Germany’s government has agreed to relax its immigration laws with the aim of attracting skilled workers to its jobs market. The cabinet wants a Canadian-style points system to bring in workers who speak German or have relevant skills. Germany has the biggest economy in Europe but experts say it needs an extra 400,000 immigrant workers a year. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the reforms would create “the most modern law on immigration in Europe”. Criticising the proposals, conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz said Germany was failing to exploit the potential it already had and that it had more than two … Continue reading Germany to ease entry rules for skilled workers

The US and Mexico have agreed to a plan that allows some Venezuelan migrants to enter the US, but those who arrive illegally will be sent back to Mexico. It is hoped the deal will ease pressure at the US-Mexico border, where a steady flow of Venezuelans continue to arrive as they flee the crisis-hit nation. Starting immediately, flights will be arranged for 24,000 migrants to arrive in the United States. Some six million people have left Venezuela in the past five years. The exodus is one of the largest migrations in the world, fuelled by violence, food, fuel and … Continue reading US and Mexico make deal to ease Venezuela migration

Australia is raising its cap on permanent migration for the first time in a decade to help fill massive workforce shortages. It will take up to 195,000 people this financial year – an increase of 35,000. The pandemic and Australia’s tough border policies have exacerbated staffing gaps in many sectors. Workers from countries including China, India and the UK – Australia’s top sources of migration – are needed to fill them, the government says. There are more than 480,000 job vacancies across the country, but with unemployment at an almost 50-year low, employers are struggling to fill the gaps. The … Continue reading Australia raises cap on Permanent migration for first time in decade

Visas offering foreign investors fast-track residency in the UK are expected to be scrapped by the government, amid pressure over UK links to Russia. A government source confirmed reports of an announcement next week on Tier 1 investor visas, which offer residency to those spending at least £2m. The scheme was introduced in 2008 to encourage wealthy people from outside the EU to invest in the UK. It has been under review for some time, after concerns it is open to abuse. However, the expected announcement next week comes amid pressure on ministers to cut UK ties to Russia over … Continue reading UK to scrap golden visa scheme for foreign investors

Migrant caravan stops in Tapachula while heading towards U.S. Mexico on Thursday formally announced new visa requirements for visitors from Venezuela in the government’s official gazette, as part of efforts to curb a sharp increase in unlawful immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The new requirements published by the interior ministry, which will take effect in 15 days, come as Mexico attempts to curb the number of people from South and Central America trying to enter the United States illegally via its territory. Venezuelans, many of whom have been departing their homeland due to the years of economic crisis the country … Continue reading Mexico formally unveils new visa requirements for Venezuelans

More than 20,000 people who won the U.S. visa lottery are suing the government after their applications were never processed, the Associated Press reported. The winners had turned in the required paperwork, but they never received an interview or a chance at coming to the United States as the State Department struggled to process the applications amid a backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. A State Department official said the pandemic led to “profound reductions” in the department’s ability to process visas, and only about one-quarter of the visas allotted for the fiscal year ending in September have been issued. … Continue reading 20,000 U.S. visa lottery winners suing government after applications not processed

Detainees at an immigration center in Australia spent five months digging an escape tunnel hidden beneath a chest of drawers in one of their rooms, a source within the country’s immigration system told CNN. The source said the tunnel was 15 meters (50 feet) long and ran under a number of rooms before passing under a road at the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre, around 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of the city of Perth, Western Australia. The tunnel had passed the first of three perimeter fences, the source said, and it was anticipated that two more months of digging … Continue reading Australia immigration detainees dig tunnel in failed escape plot

The US government has announced it will tighten the requirements for the popular H-1B visa. These visas are widely used by tech firms and visa recipients are mostly Indian and Chinese. The temporary visas are intended to allow US companies to use foreign workers to fill skills gaps, but the Trump administration says the visa has been abused, often at the expense of American workers, up to 85,000 people are granted an H-1B visa each year, and about 500,000 people are currently living in the US under the visa programme, according to US Department of Labor statistics, more than two-thirds … Continue reading US tightens ‘temporary worker’ visa rules

The United States has revoked visas for more than 1,000 Chinese nationals under a May 29 presidential proclamation to suspend entry from China of students and researchers deemed security risks, according to the US Department of State. The acting head of the US Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, said earlier that Washington was blocking visas “for certain Chinese graduate students and researchers with ties to China’s military fusion strategy, to prevent them from stealing and otherwise appropriating sensitive research.” In a speech, Wolf repeated US charges of unjust business practices and industrial espionage by China, including attempts to steal … Continue reading US cancels over 1,000 visas for Chinese nationals citing security

A record number of people are giving up their US citizenship, according to new research. A record number of people are giving up their US citizenship, according to new research.   More than 5,800 Americans gave up their citizenship in the first six months of 2020 compared to the 2,072 Americans who renounced their citizenship in all of 2019, according to Bambridge Accountants, a New York-based firm specializing in US immigration laws. The firm said it examined public data, published by the US government every three months, of the names of all Americans who give up their citizenship. “These are … Continue reading The American Dream