Articles Posted in Global Immigration Stories

The Canadian Government will be providing $300,000 of funding over four years to provide learning opportunities from ethnic groups to help them better participate in Canadian society. This was announced recently by Colin Carrie, Oshawa Member of Parliament on behalf of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. MP Colin Carrie had the following to say:
“Canada’s future depends on all of us growing together through our shared values, history and institutions.”
“Through initiatives such as the Civic Awareness Project, we are acting to ensure that this future will be built by all Canadians, including newcomers, as we continue strengthening our proud and democratic society.”
Agincourt Community Services Association will help 240 people mainly from the Chinese, Afghani and Somali communities. This will cover the following:
* Learning activities regarding the Canadian democratic process.

* The structure of government.

* The rights and responsibilities associated with Canadian citizenship.

* Leadership Training.

Gael Gilbert, Executive Director of the Agincourt Community Services Association had the following to say:
“For many new Canadians, there are significant roadblocks to full civic participation in Canada, and we aim to address that through the Civic Awareness Project.” “We are very pleased that the Government of Canada is supporting this initiative.”
Citizenship and Immigration Canada provides support to a number of programs that they feel leads to greater intercultural understanding and to a more equal society.

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that the Government of Canada has amended its current immigration procedures to put even greater emphasis on economic recovery and further reduce the Federal Skilled Worker application backlog. The changes, effective immediately, concern the Federal Skilled Worker program, including:
1) a change in the occupations that are currently ‘open’ under this program,
2) the creation of a limit on the number of applications which will be considered by Canadian Immigration Visa Offices, and
3) a change in the documentation required for an application under this program.

These changes do not affect any applications received at the Central Intake Office before June 26, 2010.

Under these updated instructions, an application is eligible for processing if the applicant:
• has at least one year of continuous, full-time (or equivalent) paid work experience in the past decade in a qualifying occupation, which have been identified as the most in-demand occupations in Canada at this time; or
• qualifies for Arranged Employment with a full-time permanent job offer from a Canadian employer.

Applicants who formerly qualified because they had been living in Canada with legal status as a Temporary Foreign Worker or an international student will no longer be eligible under the Federal Skilled Worker program, but may still meet the eligibility criteria of the Canadian Experience Class program.

The former list of 38 qualifying occupations has been amended to include 11 new occupations with 20 previously listed occupations having been removed.

Effective immediately, the following occupations have been added to the list:
0811 Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture)
1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management
1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners
2121 Biologists and Related Scientists
2151 Architects
3113 Dentists
3131 Pharmacists
3222 Dental Hygienists & Dental Therapists
4151 Psychologists
4152 Social Workers
7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades

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The number of applicants for asylum in Finland has dropped sharply. This year an estimated 2,000 fewer asylum seekers are expected in Finland than last year. Last year the number of applicants totalled 6,000. Coinciding with this year’s drop in applications, the Finnish Immigration Service is also cutting the number of reception center places. Although numbers are down, this could change depending on what kinds of crises are brewing around the world.

About ten new reception centers have been set up in the past couple of years. More recently the Finnish Immigration Service has reduced allocated places at reception centers by 700, and more cuts are expected.

A law took effect this month allowing fast-track processing for asylum applications by citizens of other European Union countries.This has already reduced the number of applicants from Bulgaria. In practice, a citizen from another EU country cannot be granted asylum in Finland.

Angola’s Migration and Foreigners Services (SME) have digitalized operations which will enable it issue visas online, PANA reports quoting the Angolan News Agency. Deputy Minister of Interior for Migration, Eduardo Martins, said that 32 Angolan consulates had already been linked in the online operations.

Speaking at a meeting of ministers and governors of the Angolan provinces sharing borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), at the weekend in northern Uige province, Martins said 25 more consulates would be linked online next month.

Dubai plans to launch a special visa system to lure talented foreign entrepreneurs as it tries to boost its economy after the global downturn. Under the EntrePass scheme, budding start-ups with high commercial value will be encouraged to set up in Dubai and share knowledge and intellectual property rights with the emirate. Entrepreneurs will have their visa application expedited and be provided with guidance from experts at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment (MBRE) for SME Development in starting their businesses.

In the fourth quarter, MBRE will launch a pilot programme for EntrePass involving 10 entrepreneurs before widening the scheme. Based on a similar system in Singapore, EntrePass is designed as an alternative to conventional business visas. In certain cases, they may also have access to finance through the UAE’s first Sharia-compliant venture capital fund.

“We want Dubai to be the centre for innovative small and medium enterprises [SMEs],” said Alexandar Williams, the director of strategy and policy division at MBRE, an agency of the Department of Economic Development in Dubai. The future of Dubai will rest on nurturing selective foreign entrepreneurs with good ideas to use Dubai as a test bed for development and to build business around it. MBRE plans to select and invite individuals or companies with strong entrepreneurial records to apply for the visa by offering them the promise of guidance throughout the setting-up process. MBRE was launched by the Dubai Government with the intention of supporting the growing number of start-ups in the emirate.

The pass will last between two and three years, enough time for initial businesses concepts to be fully tested and launched. “We are looking at any company with new business models and existing technology that can be adapted to the UAE and that could benefit Dubai through the sharing of intellectual property and knowledge transfer,” said Mr Williams.

The decision to block the new UK immigration restrictions, introduced by former Home Secretary Alan Johnson, has been welcomed by language schools across the country.Rules that would have prevented UK student visa holders moving to the UK unless they had sufficient language skills, have been overturned by a judge.

The ruling came from Mr Justice Foskett, who criticised the fact that the new rules were to be established through changes to existing guidelines. He concluded that the rules should have been legally binding, which would have required them to be approved by parliament.

English UK, a group that represents 440 language schools around the UK, is celebrating the ruling. The group’s chief executive, Tony Milns, said, “We believe that his decision is good for the UK economy, to which the English language sector contributes about £1.5 billion in foreign earnings each year.”
Home Secretary, Theresa May, may choose to make if she still wants to introduce measures to prevent people abusing the UK student visa system. She can either remake Alan Johnson’s rules and make sure the are approved by MPs before being introduced, or she can postpone any changes until the effects of her new cap on non-EU UK immigration are established.

The fees for US visa applications have changed for the second time this year. As a result of the changes announced by the US Department of State, US visa applications for immigrants sponsored by immediate family, will now cost $330. Visa applications on employment-based cases, i.e applications for US work visas, will see fees increase to $720.

The fee changes, which are chargeable from yesterday (13 July 2010) affect all 301 US foreign consular offices as well as other passport and US visas offices serving US citizens. Other visa fee changes were announced on 4 June this year. The increase in fees has been introduced to make sure the rising cost of providing consular services can be met, according to press releases sent to all consular offices.

The changes are the result of an exhaustive cost of service study, which was carried out last summer. The study developed a clearer picture of the cost to the US immigration department of providing its services. The department says it is keen to make sure that costs are met by the service users, rather than by the US taxpayer.

Indian professionals took the largest one-third piece of the H1B visa pie in 2009 as Indians made up the second largest group of people making the U.S. their temporary home. Accounting for one-tenth of non-immigrant residents in the U.S., 364,757 Indians were only second to the Mexicans who made up 11.7 percent at 403,793, but 123,002 H1B visa holders from India gave them the largest 36.3 percent share among professionals.

Resident non-immigrant admissions from India actually declined from 425,826 (11.5 percent) as the total decreased 6.8 percent from 3.7 million in 2008 to 3.4 million in 2009, according to the annual flow report issued by the Department of Homeland Security.

H1B admissions from India too declined from 154,726 (37.8 percent) as the total decreased 17 percent from 409,619 in 2008 to 339,243 in 2009, but student admissions rose 3.8 percent from 2008 to 2009, reflecting an increase in academic student entries (F1). The leading countries of citizenship for resident non-immigrant admissions to the US in 2009 were Mexico (12 percent), India (11 percent), Japan (6.6 percent), Canada (6.4 percent), China (5.8 percent), Britain (5.6 percent), and South Korea (5.6 percent). These seven countries accounted for more than 50 percent of resident non-immigrant admissions to the US.

From 2008 to 2009, decreases in resident admissions occurred among eight of the 10 leading countries of citizenship with the decrease from India (14 percent decrease) attributable to workers in specialty occupations, the report said. The leading countries of citizenship for H1B admissions in 2009 were India (36 percent), Canada (6.5 percent), Britain (4.3 percent) and Mexico (4.2 percent).

In 2009, leading source countries for L1 for company transfers included India (16 percent), Britain (13 percent) and Japan (9.9 percent). Forty percent of L1 admissions were accounted for by nationals of these three countries.

The change in Canadian immigration rules for Chinese tour groups comes after China won Approved Destination Status in December last year. The change in policy will make it easier for Chinese people to obtain Canadian visas for tourism rather than having to go through the Canadian business visa system. It will also allow Canadian tourism firms to market tourism to China. Canada and China are close to signing a final agreement that will give Chinese tour groups the right to visit Canada on Canadian visas.

A memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed on Thursday at the G20 summit, in a move that will mark “an important moment in the bilateral history of tourism co-operation.” This is according to the head of the National Tourism Administration in China, Shao Qiwei.

It seems now its getting somewhat tough to go for Work visa for Australia as the applicants now may have to clear TOEFL-an English language test. TOEFL exams are provided by ETS, an American company. Australian immigration works on a points-based system that awards more points to English speakers.The Australian immigration authorities are finally considering adopting a new English language test provider. The current English language tests used for many years to assess the level of English held by foreigners wishing to apply for Australian visas is no longer be in use. Now, it seems the country is looking at appointing rival exam provider TOEFL as an alternative.

A newspaper has reported that the Australian immigration minister has even contacted ETS to tell them of his ‘in-principal support for the acceptance of more than one English language test under the migration regulations.