Articles Posted in Top Immigration Stories

As part of its response to the Canterbury earthquake, Immigration New Zealand is working closely with other Government agencies to identify occupations where skill shortages may occur, for example, in the infrastructure or construction sectors to ensure that where an immigration response is required we are able to respond in a timely manner. For instance, this may result in changes being made to the Essential Skills in Demand Lists before our next review which is due for completion in mid 2011.

From Sept. 8, travelers flying to the US which do not requires visas will be required to pay a $14 “operational and travel promotion.” According to US Customs and Border Protection website, people from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries must pay when applying for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

The new tourist tax that was implemented today received criticism from European Union as “inconsistent with the commitment of the U.S. to facilitate transatlantic mobility.” The tourist fee affects air and sea travelers from VWP countries such as Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The total fee for a new or renewed ESTA will be $14. The breakdown includes $US10 tax and $US4 to recover the cost of the ESTA system. ESTA approval, which went into effect in early 2009, allows travelers to enter the United States without a full travel visa, which can cost over $100. The ESTA authorization lasts for two years (or until the individual’s passport expires), and is valid for multiple entries.

Canadian immigration also intends to significantly increase the investment requirements for the immigrant investor program:
– A personal net worth of $1.6M instead of $800,000
– An investment requirement of $800,000 instead of $400,000
Canadian immigration feels that that the investment requirements are too low. The investment requirements have not changed for more than ten years. The current system attracts more applicants than are required each year under the immigration plan. This has resulted in an increase in processing times.

Canadian immigration will not be accepting any more Canadian immigrant investor applications until the new system is operational. This is to prevent a surge of applicants before the change in the immigration requirements.

Immigration Minister Kenney had the following to say about the immigrant investor program:
“Canada needs investor immigrants.” These changes are necessary to keep Canada’s program competitive with that of other countries, and keep pace with the changing economy.

The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has dropped for the first time in 20 years as substantially fewer undocumented workers from Mexico, Latin America and elsewhere are crossing the border in search of jobs, an independent research group says.

The analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center suggests the nation’s economic downturn and increased border enforcement have reduced the number of illegal immigrants, who make up roughly 4 percent of the U.S. population.

The study released Wednesday estimates that 11.1 million illegal immigrants lived in the U.S. in 2009. That represents a decrease of roughly 1 million, or 8 percent, from a peak of 12 million in 2007, before Arizona intervened with its new enforcement measures.

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The Department of Homeland Security is systematically reviewing thousands of pending immigration cases and moving to dismiss those filed against suspected illegal immigrants who have no serious criminal records, according to several sources familiar with the efforts.

Culling the immigration court system dockets of noncriminals started in earnest in Houston about a month ago and has stunned local immigration attorneys, who have reported coming to court anticipating clients’ deportations only to learn that the government was dismissing their cases.

Richard Rocha, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman, said Tuesday that the review is part of the agency’s broader, nationwide strategy to prioritize the deportations of illegal immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety. Rocha declined to provide further details.

Critics assailed the plan as another sign that the Obama administration is trying to create a kind of backdoor “amnesty” program.

New U.S. legislation that sharply boosts visa fees to pay for tighter border security may play well in some parts of the country, but the applause is faint in Silicon Valley.

The measure, signed into law by President Barack Obama on Friday, is expected to raise operating costs for outsourcing firms that use large numbers of foreign-born employees to serve their U.S. customers. But the biggest impact, critics say, is to increase the perception that America is becoming more protectionist and hostile toward foreigners.

“It’s adding to the negativity about America,” said Vivek Wadhwa, a visiting scholar at the University of California and research associate at Duke University who studies immigration issues. “The money raised is insignificant and the damage is huge.”
Backers of the bill predict the visa fee increase will raise about $200 million a year to help pay for a $600 million appropriation to beef up security on the U.S.-Mexico border. The money is expected to pay for improvements that include hiring more border guards, boosting the number of federal agents and drone aircraft used for surveillance.

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UK immigration has announced another review of the UK Tier 4 student visa scheme. There has been a on third increase in student numbers in the twelve months to March 2010:
* For the period to March 2009 there were 235,295 student visas and 24,780 dependants.

* For the period to March 2010 there were 313,011 student visas and 31,385 dependants. This is an increase of 75,000 compared to the previous year.

Immigration Minister Damian Green had the following to say:
“We are committed to attracting the brightest and the best to the UK, and welcome legitimate students coming here for study. However, in the past there has been significant abuse of the student route, and we need to ensure that every student who comes to the UK is genuine. Therefore I am undertaking a thorough evaluation of the student system over the coming weeks and months and I will introduce new measures to minimize abuse and tighten the system further.”
The current Coalition Government and the previous Labor Government have been concerned that the UK student visa system has been used in some cases by students who are not genuine students. It was because of these concerns that Tier 4 Student visas were suspended for students from Pakistan and Nepal for a time earlier this year.

It seems quite likely that following the review there will be changes in future making it more difficult to come under the tier 4 student visa scheme. If you wish to come to the UK on a tier 4 student visa you should consider applying soon.

Every community has one of those. A San Diego man who federal authorities say defrauded fellow Somali immigrants of several million dollars, some of them losing their life savings, was arraigned Monday on a six-count grand jury indictment.

Mohamud Abdi Ahmed, 40, was charged in federal court with wire fraud and criminal forfeiture, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Valerie H. Chu. He was arrested Friday by FBI agents.

Ahmed owned and operated Shidaal Express, which offered financial services such as check cashing and money transfers to Somali immigrants, with several locations in San Diego, the indictment said. On Nov. 19, 2009, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued a preliminary injunction shutting down the firm. The company’s assets were frozen.

The commission’s complaint alleged that Ahmed also attracted stock market investors and raised at least $3 million from more than 40 investors in the Somali community in San Diego, Seattle and elsewhere, including at least $200,000 from a San Diego-area mosque. He would promise a return of 5 percent a month.

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UK Immigration policy witnessing new changes after the election on new Government. If you wish to join or marry your British citizen spouse or a permanent resident in the UK you will from 29 November 2010 need to pass an English language test with an approved test provider.If you are not an EU citizen you will need to show that you can speak and understand English if you wish to apply under one of the following categories to join your spouse or partner in the UK:
* Husband or wife
* Civil Partner
* Unmarried Partner
* Same-sex Partner
* Fiance/e
* Proposed Civil Partner
Immigration Minister Damian Green had the following to say:
“Speaking English promotes integration into British society and broadens opportunities. The new rules will help ensure that migrant spouses are able to participate in British life from the outset and integrate more easily into wider UK society”.

If you wish to come under the current immigration rules you will need to apply in the next four months. From 29 November 2010 you will have to pay for and pass an English test to gain entry as a spouse or partner.

UK Immigration is making or has already made a number of significant changes to the UK tier 4 visa scheme for students:
If you wish to come under Tier 4 (General) on or after 12 August 2010 and will be on a course below NQF Level 6 you must at an English language ability at a minimum of level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This excludes Foundation Degree courses or an English language course.

Your Tier 4 sponsor must show the following for you:
* You are from a majority English-speaking country.

OR
* You have successfully completed a course as a Tier 4 (Child) student and were granted permission to remain in the UK while you were still under 18 years of age. The course should have lasted at least six months and should have ended no more than two years before the date when the confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is assigned.

OR
* You have passed an English language test with an approved test provider for Tier 4 visas, and have reached at least CEFR level B1 in all four areas being reading, writing, speaking and listening.

We will continue to provide you more updates on UK Immigration.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

Nine people pleaded guilty to charges connected with their involvement in a scheme in central Ohio to arrange marriages between foreign nationals and U.S. citizens. The sentences were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE). Brian Moskowitz, ICE special agent in charge of the Office of Homeland Security Investigations in Ohio and Michigan, along with Carter M. Stewart, U. S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentences by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

The sentences were imposed on the following individuals:
– Hasan Salohutdinov of Dublin, Ohio, and an illegal alien from Uzbekistan, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment followed by deportation. He pleaded guilty on April 5, 2010, to one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and on count of presenting false statements to U.S. immigration authorities. Salohutdinov introduced other Uzbeks into the scheme in order that they might pay to engage in sham marriages.

– Dmitry Pani also of Dublin, and an illegal alien from Estonia, was sentenced to one year imprisonment. Pani also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.

– Sviatlana A. Piskunova of Columbus pleaded guilty to conspiracy and sentenced to time served.

– Laura Elizabeth Grace Scott of Columbus pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to two years probation which includes six months of home confinement.

– Courtnie Susann Good of Columbus pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and was sentenced to two years probation which includes six months of home confinement with electronic monitoring.

– Elbek A. Saidjanov of Philadelphia, Penn., pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and was sentenced to time served, about seven and one-half months.

– Iskander Odilovich Tairov, of Galloway, Ohio, pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and was sentenced to two years probation.

– Brent James Woods of Columbus pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and was sentenced to four years probation including four months in Alvis House.

– Djafar B. Sobirov of Columbus pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and was sentenced to two years probation.

Pani established an informal “business” to find U.S. citizens who would accept money to enter into sham marriages with aliens for the purpose of evading a provision of the immigration laws of the United States, and to aid and abet in the making of false statements to immigration authorities with respect to those sham marriages in an effort to convince the immigration authorities that they were genuine marriages. Salohutdinov, who had entered into a sham marriage in Illinois, moved to Ohio and came to know Pani. Salohutdinov and Piskunova joined the conspiracy with Pani and arranged sham marriages for certain other aliens that Salohudinov knew of.

The sham marriages typically occurred shortly after the alien and the U.S. citizen met each other, sometimes even the same day. Saidjanov, an alien, came to Columbus from Philadelphia, PA, and paid Pani to arrange a sham marriage on Feb. 9, 2009, with Good. Saidjanov also paid his girlfriend, who is an alien, too, to enter into a sham marriage on the following day. These sham marriages took place at The Columbus Wedding Chapel, in Columbus. After the marriages, Sadijanov and his girlfriend returned to Philadelphia, and did not live with their new American spouses.

“Today’s sentences are a reminder that America’s legal immigration system is not for sale,” said Moskowitz. “ICE will aggressively investigate and bring to justice those who seek to compromise the integrity of that system for personal profit or to avoid immigration laws.”
Stewart commended the investigation conducted by ICE agents, and the assistance of the ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Columbus Police Department, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Brown, who prosecuted the case.