects," Kenney said.

Canada's Immigration Investor Program grants applicants a permanent residence visa and a guaranteed repayment of their investment. The immigrant investor program was already an expensive way of gaining permanent residence in Canada. Doubling the investment requirements is bound to put off some people. It remains to be seen if the changes will in reality result in increased investment into Canada. There are already a number of ways in which you can emigrate to Canada and a number of other Countries around the World without having to invest any money.

New Zealand is to open a full Embassy in Vienna, Austria, in January 2011, Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced. New Zealand already has a Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna, which will now be co-located with the Embassy.

“New Zealand and Austria share many common values and have a good record of cooperation on international issues,” Minister McCully says.

“The Embassy in Vienna will help to consolidate New Zealand’s diplomatic footprint in Europe. Vienna is an important gateway into Central and Eastern Europe and it is the home of many significant international organizations. A key focus of the Embassy will be to develop trade and economic links with Austria and its neighboring region.”

Career diplomat Philip Griffiths will take up the position of Ambassador to Austria in January 2011. Mr Griffiths will also hold the position as New Zealand’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna.

Details of massive fraud and abuse of the popular H-2B work visa program have been made public by a government report, which shows that in one of such cases more than 87 Indian nationals paid at least USD 20,000 each to enter the US illegally.

"Several recent convictions have shown that some employers and recruiters may be abusing the foreign workers in the program," the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in its letter to Congressman George Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

The report details 10 cases of wrongdoings that showed violations in areas such as unfair wages for employees, excessive fees charged to employees, and fraudulent documentation submitted to federal agencies to circumvent program rules. The 10 cases that we reviewed demonstrate fraud and abuse committed by recruiters and employers participating in the H-2B visa program and operating in 29 states.

"The 10 cases that we reviewed demonstrate fraud and abuse committed by recruiters and employers participating in the H-2B visa program and operating in 29 states," the report made public yesterday said.In six of the 10 cases GAO reviewed, there were allegations that employers did not pay their H-2B employees the established hourly wage, overtime, or both.

In six cases, employers charged their H-2B workers fee that was for the benefit of the employer or charged excessive fee that brought employees' wages below the hourly federal minimum wage. Also in eight of the 10 cases, employers were alleged to have submitted fraudulent documentation.

The H2B working visa is a non-immigrant visa which allows foreign nationals to enter into the US temporarily and engage in non-agricultural employment that is seasonal, intermittent, or based on a peak load need. According to GAO, a company in Louisiana obtained USD 1.8 million from a fraudulent H-2B visa conspiracy to bring 87 Indian nationals into the United States illegally.

The company submitted fraudulent H-2B documentation to federal agencies allegedly seeking workers from India.It charged at least USD 20,000 each for the H-2B visas but never employed the Indians. The GAO report said representatives of the firm traveled to India to assist the Indians with the application process and corresponded with the US Consulate on behalf of the workers. These conspirators were indicted on federal criminal charges in 2008.

The Swedish National Migration Board will allow visiting students to apply online for their entry visas and residence permits, as well as pay their fees on its website. The goal of the move is to offer better service, as well as reduce the waiting time to process applications. The service will be initially introduced on a small scale, then gradually be introduced to Swedish embassies and consulates.

Two groups of applicants can now make use of the electronic services. Those who do not need an entry visa to visit Sweden can apply for a residence permit for visiting students on the agency's website. The application will then be processed in Sweden and the permit issued by the embassy or consulate indicated by the applicant.

For Chinese residents, those who must apply for a visa for any kind of visit to Sweden, or a residence permit for visiting students can do so online for applications handled by the Swedish embassy in Beijing.

Applicants can submit all their information online and pay the application fee electronically before the mandatory embassy visit, making the application process more efficient.The Swedish consulate in Shanghai will also offer these services next month. They will be rolled out at other Swedish missions next year.

According to the agency, in 2009, Sweden's embassy and consulate received nearly 2,500 applications for visiting student permits out of about 16,900 in various other countries around the world.

According to a new study by the Conference Board of Canada (CBC), immigrants can help boost innovation in Canada, which is currently lagging behind other developed nations.

"Immigrants tend to be motivated individuals willing to take risks in search of greater opportunities, which should predispose them to be innovative," said Diana MacKay, Director, Education and Health. "At every level we examined—individual, organizational, national and global—immigrants were associated with increased innovation in Canada."The CBC says that Canada is consistently ranked 14 out of 17 industrialized nations in its capacity to innovate. In it's report, Immigrants as Innovators: Boosting Canada's Global Competitiveness, the CBC used various criteria to show that countries benefit by encouraging immigration.

The report found that at least 35 percent of Canada Research Chairs are foreign-born, even though immigrants only make up one-fifth of the population. In addition, immigrants win proportionally more literary and performing arts awards in Canada than native born Canadians.

Immigration also leads to an increase in trade between Canada and the immigrants' countries of origin. According to the CBC report, a one percent point increase in the number of immigrants to Canada can increase the value of imports into Canada by as much as 0.21 percent and raise the value of exports by 0.11 percent.

Foreign direct investment in Canada is also greater from countries who are well-represented in Canada's immigrant population, according to data compiled by the CBC from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

Germany is monitoring Bulgaria’s effort to fight crime and corruption and supports its bid to join the 25-nation Schengen Zone that allows passport-free travel in most of the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. The German premier arrived at the Bulgarian capital Sofia today to discuss bilateral projects and Bulgaria’s plan to become a Schengen member, along with neighboring Romania, in March 2011.

“We will evaluate the readiness of each country to join the Schengen Zone depending on how well it has covered the list of criteria,” Merkel told reporters. “Germany supports Bulgaria’s efforts to join the Schengen Zone.”

The two Black Sea countries, which entered the EU in 2007, would follow eight other former communist countries that became Schengen members on Dec. 18, 2007, as the EU expands its influence east and gives its newest members increased rights within the EU.

The European Commission, the EU’s Brussels-based executive arm, is expected to assess in November whether Bulgaria and Romania are ready to take the Schengen step in the planned timeframe, Merkel said.

The two newest EU states are set to receive 45 billion euros ($60 billion) of EU aid in part to improve infrastructure to EU levels, including security systems. The most important issue is to ensure the supremacy of law, so that people outside the Schengen area cannot obtain Schengen zone visas through corruption.

The UAE’s Ministry of Labor announced plans to use online filing system to speed up the application process for work permits across the country.

In the existing system, a representative from the company must go to the ministry’s physical location to apply for a work permit, a process that unnecessarily consumes time. The new system, on the other hand, will enable applicants to submit all documents electronically. Moreover, companies will be able to process the work permits through a software that they can buy, or use at selected service centers.

According to The National, Humaid bin Deemas, the executive director for Labour Affairs at the ministry, said we want to make sure that procedures will not form obstacles for any future changes in the criteria for the work permit and this move will work towards that end. It will also enable the ministry to concentrate more on formulating policies rather than spending time on mere procedures.

The system has been already introduced to companies that have more than fifty employees since the beginning of last year. However, the ministry plans to do a nationwide roll-out in the next period. Bin Deemas said in a press conference that the overall number of permits issued electronically until the end of August 2010 was 530,000 and the number of establishments that benefited from the service was 111,000. According to the Ministry of Labor, the move to an electronic system will reduce the time it takes to receive a primary application response from four days to four hours.

Some call this the strictest immigration bill ever introduced, is going through the Arizona legislature.

If the bill becomes law, one of its provisions would allow local police to check a person's immigration status. Currently, that right is reserved for federal agents.

Arizona's largest police union, the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA), has come out in support of the bill.

Additionally, the bill states that officers cannot solely consider race, color or national origin when carrying out their duties.It also says that people living here illegally could face criminal charges and that blocking traffic to pick up passengers and bring them somewhere else for work would be a ticketable offense. Further, the bill would prohibit people from transporting or harboring illegal aliens.

Right now the bill is in the senate and is expected to pass. It will then go to the governor, and she too is expected to sign it. What does it say about the climate for sweeping reform? you tell me.

Immigration reform has been put on the back burner for the past year or so. It has been eclipsed by debates over health care reform and job creation. But for many rural farming communities, at least in the West, it's an issue that continues to burn.

Out in Eastern Colorado, the tiny town of Yuma has recently weighed in on the immigration debate. The town council passed a unanimous resolution calling on the U.S. Congress and the president to "solve our ineffective immigration system."

For generations the town has relied on immigrant labor, which used to be seasonal. But in the past decade those jobs have become permanent, thanks to the area's expanding hog farms and feedlots. Today at least a quarter of Yuma's population is Hispanic, more if you factor in illegal immigrants.

Full story here....

Another step towards Immigration enforcement by policee. Now in California. San Joaquin is one of the latest counties to be part of a Department of Justice and Homeland Security initiative that checks the immigration status of those booked into its jails

San Joaquin and Stanislaus now join eight other counties in California, including Solano, San Diego and Los Angeles, in running the fingerprints of everyone booked into their jails through Homeland Security immigration records, along with other routine criminal record checks.

If fingerprints match those in the Homeland Security database, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is automatically notified and can determine what actions, such as deportation, should be taken.

The goal of the system is to make sure that all those with violent criminal histories who are not naturalized citizens are not released back into the local community.

Read more....

Acoording to Haarez Magazine even as health care reform twists in the wind, immigration policy looms as the next big political debate, and Hispanics and Jews are moving to the forefront in a burgeoning political alliance.

The next three months are seen as critical in the fight for immigration reform, but the weakening of the Democrats, grip on Congress with the recent loss of a key Massachusetts Senate seat does not bode well for the passage of reform legislation.

The Jewish-Latino alliance on immigration issues builds on the heritage and experience of the Jewish community and on the enthusiasm and urgent needs of the Hispanic community, which has a strong interest in issues of family unification and the status of the some 12 million illegal immigrants, most of them from Latin America. But Jewish activists also see the joint work as an opening for cooperation with the Hispanic community on other issues, such as Israel.

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As Haiti reels from a devastating earthquake that flattened buildings and left thousands of people trapped under rubble, three Republicans from Florida are calling on President Obama to do what President Bush never did -- grant temporary protected status to undocumented Haitians living in the U.S.

Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen wrote a letter to Obama arguing that "the combined destruction from today's catastrophic earthquake and the previous storms clearly makes forced repatriation of Haitians hazardous to their safety at this time...We strongly believe that it is for such a situation that Congress created TPS."

Even Broward Democrat Alcee Hastings added his name to the effort, calling it "not only immoral, but irresponsible'' to send the illegal Haitians back home.

The Obama administration has said that it wants to review the issue of the Haitians as part of a comprehensive approach to immigration reform. Coming to the aid of the mostly Catholic country are some advocacy groups with political punch, including the Catholic Church.

In February, Obama's Department of Homeland Security went ahead with the deportation of 30,000 Haitians first ordered up by the Bush administration. In response, Haiti stopped issuing travel documents for them, leaving some 600 Haitians in detention centers. In June, the Washington Post did a series on substandard medical care provided to the detainees.

By July, Obama said he was "very sympathetic" to the plight of the Haitians, but by October the advocacy groups were publicly expressing their unhappiness. "I feel they are stringing us along, and we are in an awkward position," said Randolph McGrorty, chief executive of Catholic Charities Legal Services. "Do we allow them to string us along because they are our allies or do we start calling them on the carpet for it?"

Now, given the utter destruction of the country's already-limited infrastructure, political pressure is likely to grow even further on the administration to let the illegals stay. Already today the DHS issued a statement that will halt all deportation to Haiti as they continue to monitor the situation, further actions are expected by the government, we feel that this may a great opportunity to pass some sort of emergency legislation to allow the first wave of illegal migrants to stay in the US, maybe this is the bginning of something bigger.

For the complete LA Times story here..

Most permanent residents think that just by having the Green Card they are safe from deportation, they should think again.

When Jose Angel Carachuri-Rosendo was just 4 years old, his family moved from Mexico to Texas as legal U.S. immigrants. As the years passed, Carachuri-Rosendo firmly planted roots in the Lone Star State with his fiancée and four children, who were all U.S. citizens. But after a series of misdemeanor offenses, he was required to leave the place he had called home for more than 20 years. In 2004, he was convicted of possessing less than two ounces of marijuana, and in 2005 he was convicted of a second drug-possession offense for having a single anti-anxiety tablet, Xanax, without a valid prescription. After the second conviction, he was deported to Mexico.

In December the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear the case in an effort to clarify the law and help lower courts make consistent determinations. The court will specifically address whether legal immigrants convicted of repeat minor drug-possession crimes should be subject to deportation.

What do you think is it reasonable to push somebody like Jose through the system and deport him, or should the government focus on hard criminals that can actually cause harm to our society instead. Some food for thought.

Read the Newsweek story here.

So as the year comes to an end, what will be the future of Immigration reform. President Obama's administration has told immigration reform backers the president is committed to giving illegal immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship, officials said.

Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina and other top officials delivered the message in a conference call, the Los Angeles Times reports. Staff members have also told Hispanic leaders privately that President Barack Obama will back legislation in the next year.

All we know is that if nothing significant will pass in 2010, the prospects for a major reform will become impossible. Read more here...