BUSINESS SPONSORED 457 VISA TO AUSTRALIA

The Temporary Business Long Stay Visa Subclass 457 permits Australian employers to sponsor overseas candidates for a period of 3 months to 4 years. This Work Visa is an extremely popular way for businesses to bring foreign candidates to work in Australia.

In order to offer sponsorship to a skilled overseas worker, an employer must obtain sponsorship and nomination approval first. Employers can be:

• An Australian business which is actively and actually engaged in business activities
• An overseas business which has no formal operating base or representation in Australia which is seeking to:
• Set up a branch or other business activities such as joint ventures, agency distributorships or subsidiary branches in Australia
• To meet obligations for a contract or other business activity in Australia
• Regional employers who can access special arrangements in meeting the minimum salary and skill levels for the nominated position.

There are specific requirements which must be met by the Australian employer before the Visa application can be considered.

Strong immigration program with integrity critical to Australia's future

Immigration makes Australia stronger, says the latest research by the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements.

Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said that it is critical for Australia's future to maintain a strong immigration program which has integrity.

"It will help us meet the skills and labour shortages we are facing in an increasingly competitive and globalised world, as Australia's population ages," he added.

"I find this research very encouraging – 69% of those surveyed agree that immigration makes Australia stronger. It is also encouraging that the percentage of people who feel that immigration levels are too high now is half the rate reported 10 years ago."

Laurie Ferguson, the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, saw the research as painting a positive picture of Australia as a cohesive society.

"While not a reason for complacency, I find it encouraging that Australia, one of the world's most diverse nations, retains very high levels of social cohesion," Ferguson said. "I note very positive findings in the report, such as 96% of those surveyed feeling a strong sense of belonging and 94% expressing pride in Australia."

There is the hope that this research report, called "Mapping social cohesion – the Scanlon Foundation surveys" would encourage Australian immigration, and make current migrants feel welcome.

"There is, of course, always work to be done," Ferguson added. "Many government, community and private sector programs contribute to social cohesion. The government is reviewing its multicultural policy and advisory arrangements to ensure we continue to make progress as a prosperous, cohesive and inclusive society."

He said that he looks forward to consultations and discussions on the details of the research in the near future.

Written by Professor Andrew Markus and Dr Arunachalam Dharmalingam of the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements in partnership with the Australian Multicultural Foundation, the research was funded by the Scanlon Foundation.

If you would like to find out more about immigration to Australia, or want to work and live in "The Lucky Country", you can get more information on Migration Expert's website.

Also, if you'd like to find out for which visa you qualify for, you can do a free visa eligibility assessment, which is available online

The UK Has More Room for Skilled Migrants as British Citizens Move Out

Increasing numbers of British citizens are opting to make a new life in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Spain & USA, creating gaps in the UK workforce & community for skilled migrants to move in.

According to statistics released by Whitehall, over 200,000 Britons emigrated from the UK in 2006. In response, over 160,000 foreign nationals were granted UK passports in 2007. This is an increase of seven percent on the previous year's immigration figures.

Though the UK has been under some economic pressure from the credit crunch, British industries are still calling out for more skilled workers to fill skill shortages.

The current British Government is a strong advocate of immigration with almost 1.2 million passports granted since they came to power. Analysts speculate that this trend will continue over the next year and more skilled workers will be offered .

While the UK is increasing the number of visas granted, they have also made migrants 'earn' the right to permanent residency. Britain Introduced a controversial 'Britishness' test in 2005, forcing immigrants to take a short multiple-choice quiz on British culture and general knowledge before citizenship was granted.

Many believed this would slow the rate of immigration and make it more difficult for skilled workers to immigrate and live in the UK, but as recent figures show, immigration rates are at all time highs and UK Businesses and communities are benefiting from the growth & diversity.

If you are interested in living & working in the UK, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to the UK.

Faster processing speed for 457 Australian Work Visas for skilled migrants

Many skilled migrants wanting to work in Australia can now look forward to faster processing times for their 457 Australian Work Visas.

In order to curb the country's current skills shortage crisis, Australia's government has announced a plan to drastically speed up the processing time of 457 Work Visas, also known as the Skilled Migrant Visas.

This follows after Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans told a Senate Estimates committee that 5795, or nearly half of all skilled migrant visas had not been processed within the required time of two to three months. He also stressed that if staff had to clear the backlog, they'd be working overtime.

Thus, more resources will now be provided to the Australian Immigration and Citizenship Department so that the current backlog of 457 Skilled Migrant Visas can be cleared by the end of June.

Also, specialised Australian immigration centres will be set up in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to process 457 Work Visas from July, as the number of visas granted in 2007-8 increased on the back of the mining and construction boom.

Specialised teams will concentrate on regions, industries and projects to address particular shortages.

In addition to that, employers who regularly hire overseas labour and classified as "low-risk" (i.e. firms with a good track record) will be able to have their applications fast-tracked under an accreditation system. This means that big businesses will be able to speed up the 457 Australian Work Visa process so that they can import foreign workers.

This comes after many employers have complained of significant processing delays for 457 Work Visas, backed by a report that 37% of applications by "low risk" employers took longer than eight weeks.

Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans said the Government had moved quickly to adopt 14 of 16 measures to improve the 457 regime recommended by an industry panel that's chaired by Xstrata Australia chairman Peter Coates, deputy chief executive of the Business Council of Australia Melinda Cilento and former chief executive of the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy Tim Shanahan.

As of April 1, 39,940 temporary Skilled Work Visas had been granted in 2007-08. Health and IT workers were found to be among the most sought after professionals.

Totals for the year are expected to be 17% higher than the previous year.

Statistics by the Australian Immigration Department showed that 20% of 457 Work Visa sponsors brought in about 75% of employees to work in Australia.

If you would like to find out more about immigration to Australia, or want to work and live in Australia,you can get more information on Migration Expert's website.

Also, if you'd like to find out which visa you qualify for, you can do a free visa eligibility assessment, which is available online, and will deliver instant results!

Assessment Test for Australia (Nurses only)

I know that some of you were able to read that good news regarding a nursing test for all Interested Filipino nurses to Work in Australia as a nurse that will be conducted in Philippines from July to September. Please be advised that Queensland Nursing Council is not involved in this test or has no responsibilities with this test to be conducted in Philippines. So DO NOT inquire at QNC as the other site directed its readers. You can either contact CPU or Central Queensland University mainly Jenny Anastasi .And please make sure that you have passed the NLE and has an overall band score of 7 in IELTS that has not yet expired.

For more information or for contacting Jenny Anastasi you can email me @ jan012682@yahoo.com and i will give you the email address.

Please note that i did not post J.Anastasi's email address for avoiding spam and since i do not have an authority to give it away.

Thank you,

Visapinoy

AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

The Labor party budget for 2008-09 includes an increase of almost 300,000 visas to Australia in a bid to address labour shortages in Australia.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan revealed a healthy increase of almost 300,000 more permanent and temporary visas to Australia as a part of the Labor Party Budget for the 2008-09. This is the biggest annual increase in visas in the history of Australia's migration program.

The new budget accommodates for an extra 31,000 skilled migrant visas, and over 150,000 other permanent migrant visas such as family visas & spouse visas. There are also 100,000 new temporary work visas available. This move is aimed to address the current skills shortage in Australia, while other initiatives such as training & education have been introduced to provide long term solutions to skills shortages.

Senator Chris Evans, immigration minister for Australia, commented on the budget changes; "My general view is that we are increasingly facing a labour shortage, not just a skills shortage,".

Senator Evans explained that the labour shortage was not restricted to skilled & professional fields, but was being experienced in almost every industry. "The demand is often for truck drivers, store managers, below tradesman-level jobs in the mining industry," said the Senator.

These changes are part of the government's plan to meet the increasing labour demands of Australian businesses. Senator Evans commented "At the moment there is a real constraint on our capacity to grow because we just don't have enough workers,".

The end result of these budget changes are that there are now more opportunities than ever before for skilled workers to migrate to Australia, permanently or temporarily to live & work.

If you are interested in living & working in Australia, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Australia.

Facing shortage of skilled workers Australia lifts restrictions on working holiday visas

Good news for Aspirants of Australian Visa- Facing severe shortage of skilled workers, it has lifted restrictions on working holiday and skilled workers visa. In last 20 days, it released about 6000 visas to skilled workers and is likely to release many more visas shortly.

Australia is continuously seeing fall in unemployment rate and as per recent statistics, this year unemployment rate has fallen to a 33-year low of 4.1%. This has prompted the Australian Government to lift the quota for skilled migrants this financial year by 6000 so that more skilled workers can be allowed into the country, as most companies are in desperate need for skilled employees.

Its Immigration Minister, Evans, announced a package of measures to ease labor shortage by attracting more skilled workers to Australia, either permanently or on working holidays. This move is aimed to provide skilled manpower to construction and tourism sector, both of which are facing severe labour shortage.

To encourage working holiday’s visa, backpackers visiting Australia on working holidays will now be allowed an extra year on their visas if they spend three months in construction jobs in regional Australia. Australia is also contemplating to expand the reciprocal working holiday program to more countries, as working holiday workers have almost trebled from 2690 to 7990 during the last financial year. A three-member business panel has been appointed to advice on changing the controversial section 457 visa program. Panel is expected to submit its report by March 14th this year.

New visa to attract superyachts to Australia

A new tailored visa for the crews of superyachts will provide a boost to the tourism industry, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said today.

Senator Evans said the new superyacht visa fulfilled a Rudd Government election commitment to create a special visa class to support the growing superyacht industry and assist tourism in areas like Queensland's Great Barrier Reef region.

'The superyacht industry is a growing niche market that is an integral part of Queensland's economic and regional development,' Senator Evans said.

'The new multiple–entry visa will allow all crew members to work in Australia for up to 12 months on commercial or private superyachts.

'Until now, there has not been an appropriate visa to allow the crews to work on a commercially chartered superyacht in Australia and this has restricted the growth in this industry.'

Existing visas including the Maritime Crew Visa and Business Long Stay (457) visas do not appropriately cover superyacht crews staying in Australia.

Senator Evans said the new visa will come into effect in October 2008. In the interim, the department will make temporary arrangements from May 1 so that superyacht crews will be able to use the Business Short Stay (456) visa, which is normally only available for people arriving by air and staying for less than three months.

The Minister said the new visa will allow greater flexibility for superyacht operators to extend their stay in Australian waters.

'We want to make Australia the destination of choice for these 24–metre-plus superyachts and increase their overall economic benefit to the Australian economy,' Senator Evans said.

Currently, the superyacht tourism industry contributes $150 million each year to Australia's economy and is expected to grow to $500 million over the next five years.

The increasing numbers of vessels will also encourage training and job opportunities in related industries such as ship–building and repair, particularly in regional Queensland.

The member for Leichhardt, Jim Turnour, said the new visa would be a significant boost for north Queensland's tourism industry, particularly the Great Barrier Reef region that stretched from Port Douglas down to Gladstone.

'The superyacht visa is something I have campaigned for wholeheartedly and this is a fantastic outcome for Queensland tourism and the thousands of superyacht guests who come to Australia's shores each year,' Mr Turnour said.

We already have the natural beauty and the friendly people, now we're going to ensure eligible crew can come here without any visa confusion.'

New council on Immigration Integration formed in Peterborough, Canada

The city of Peterborough, Canada, recently formed a new council on immigration integration, realizing that without attracting new Canadians, the area will not be able to flourish.

The partnership includes more than 25 representatives from Peterborough city, economic development agencies, law enforcement, education, and the industry.

Mike Ma, co-ordinator of the Community and Race Relations Committee, said: "Economic prosperity is tied to population growth and we can't have population growth without immigration".

"So we need a strategy to increase immigration, and we need a resettlement strategy for comprehensive integration and retention," he added.

One the goals of the partnership is to prepare an application for federal and provincial funding under the Citizenship and Immigration Canada program, "Local Immigration Partnership" (LIP).

"Attracting new Canadians to Peterborough might be our number one problem we need to face in the next few years," admitted Councilor Dean Pappas, a member of the partnership council.

"We have the second oldest workforce in Canada and one of the lowest attraction of immigrants rate. We're not going to be growing unless we attract new Canadians to Peterborough."

Some of the other associations playing a major role in the partnership process are The Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation (GPAEDC), and the New Canadians Centre Peterborough. The goal is to ensure a strong labour force for the future.

Carmela Valles, executive director and organizer of the partnership council said they aim to educate and create awareness, go beyond "over the counter" services, and make immigrant integration a two-way process.

Valles recognises a need to develop a strategy to take ownership of the immigrant integration by focusing on three areas, namely settlement services, language training, and labour market integration.

The universities in the area have also expressed excitement about the partnership: "Welcoming and integrating immigrants is essential to the economic and cultural vitality of the community," said Michael Allcott, director of Trent University's international program.

If you are interested in working, studying and/or living in Canada, find out which visa you qualify for by doing our free online visa eligibility assessment.

You can also visit Migration Expert's website if you'd like to find out more about Canadian, Australian and UK immigration and visas.

Study abroad: Australia's new student visa regulations

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship of Australia has introduced new changes to support and service Indian students.

The most highlighted point is the inclusion of work rights on all initial student visa grants. This would be beneficial in terms of time and cost, as it removes the need for student visa holders to make a separate application for permission to work.

From April 26, 2008, onwards, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship has increased the Student Visa Application Charge to AUD 450 as this fee includes the fee for applying for a work permit. Prior to April 26, 2008, students had to pay AUD 430 as student visa application and on course commencement, apply for work rights by paying a charge of AUD 60.

These changes however have no effect on the work rights. Students are allowed to work 20 hours a week while the course is in session and full-time during scheduled course breaks.

Neither the student nor the family members are allowed to work before the commencement of course of the primary applicant. Family members (except those of research students) are only able to work 20 hours per week.

Moreover, all students who have received visa approvals through e-Visa will no more require visa evidencing / visa stamping on their passport. This means another saving of Rs 281 per passport for each individual case. A copy of their approval letter and entitlement letter will be enough for traveling to Australia.

Education Providers will be able to confirm the visa information by using the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system.

Love of Country

Please pass it to all Filipinos you know.

The message goes:

As you know, we have plenty of Koreans

currently

studying in the Philippines to take

advantage of

our cheaper tuition fees and learn

English at the

same time.

This is an essay written by a Korean

student i

want to share with you. (Never mind the

grammar;

it's the CONTENT that counts) Maybe it

is timely to

think about this in the midst of all the

confusion

at present.

MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES

Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the

corruption in

the Philippines. Do you really think the

corruption

is the problem of the Philippines? I do not

think so. I strongly believe that the

problem is

the lack of love for the Philippines.

Let me first talk about my country, Korea.

It might help you understand my point.

After the Korean War, South Korea was one

of the poorest countries in the world.

Koreans

had to start from scratch because entire

country was

destroyed after the Korean War, and we

had no

natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the

Philippines, for

Filipinos were very rich in Asia. We

envy Filipinos.

Koreans really wanted to be well off like

Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine.

My father & brother also died because of

famine.

Korean government was very corrupt and

is still very

corrupt beyond your imagination, but

Korea was

able to develop dramatically because

Koreans really

did their best for the common good with

their heart

burning with patriotism.

Koreans did not work just for themselves

but also

for their neighborhood and country.

Education inspired

young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the

government to reform Korea. He tried to

borrow money

from other countries, but it was not

possible to get a

loan and attract a foreign investment

because the

economic situation of South Korea was so

bad. Korea had

only three factories. So, President Park

sent many mine

workers and nurses to Germany so that

they could send money to Korea to build

a factory.

They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany

to borrow

money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany

came to the

airport to welcome him and cried there

as they saw

the President Park. They asked to him,

"President,

when can we be well off?" That was the

only question

everyone asked to him. President Park

cried with

them and promised them that Korea would

be well

off if everyone works hard for Korea,

and the President

of Germany got the strong impression on them

and lent money to Korea. So, President

Park was

able to build many factories in Korea.

He always

asked Koreans to love their country from

their heart.

Many Korean scientists and engineers in

the USA

came back to Korea to help developing

country

because they wanted their country to be

well off.

Though they received very small salary,

they did their

best for Korea. They always hoped that

their children

would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the

places where

poor and physically handicapped people

live. They

wanted me to understand their life and

help them.

I also worked for Catholic Church when I

was in the army.

The only thing I learned from Catholic

Church was that we

have to love our neighborhood. And, I

have loved my

neighborhood. Have you cried for the

Philippines? I have cried for my country

several

times. I also cried for the Philippines

because of so many

poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid

prison. What made me sad in the prison

were the

prisoners who do not have any love for

their country.

They go to mass and work for Church.

They pray

everyday.

However, they do not love the Philippines. I

talked to two prisoners at the

maximum-security compound,

and both of them said that they would

leave the

Philippines right after they are

released from the

prison. They said that they would start

a new life in other

countries and never come back to the

Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea

so that

we were able to share our wealth with

our neighborhood.

The owners of factory and company were

distributed their

profit to their employees fairly so that

employees could

buy what they needed and saved money for the

future and their children.

When I was in Korea, I had a very strong

faith and

wanted to be a priest. However, when I

came to the Philippines,

I completely lost my faith.

I was very confused when I saw many

unbelievable

situations in the Philippines. Street

kids always make me sad,

and I see them everyday. The Philippines

is the only Catholic

country in Asia, but there are too many

poor people here.

People go to church every Sunday to

pray, but nothing has

been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last

week and

saw this situation. They told me that

Korea was much poorer

than the present Philippines when they

were young. They are so sorry that there

are so

many beggars and street kids. When we

went to Pasangjan,

I forced my parents to take a boat because

it would fun. However, they were not

happy after

taking a boat. They said that they would

not take the boat

again because they were sympathized the

boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor

and had a

small frame. Most of people just took a

boat and enjoyed it.

But, my parents did not enjoy it because

of love

for them.

My mother who has been working for

Catholic Church

since I was very young told me that if

we just go to

mass without changing ourselves, we are not

Catholic indeed. Faith should come with

action.

She added that I have to love Filipinos

and do good things

for them because all of us are same and

have received a great

love from God. I want Filipinos to love

their

neighborhood and country as much as they

love God

so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword,

which Filipinos

should remember. We cannot change the

sinful structure at once.

It should start from person. Love must

start in everybody,

in a s mall scale and have to grow. A lot of

things happen if we open up to love.

Let's put away

our prejudices and look at our worries

with our new eyes.

I discover that every person is worthy to be

loved. Trust in love, because it makes

changes possible.

Love changes you and me. It changes

people, contexts and

relationships. It changes the world.

Please love your

neighborhood and country.

Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to

others we

do to Him. In the Philippines, there is

God for people who

are abused and abandoned. There is God

who is crying for love.

If you have a child, teach them how to

love the Philippines.

Teach them why they have to love their

neighborhood and country.

Immigration should help UK city Birmingham grow

UK Immigration could give the city of Birmingham a much-needed population boost of 100,000.

UK Immigration Minister and MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, Liam Byrne, said that city council officials told him they were planning for the dramatic rise, which would increase the population by 10% over a period of 20 years.

He believes that these proposals, documented in the Birmingham Prospectus, showed that there was a need for more immigration, as it was impossible to achieve this level of growth in any other way.

"There are some communities and some local economies which are ambitious for growth over the next decade," he said. "Birmingham is another. Birmingham wants to grow its population by 100,000 and we don't think all that growth is going to come from growth in the resident population."

Mr Byrne further explained that UK immigration led to higher wages for the existing population, because they helped make the economy successful.

"Police service funding has increased by something like 60% since 1997. Not all of that money has come from resident British workers. Some of it has come from migrants. The fact we have a successful economy, with employment up, wages up, it is on the back of that economic success to which migration has been a contributory factor."

Currently, Birmingham has a population of 1.001 million, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics.

In addition to that, MPs also told Byrne that employers in Worcestershire wanted more UK immigrants.

A spokeswoman for the authority said: "The aim is to ensure Birmingham continues to be a thriving and prosperous city."

"Controlled migration has been good for productivity. It has been good for wages and wage increases over ten years. It has been good for tax and council taxes," Byrnes said in his support for UK immigration.

However, Byrnes did warn that the Government would toughen up the rules to ensure migrants learned to speak English if they wanted to stay: "Promoting English is becoming one of the most important values driving immigration and citizenship reform."

"Economic migrants will need to speak English if they want to stay for any length of time. We are investigating whether people on spouse visas will need to speak a bit of English before they come in."

Hazel Blears, Communities and Local UK Government Secretary, said that she feels quite strongly that employers should be taking a significantly bigger role in helping to fund some of the essential English language classes, as the taxpayer paid £300 million a year towards English classes.

If you'd like to find out more about living and working in the UK, visit Migration Expert's website, where ample information about UK visas and immigration can be found.

In order to find out which UK visa you are eligible for, you can do our free online visa eligibility assessment, which will deliver instant results!

National Interest Waivers

Who is Eligible?

Within the Second Employment Based Preference Category (EB-2) is a sub category called the "National Interest Waiver." The difference between the main category and its sub-category is the JOB OFFER and LABOR CERTIFICATION requirement present in the main EB-2. These requirements may be WAIVED in the NATIONAL INTEREST if the petitioner can show that his skills will substantially benefit the U.S.

How to Apply

The petitioning process is largely the same as the EB-2 except for two key differences.

1. Labor certification may be waived; and
   
   
2. No particular job offer will be required, although the petitioner must show a field in which he/she intends to work;
   
   
3. To apply for the exemption, the petitioner must submit the I-140, along with a Form ETA 750B, Statement of Qualifications of Alien, in duplicate; and
   
   
4. Evidence to support the claim that such exemption would be in the national interest. Such evidence includes:
   
   
   1. letters from experts familiar with Petitioners work
   2. educational credentials
   3. published works
   4. awards or other recognition for achievements in the field
   5. memberships in exclusive professional associations.

Documentation Requirements

1. NATIONAL INTEREST - There is no set definition of the term National Interest. The INS instead applies the term to each case on an individual case-by-case basis. The main case, Matter of [name not provided], EAC 92-091-50126 (AAU July 21, 1992), known as the "Mississippi Phosphate" case, that has provided guidance on the issue was decided in 1992. In that case the court set out the following factors as relevant to granting a National Interest Waiver:
   
   
   1. improving the United States economy;
   2. improving wages and working conditions of U.S. workers;
   3. improving education and training programs for U.S. children and other qualified workers;
   4. improving health care;
   5. providing more affordable housing for young and/or older, poorer U.S. residents;
   6. improving the U.S. environment and making more productive use of natural resources; or
   7. involving a request from an interested government agency.
   
   
2. PRIOR EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING IN THE FIELD - The alien must have two years of full-time experience in the field;
   
   
3. NATIONAL NEED FOR SERVICE - The request for waiver may not be based purely on a local labor shortage;
   
   
4. "PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE" - The Petitioner will work on an undertaking which will "substantially benefit prospectively the United States;" and the Petitioner will "play a significant role" in the undertaking.
   
   
5. BETTER THAN U.S. WORKER - The Petitioner must show that he/she will "serve the national interest to a substantially greater degree based on the INS appraisal of his or her record of achievement than would an available U.S. worker having the same minimum qualifications."

C. ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE:

1. INTRISIC VALUE OF SERVICES - Petitioner must show that the Petitioner seeks employment in an area of substantial intrinsic merit to the U.S. The Petitioner must show that his/her work will improve an area such as the economy, education, heath care, housing, or the environment of the United States.
   
   
2. NATIONAL IN SCOPE - It must be shown that the proposed benefit will be national in scope.
   
   
3. NATIONAL INTEREST - The petitioner must persuasively demonstrate that the national interest would be adversely affected if a labor certification were required for the alien.
   
   
4. PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS - The Petitioner must document a record of past accomplishments from which it can be concluded that he or she will serve the national interest to a greater extent than other persons with the same level of education, training and/or experience.

Processing Times

Depending on whether the employer follows the standard labor certification procedure or pursues reduction in recruitment expedited procedures, the labor certification alone can take more than one year. Following the labor certification, the prospective immigrant must still file the I-140 and I-485 in the proper order which can also take several months.

You should carefully examine whether you are qualified for any of the following categories for permanent residence through employment: Persons of Extraordinary Ability, Outstanding Professors and Researchers, Multinational Managers and Executives, Religious Workers, Blanket Labor Certifications or Reductions in Recruitment through the Labor Department.

China Visa Update

• There are no changes to the Z (work) visa procedure. These visas are converted into work and residency permits inside China upon entrance into the country.

• Currently people need to apply in their home countries for Chinese visas and cannot apply in Hong Kong (other third countries are currently okay at the moment including Macao). Only those with either HK work permits or HK ID can apply for visas in Hong Kong.

• Visa processing takes longer so you need to be prepared and apply in advance.

• For L (tourist) visas, you are required to have a copy of a hotel reservation a photocopy of a round-trip plan ticket.

• For F (business) visas, you are required to apply at the consulate/embassy in your country of residence. The consulates/embassies are only issuing 30-day single or double-entry visas. The following are the required documents: original letter from the Chinese government ministry; Chinese hotel reservation; photocopy of return plane tickets.

• F visas can be extended inside China only. If extended in Beijing they can only be extended to July 1st 2008. If extended in Shanghai, they can be extended for the standard 30 to 60 days and count as single entry (and supposedly beyond July 1st). Extensions take five working days and must be applied for in person.

• For the letter from the Chinese government ministry (usually the local foreign affairs office), this must be applied for by a locally registered company such as a WOFE or domestic Chinese company in the city where the person applying for the F visa intends to visit. IE if the person intends to visit Shanghai, the letter must be applied for by a company in Shanghai.

• Representative offices must apply through an agent such as FESCO to get the letter from the relevant ministry

• Those people who are in China for longer than 90 days continually or more than 180 days in a calendar year should apply to be on a Z visa, which would be changed to a residency permit inside China.

• F and L visas for senior managers can be changed to work and residence permits from inside China. Also all companies with capital over US$3 million can change F and L visas to work and residency permits for all employees. Representative offices also can’t apply directly for Z visas. They must apply for L or F visas and convert them to work and residency permits inside China.

• These regulations will most like last after the Olympics. The government is really cracking down on F visa holders who are actually residents inside China as they are really residents here, and should therefore be on residency and work permits and be paying taxes.

More Migrants Find Work in Canada

Immigrant employment increased sharply last year in Canada, easily outpacing that of Canadian-born workers, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.

Statistics Canada’s report indicated that employment among immigrants increased 2.1 per cent in 2007 and that employment among core working-age immigrants - aged 25 to 54 - rose by 52,000 over 2006.

The agency reports employment for immigrants aged 25 to 54 reached nearly 2.5 million, with full-time employment increasing three per cent.

Interestingly, more than half the of growth in employment among core working-age immigrants last year occurred in Quebec, where it was up 28,000 over 2006, followed by Alberta with an increase of 18,000.

Employment for immigrant women aged 25 to 54 increased by 47,000, accounting for the vast majority of the estimated 52,000 gain for core working-age immigrants.

As was the case for Canadian-born workers, most employment growth for immigrants was in service sector jobs. However, the growth in employment of immigrants and their Canadian-born counterparts occurred in different industries, with notable gains for immigrants of 19,000 in transportation, and 15,000 in accommodation and food services.

The largest gains in immigrant employment were among the university-educated, rising by a full seven per cent or 62,000, with all finding full-time work in Canada.

Employment growth was strong for immigrants born in Asia and the Middle East, who also posted virtually all the population growth among core working-age immigrants. The labour market also improved slightly for African-born immigrants.

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