Archive for the ‘Global Immigration’ Category

We at Global Visas offer you some handy hints as to how to most efficiently secure your all important work visa:

1.  Patience is paramount in the visa process.
We all know someone who thinks the rules don’t apply to them.  But Immigration laws apply to everyone equally and the process takes time. In only very exceptional cases, fast tracking visas is possible,  but in most cases, the visa process must run its set course. Make sure you plan well head, allowing plenty of time for the visa(s) to be granted.

2.  Don’t book a flight until the visa has been issued.
This may sound like obvious advice, but even the most straightforward cases can be delayed.  Recently we had a client who booked a flight thinking the case visa would be issued in ample time. Unfortunately the employee’s passport was expiring within six months and this prevented a visa being granted.  The visa would have taken 24 hours to secure. His passport took six weeks to renew.

3.  Visa restrictions last longer than you think
Every visa comes with rules and conditions that must be adhered to. And that means even after your employee has arrived in ther host country. Your company must continue to track and manage their visa status any changes to their role, leave your employment, or extend their stay beyond their visa expiry date, then such changes must be reported to the relevant authorities and the visa amended. A visa only ceases to be an issue after your employee has returned back to their home country.

4.  Be prepared for others’ mistakes
It is not uncommon for a government employee to misread a form and then reject a perfectly acceptable case, or for a busy line manager to forget to sign a box.  Don’t panic! Immigration decisions made in error are common and there are procedures to correct them.  Managers in host countries often do not recognise the importance of just one form but with a close eye these things can be picked up early enough not to affect the case.

5.  Keep it simple
Your business maybe rocket science or even dealing with complex brain surgery. But that should not make securing your work permit any more difficult.  Immigration laws are the same regardless of what your company does.  The law is blind to certain details even if they are critical to your business.  When dealing with visas, keep it simple and only focus on the laws and what they are asking for to administer that law.  Ensure  your explanations on visa applications meet the requirement of the Immigration law only.  Offering explanations of how complex your business is will only confuse the officer charged with dealing with the case.  Stay focused on the rules.

6.  Protect your brand
Governments the world over need to show they are no pushover when it comes to enforcing Immigration law. Do not allow your brand to become that ’six o clock news’ example.  Always aim to ensure your staff remain compliant with the Immigration law at all times in all countries.  Immigration audits which show up any negative issues can have an adverse impact on a business’s reputation and should be avoided.  Even if you make a mistake but tried your best that will go a long way in your favour.

7.  Use a reputable Immigration consultancy
Make sure any immigration consultancy you use is up to the job. Do they have registered offices? Do their staff have the experience and, most importantly, are they qualified to address Immigration issues for the host country that you require?  In many regions across the world local “immigration advisors” operate with no supervision or control.  Their limited resources and knowledge can lead to difficulties and should be avoided.  Aim to secure the services of a company that is able to assist pre-departure and has offices in the host country.

8. Understand dependents
Dependents of employees often want to study or work in the host country.  Usually it’s a straightforward process to make the necessary arrangements or to explain why they are unable to do so if restrictions apply. Whatever the outcome, dependents are as important to the main applicant as his or her own visa.  The visa process may change depending on when the dependents apply for their visa.  Polygamous marriages are banned in many countries but acceptable in others, as are gay marriages and the maximum age a child can be a dependent.  Make sure you take into account all the issues before confirming a secondment the expat declines later due to family reasons.

9.  Localised staff can bring you benefits
Many on expat benefits find it hard to give them up, but a company can make big savings if they localise their expats quickly.  If a person elects to stay in a host country, you should be ready to arrange residency and even citizenship in that country.  It will mark the end of expatriate status and localise the employee in a supportive way.

10.  If in any doubt, ask
Immigration law tends to be one of the most complex areas of any country’s legislation.  Our team are always happy to answer our clients’ questions and we would prefer they confirmed facts rather than assumed them.  Our reputation is attached to the success of our clients international mobility programs and we want to get it right 100% of the time.  Whatever your question, we want to hear about them because you are important and so is your business

For all your work visa needs, let Global Visas be your one stop immigration advice and solution finder.

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News in the Metro today reports that Polish people are more “British” than British people.

The findings are based on an internet survey on Facebook where people can undertake a ‘How British are you?’ test.

Of the 11,118 British people who took the exam on Facebook, only 1,585 or 14% achieved the pass mark.

Polish people managed better with a 15.2 percentage pass rate.

Also beating the British are Finland, Sweden, Germany and New Zealand.

The multiple-choice test is based on the Home Office’s ‘Life in the UK’ test. Most new migrants entering the UK must sit and pass the test on their way to earning their UK visa.

Henry Dillon, editor of Red Squirrel Publishing, which carried out the study, said: “What these statistics show is that walking into the test without proper preparation is a recipe for failure – even British nationals struggle answering many of the questions.

“But these figures reflect people who haven’t studied for the test. Our research shows that with effective study a pass is achievable.”

To satisfy my own curiosity I sat the test myself and failed. I only managed a pass-mark of 18 out of 24. I didn’t know there were so many Christians in the UK and that there were so few in Wales!

Have you taken the test, leave your thoughts below.

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Following the historic April 6th High Court ruling against the UK government, condemning unlawful, retrospective changes to UK immigration the HSMP Forum have submitted a 15-point proposal to the UK Government, to finally put right what successive Home Secretaries have been cunningly back-tracking:

1.    Migrants who have already obtained a second extension to their HSMP and have not got their Indefinite Leave to Remain should have their fee waived and be awarded back dated ILR, or a letter issued confirming the time spent by the individual over 4 years will be counted towards future citizenship.

2.    Migrants who have paid for a second extension and additionally paid for their ILR should be issued a refund for the amount they paid for their ILR and migrants who have been granted ILR after 5 years should be allowed to apply for British nationality immediately.

3.    As well as those who paid for their second extension, the ILR and further obtained British Citizenship should be issued a refund for the amount they paid for the ILR.

4.    Children who have become over 18 years of age due to the extension from 4 to 5 yrs and had to apply separately for a visa should have their fees refunded.

5.    There should be no requirement to submit the Life in the UK and English language Test when making an ILR application for pre 3rd April 2006 HSMP migrants as these requirements can not be applied retrospectively in accordance with the high court order (point 1) and the judgment to apply such new requirements now.

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Obama & Leahy: A friend of a friend of Dorothy

In a letter to Alice B. Toklas of the LGBT Democratic Club, dated March 2008, the Senator from Illinois said he fully supported the gay community in their fight for equal rights and declared his commitment to extending the benefits to same sex couples under state and federal law.

One year later President Barack Obama’s support has remained open and consistent, an opinion apparent since his 1996 campaign for the Senate.

Publicly opposed to Proposition 8, the Californian constitutional change that censored marriage to that of  ‘only between a man and a woman’, Mr. Obama has went on record stating, ‘when you start playing around with constitutions, just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that’s not what America’s about. Usually, our constitutions expand liberties, they don’t contract them.”

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islandreefjob.com

Tourism Queensland’s dream job to be caretaker of Hamilton Island, a remote, sun drenched atoll on the Great Barrier Reef, has been whittled down to 50 candidates from 22 countries.

The marketing campaign seduced 34,800 applicants that want to work in Australia for $150,000 a year job, in a multi-million dollar villa (for free), with all travel expenses paid.

The job itself includes producing videos for the web, keeping a blog and updating the photo diary for the whole of Hamilton Island (five square kilometres).

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Canadian immigration minister Jason Kenney

Canadian immigration minister Jason Kenney has spoken out after the leader of a Canadian-Arab organisation called him a ‘professional whore’ for supporting Israel after a recent anti-Israel rally in Toronto.

Khaled Mouammar, president of the Canadian Arab Federation, which campaigns to fight negative stereotyping of Arabs, made the remarks after Kenney spoke out at the January 10 protests in Toronto where demonstrators screamed for the war to continue so ‘Hezbollah could wipe the state of terrorism off the planet’, waved Hezbollah flags and spat at counter protesters.

Speaking to Sun Media, Kenney announced ‘groups whose leaders say intolerant or hateful things shouldn’t get taxpayer funding’.

“We should not be rewarding those who express views that are contrary to Canada’s best liberal values of tolerance and mutual respect,” said Kenney.

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England 0 - Spain (youth team) 3

I am sick, sore and tired of watching these matches, it debilitates, sucks and lunges the tapas right up the back of my throat, and on top of that I’m served the cold dish of dessert served up by ITV commentators trying to tell me the match is tart, without the tang.

Even when times look bad and the English national squad constantly subject us to habitual international beatings (win or a lose) – I scream at the set and tell them they are great with or with out international players on UK work permits.

The Premier League – the best international league in the world, the best international opportunities in the world, the best managers in the world (at Premiership level), the best international staffing and policing – the best cash opportunities in the world for international footballers and yet still the best international team in the world to put your money on to lose first blood in the world – come on, who has faith in them?

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Canada is a huge draw for the thousands leaving the UK

With the falling value of the pound and a country well and truly in the grips of a recession, Polish and British workers are choosing to pack up and emigrate to Australia, Canada and the USA.

In the last quarter alone Global Visas has reported a 40% jump on enquiries from British nationals on the same time last year. Enquiries from Polish immigrants working in the UK have seen a massive 70% climb.

With UK earnings now significantly lower than the same time last year, cash sent home to families in Eastern Europe doesn’t go as far as it once did. Coupled with the potential to earn much more outside the EU, Polish and British migrants now consider a move to Australia, USA or working in Canada as realistic alternatives. Read the rest of this entry »

Jed had buckets of money to move the family to LA

I have worked in Immigration now for nearly 20 years.  I want to ask our readers to leave their comments on the following question.

Will people want to Emigrate in greater numbers now before the world goes into deep recession or would they prefer to see it through and not leave home in times of trouble?

and,

What do you believe will be the main reasons to justify their decision?

I am certain there is no right answer to this question but I would love to hear your views.  In the last down turn in the early 90’s emigration rose sharply as people looked for a better standard of life.  Will history repeat itself?

Thanks for taking the time to add your thoughts

Snoop Dogg: Still needs counselling

Following on from recent news regarding US rapper Snoop Dogg not being granted a visa to perform in Australia, it seems that the controversial has rapper successfully passed a character test and has subsequently been granted with an Australian visa.

Character references are a regular part of the visa application process and Australian immigration authorities had previously said that they would not grant him a visa until one had been completed.

One of the reasons which went against Dogg on his initial application was the fact that on previous visits to the country the rapper had overstayed his visas. An offence which Australian officials said that they were not willing to forget, despite the popularity of the artist.

As a result of the refusal the rapper’s upcoming Smoked Out tour had been in doubt after immigration authorities confirmed they were investigating the performer’s criminal history.

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