Archive for the ‘Visas’ Category

The Australian government has introduced a seasonal guest worker scheme that aims to attract unskilled workers from the pacific islands. This has been initiated in order to fill agricultural labour shortages.

But as thousands of workers are expected to come to Australia on this temporary visa scheme, 14% of indigenous Australians remain unemployed. The recruitment of overseas workers is however still essential due to the high paying Australian welfare system.

For all Australians being on welfare will in fact pay more than entry level unskilled jobs on farms and the like. Therefore getting a job is a step down in financial terms for these unemployed. It is understandable why the unemployed would not choose to work laborious jobs when they could earn more by doing nothing.

This new visa does not pose a threat on the Australian workforce as if Australians want the job it is theirs by law, but the problem comes in when one clearly sees that the unemployed indigenous population knowingly turn down such employment opportunities.

The next task for the government is to target these unemployed citizens and somehow make taking up these jobs attractive, no matter how menial. Not only will this improve population morale but also help the economy by contributing to the continued success of the country.

So, the Olympics are finally in full swing and medals are being issued to the thousands of athletes from a whole variety of countries. However, everything is not as the Chinese would have hoped.

Following months of reports concerning tight visas restrictions and new laws for those wishing to visit Beijing for the international event; such speculation has ultimately dampened the intended tourism flows for the Games.

Whilst the Games are already into their 3rd day, many hotels, restaurants and attractions have reported that tourism revenue is surprisingly low, particularly in areas surrounding the city.

China had hoped that the Beijing Games would prove prosperous for many areas of the country, as sports enthusiasts would flock to the events. Hotels even raised prices to catastrophic prices in the expectation of increased profits; sadly this has not been the case.

And the reason for such a slump… well it appears to be merely down to the limited granting of visas. With many viewing the process as near impossible, tiresome and laborious most have abandoned plans to attend and are instead watching from the comfort of their own homes. It seems that this has even be the case for some of the competing athlete’s families.

That aside, a lesson must be learnt by organisers of the 2012 London Olympics; London is already gearing ahead for an abundance of tourists, yet they must not follow China’s lead and must instead revise visa procedures for those wishing to attend. That is if they are to capitalize on the honour which has been emblazoned upon them by the IOC.

The UK has proposed a plan to introduce travel visas for citizens from 11 different countries worldwide when travelling to Britain. This however could, in turn, hurt UK tourists, believe www.globalvisas.com.

Due to rising illegal immigration figures and fears around border security, tourists and business people from countries like South Africa, Malaysia and Mauritius may have to abide by visa restrictions in the UK. And this could result in reciprocal visa restrictions.

With visa restrictions such as this in place, it would be surprising if these eleven countries don’t retaliate by imposing their own visa constraints on UK citizens. And why not, these laws are ultimately labelling citizens untrustworthy and a threat.

The British government can impose such restrictions but they cannot expect such measures not to affect them too. Besides, it is silly to impose such rules on countries where citizens make up a high proportion of visitors and therefore greatly contribute to the country’s economics via tourism and business.

Many different people will be affected by such changes in the UK and in the 11 designated countries. This visa scheme will affect the tourist itself by raising costs and adding inconvenience. Tour operators and agents would have to change their strategy and this will also add more paperwork to their current load.

Countries like South Africa are extremely popular tourist destinations, particularly for Brits who come for holiday or to visit family. This will be seriously impacted if citizens of the UK need a visa to visit.

Implementing visas for these countries, which are seen as risky, is ultimately a double edged sword. On the one hand visitors who contribute to the UK economy would be affected and turned off and the opportunities for British travellers would be hampered.

A final decision as to if necessary visas will be introduced in certain countries will take place early next year. (TB)

Sydney’s World Youth Day celebrations have been marred by the disappearance of 39 Indians who used the events as a scam to gain entrance through tourist visas.

Two hundred and twenty Indians travelled to New Zealand en route to the Australian religious pilgrimage, however just 181 left Auckland, New Zealand. This has sparked a man hunt in New Zealand for these potential illegal immigrants.

Of those men who have been contacted almost all have admitted their plans to remain in New Zealand. This has sparked fears at the number of those already in Australia who have the same idea.

However these missing men claim that they were promised New Zealand residency and were shocked to find they had received short-term visas, despite this they have no plans to leave.

No matter what the truth, it is a shame that such religious events have been affected by immigration and the rise of global illegal immigration.

“It appears World Youth Day has been used as an excuse and that is really quite alarming,” said New Zealand’s Catholic Church spokesperson, Lyndsay Freer.

And there is nothing that can really be done at the moment to those who did not attend the events as they have been granted entry for three months and are legal until this time period is up.

It seems that such scams are increasing in number; this hampers such get-togethers and puts the future of events like this in jeopardy.

Australia has strict visitor visa criteria that can be viewed on www.globalvisas.com, however with such events it is difficult to determine who is a genuine visitor for purposes of the event and who is using this as an illegal route to immigration.

The question is, how can they continue to hold World Youth Day or similar such events, when a minority continuously dupe the system? It is a sad reality but a valid fear.

Skilled migrants have become an integral part of guaranteeing that Australia remains a competitive economic destination. Therefore industries throughout the country are welcoming immigrants with open arms.

The latest sector to voice the essential need for skilled workers from overseas is the mining industry in the Northern Territory province. This area is booming at the moment due to uranium and gas deposits, as reported by ABC News.

And how do they attract these immigrants? The Northern Territory government is promising high salaries that are difficult to turn down.

“This industry needs to maintain its growth and success, therefore they need more workers coming to Australia under skilled visas or working holiday visas,” says Erin Ryan of www.globalvisas.com. Therefore not just the provincial but the national government are easing visa requirements through extensions and fast-track possibilities.

Currently 33 positions up for grabs from managers, supervisors to engineers. 

In further development to the previous post concerning the imminent 2008 Olympic Games and the issue of obtaining visas for both athletes and visitors it seems that the UK has stepped up with new visas to prevent such actions happening prior to 2012.

It seems that the UK, whom have won the honour of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games in London are taking learnings from the problems which China and Beijing in particular are experiencing.

In what appears to be an effort of preparation for the event the UK has announced potential plans to issue new short-term, low-cost visas for group travel and one-off special events.

According to a report in the Guardian Newspaper, the new system will include separate visas for sports people and entertainers and a clear and distinct visa category for business visitors.

Although not publicly deemed as being in aid of the Games, there is no doubt that such plans would ease any potential problems in getting visas for essential individuals.

The UK has officially said that they have been improving the short-term visa system to make the UK more attractive to business and tourism, while deterring those seeking to break the rule.

Under the new rules, sports people and support staff coming for specific events or joining UK amateur teams will be eligible to visit the UK for up to six months.

Speaking about the changes proposed by the UK Border and Immigration Agency, Minister for Sports Gerry Sutcliffe said “If we are going to make the UK the world’s best cultural and sporting nation by 2012, then we need to make sure that talented sportspeople and entertainers from all over the world come here to take part in the many sporting events, festivals, and shows we have on offer.” (CN)

If you have a criminal conviction you will not be allowed a visa to enter the United Kingdom. This is a blanket rule that applies to everyone, even celebrities like Martha Stewart.

Stewart’s conviction of four years ago where she spent five months in jail, is the reason why she has been banned from entering the UK, says a report in the Telegraph.

This multi-millionaire lifestyle guru was planning on coming to Britain this week to address the Royal Academy in London and meet with various fashion labels and industries.

Although Martha’s representatives are hoping for a resolution it is clear that the Home Office has strict rules when it comes to this, no matter who it concerns.

Visit www.globalvisas.com to find more about UK immigration laws.(TB)

Today the European Parliament approved a contentious new rule to expel illegal immigrants from the bloc (Basic Level of Capability). The new rules come after anti-immigrant sentiments from wealthy blocs such as Italy, who are blaming foreigners for spiking violent crimes in the country. France is also one of the countries that pushed for this new law that has had human rights activists protesting against. The last few years has seen France grappling with tensions in its “immigrant-heavy suburbs”. The EU joins bloc member (UK) in the latest drastic immigration rules implementation.

With the US credit crash affecting economies, governments are struggling and the old trusted scapegoat of immigrants (legal or not) comes into place as introduced heavily by the UK and Europe. Goverment immigration authorities argue that the dramatic immigration changes across Europe and the UK are needed to preserve a countries economy and to let in those (immigrants) who will benefit the country, however at www.globalvisas.com we believe that goverments should be more cognizant when making immigration policies. Not only is the rest of the world being stopped from moving freely they have to deal with new discriminatory rules that are being implemented on a regular basis just to keep migrants out.
 
Many industrialised countries can not deny the contribution of immigrants labour to their countries prosperity. With global mobility ever increasing, whether it’s forced (refugees/illegal immigrants) or by choice (skilled labour immigration), migrants tend to move to cosmopolitan, developed countries. In return immigrants become the worlds scapegoats for when things go wrong and especially when economies and social structures take a plundge. Immigrants are only admitted to satisfy a labour shortage and later discarded e.g. UK discarding doctors based on the new tier system and immigration changes.

Border control is important for any country and yes countries do need to protect what’s theirs. However decisions on immigration control and law change so frequently that in some cases by taking thoughtless measures a government could be sending someone to their death bed. A country has every right to protect itself but discrimination and racism and inhumane laws are incomprehensible, especially when developed countries preach peace and togetherness to the rest of the world. The new EU law on illegal immigrants is a scramble to regain power and give a solution to countries where they have not sorted out their own internal problems because of bad policies. In the end a migrant is seen as nothing more than “human capital”, and more “capital” than “human” and if he is neither, measures are taken to deploy him. (TM).

I have worked in the visas and Immigration industry for nearly 20 years and in that time I keep seeing the same old stories.  About Immigrants conflicting with UK “Values”.  I have to say this is as British as talking about the weather and drinking tea.

Immigration History shows the debate has continued since the Middle Ages and no doubt less well documented prior to the invention of the printing press!

The long and the short of it is Immigration is as natural as the tides of the sea and with more people on earth the more people will move.   To add the invention of the jet engine and the Internet people are Global Citizens.  If there are still going to be any people who will be able to claim “My family has lived here for generations.” in another generation or two I will be very surprised.

The world is forever changing and we should celibrate the free movement of people.  The alternative of caging people into the area where they were born and restricting their freedom to move would be a real backward step. 

If a person does not like the place they are living the simple answer is they should emigrate.  Recently I see the newspapers full of stories about criminals who are drawn to new countries as Immigrants.  If this is truely the case a solution would be a quick criminal records check like they do in Australian Immigration it would solve this problem and allow for Immigrants to hold their heads up high.

I am sure if all the Immigrants in the world returned home the world would be a much worse place.  I am sure in another thousand years the debate will continue but the old fashioned idea of “this is our land” will be a dying concept as international mobility grows.