Archive for the ‘Worldwide’ Category

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.

A recent news article by ABC Australia raises an interesting issue of immigration being a major contributor to greenhouse gasses.

The report states that demographers at Melbourne’s Monash University fear that whilst immigration is increasing to a country the amount of emissions which are being produced and subsequently polluting the environment are too increasing.

They argue that population growth is the main driver of emissions but it’s being largely ignored by many a government as few are aware of such dangers.

The article reads that “researchers forecast that Australia’s population will grow from the current 21 million to 31.6 million by 2050 with almost 10 million of the people making up the net increase being migrants…As a result, they project that Australia’s emissions will have grown from the current 500 million tonnes annually to 800 million tonnes.”

The reasoning behind their somewhat revolutionary theories is that extra migration will add to economic activity and thus greenhouse emissions.

If this thought proves to be right it could be detrimental for the age of migration and global mobility. It is not merely Australia which is seeing its population numbers rise, many places the world-over are too gaining citizens at record paces.

Critics however have dismissed the Universities findings and feel that international migration is irrelevant to the global emissions as it is merely the movement of people from one country to another. This is a sensible thought as surely people leaving one country eases the emissions which that country produces and is hence balanced by the increase being created in the country of destination?

This is a debate which in a very ecological climate of green environmental awareness and many people worrying about the already evident results of climate change will surely continue to rage. However I think it is too rash to believe everything which has been said and until further studies have been created governments should instead focus on aiding the environment by stopping processes which have been proven are detrimental.

According to Dutch law an immigrant needs to pass a Dutch language test in order to get a visa. However a loophole in this law has allowed an illiterate Moroccan woman join her husband in the Netherlands to the delight of rights activists.

The Netherlands is a country filled with immigrants, with an estimated 10% of the total 16.6 million population are believed to be of non-Western origin.

But politicians have sought to stop immigrants from non-western countries coming into Holland.

This law which requires a language and culture test to be passed came into place in 2005. However it was mistakenly left out of the clause relating to family reunification, therefore this case took place and this Moroccan woman can now legally come to Holland to live.  

This has been met with support by human rights activists who believe that such a law is in complete violation of international human rights law and such a law should be totally scrapped.

However their celebrations may be short-lived as Dutch politicians vow to fix this loophole as soon as possible.

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)

In a day and age of global mobility it seems that the concept of free travel is far from evident. Recently news from the Moscow Times has shown that visa controversy has once again halted controversial groups, this time Mormons.

The story explains that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have announced that due to the stringent visa laws it will no longer be able to send North American Missionaries to Russia.

A new visa regime signed into law by then-Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov in October states that holders of humanitarian visas are allowed to remain in the country for no longer than 180 days in one calendar year, and for stretches of no longer than 90 days at a time.

While missionaries could previously renew their visas in neighbouring countries, they must now return to their country of origin, greatly increasing costs.

The controversy has further meant that future missions will be halted and instead assignments to Russia will be limited to those nationalities not needing visas.

The so-called Mormon Church has strong ties with Russia and at present it yearly sends an average of 19,000 members and eight permanent missions.

The debate which has emerged from this topical story however is one of preference. Should Mormons or any other religious group be exempt from visa restrictions and if so can an argument therefore be made for sportsmen, actors or musicians?

Here! Here! To our Equality Minister Harriet Harman. Today the minister established the much needed Equality Bill to end discrimination in the work place. Personally I am over the moon about this, I think it’s the feminist in me coming out and I know the old boys club who set up these ridiculers rules to discriminate against age, race, sex or sexual preferences are all rolling about to try to revoke the new proposed bill. This bill will make it easier for women to demand equal pay and as it has been the trend in the past years, age discrimination will come to an end, eventually.

Thank goodness www.globalvisas.com is a company that prides itself in equality and diversity. The equal pay legislation was introduced 30 years ago however the gap is still mounting. Everywhere else in the world the anti-discrimination bills are in place but they are not “really” implemented. So what the minister is saying is that, all that has to stop and government and business need to work together to eliminate that gap and play fair and square on the playground. So how does this bill fit into immigration policies?

More diverse skilled migrants can come into the country knowing that they will be treated fairly and equally. As women, the uncomfortable feeling of negotiating what we are worth will take a plunge. More women will start tracking the world for better opportunities to the UK. Recent studies has shown that women in the IT industry for example which happens to be one of the fastest growing industries in the world (next to banking and business to name a few), women are being paid much less. Women may feel that getting a university degree is useless as they will continue to earn less than their male counterparts. This will all hopefully change.

Of course many of us know that the UK has always sold itself to the rest of the world as the mother of the global community and that it has opened its doors to multiculturalism and diversity. Even with recent UK border and immigration law changes the UK can still hold its head high as one of the best in the world.

Even in the US, Democrat presidential candidate Obama Barrack has been trying to lure female voters by promising better earnings and pay raises. While in Spain the Spanish cabinet boasts itself with nine women alongside eight men, including Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Could this be why many English natives prefer Spain as an alternative immigration destination? Whatever the reason, this law proposal is slowly restoring my hope in humanity. I think the world with the help of the UK is initiating a much needed movement 0f anti-discrimination on anything.

Now we only hope that they can walk the walk as much as they are talking it. (TM)

Recently I read an article by Toronto journalist and author, Joe Clark called The Web is like Canada. The article touches on the paradigm and similarities that the web and Canada have to each other. Mr. Clark states: “like the web Canada defines itself by what it is not”.

“Only Canadians could assert themselves by explaining what they aren’t. Even the West and East Germans; the North and South Koreans; the New Zealanders and the Australians; the Scottish, the Welsh, the Irish, the Northern Irish, and the British; or the Walloons and the Flemish – all identifiable in relation to someone else – don’t take definition by negation to such lengths”. 

I thought how right Clark is. We hear very little of Canada and when we do hear about them they are either “requesting” (I use the word request and not need for good reasons) for skilled immigrants, or on its picturesque perfection and maybe sometimes if we are lucky we may hear a bit on sporting events.

But generally we hear very little of this diverse country and its inhabitants and yet many desire to move to there. Canada has become almost like a myth, it exist only when you want to get to it but it somehow manages to remain in hibernation until its needed to come out to make some announcement to the world or defend itself from Americans.  

Let’s take a look at what is happening in the world at the moment, politically (US presidential candidates elections), socially (earthquakes in China and famine in Ethiopia) and economically (mortgage crashes and economic downfalls of the super-powers (America and UK)). Why have we not heard anything from the world’s biggest immigration country? Could Canada be so perfect as to not get affected by the rest of foreign policies and market crashes?  Is it so invincible? 

Every year millions of UK immigrants flock to this country for a better lifestyle. Canada is truly Zion. Is this the reason we should all move to Canada because its so kept itself away from all the chaos of the world?  

This wonderland seems unattainable yet it is. Even though Canada and its inhabitants live in a bubble, we do know Canada has opened its borders to the world, housing refugees or opening up for students and workers. Clark states that Canada is struggling to find its own identity yet Canada has a solid reputation internationally making it the Hallmark of the world.  I couldn’t agree. 

Maybe I’ll ask the boss to move me to our  www.globalvisas.ca offices! (TM)

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).

It’s that time of year again and swarms of youngsters from across the globe are making plans in order to attend this years World Youth Day , planned to be held between the 15th and 20th July in Australia.

However many may find that their plans may not run as smoothly as they had previously hoped, with the Australian Government having announced that they can no longer guarrantee immediate decisions for visa applications in the current months leading up to the World Youth Event.

The Australian Embassy has warned all potential visitors and participants that a visa will be required in order to gain entry into the country. However, applications which are lodged after June 1st will not be guaranteed to be processed in time.

World Youth Day is a youth orientated Roman Catholic Church event aimed at young people. The event carries symbolic values of gathering together, putting trust in the young and meeting the international world on a human level.

This year the event in Australia is scheduled to be held in Randwick, Sydney, it is thought that the occasion will attract hundreds of thousands of youths from almost every country on the planet.

For a long time students have been packing their cases and heading to the great unknown in order to experience a gap year prior to attending university or other further education.

Although a gap year is no doubt a great way of cutting loose and experiencing a new found freedom and the world beyond the familiar, it seems an emerging trend is gaining speed. This is the concept of becoming a foreign student and studying for your qualifications whilst abroad.

I know that for many years students have opted to study abroad and that this is not a ‘new’ trend. However it does seem that the number of foreign applications to universities is increasing the world over. A particularly strong student exchange relationship has been building between the U.S and the U.K.

It appears that in the present climate of increased global mobility, the young are jumping at the chance to gain more than just an academic education. Aside from gaining both credible and respected qualifications, students are also gaining a different kind of education, one away from the classroom. Working within a different social, political and economic system enables students to gain new insights and different perspectives.

This new age of global education is one which can surely only become a benefit to the global economy and its worldwide relations. With graduates qualifying with much more than just a degree certificate, having personal knowledge of international issues, surely there are only good things to come from the influx of foreign students around the world.

CN