UK is planning to make study visa rules stringent for Ugandans, confirmed the British High Commission.

According to UK Entry Clearance Manager Susanah Richmond, certain amendments in the UK immigration rules are likely to happen very soon. For instance, students making their minds to enroll themselves in a study course less than a degree level would only be allowed to work for 10 hours a week. Earlier the prescribed hours were twenty!

Also, applicants planning to study a course for less than six months won’t have the permission to bring their dependants with them.

For those students who already have their dependants living with them, the later would not be allowed to work, provided the student applicant enrolls in a course lower than a degree level.

In addition, it is mandatory to have good proficiency in the English language. UK has tightened visa rules in the past also. Under the previously listed regulations, it is mandatory for students to prove that they enrolled themselves in an institution licensed by UK Border Agency. Additionally, it is a requisite to prove that the students can financially support themselves in the UK.

Richmond went on to say that the number of Ugandans applying for UK have slowed down by a huge margin. She also defended the hike in the visa fees, saying that the money is used in the processing of the application.

Stringent rules would further ensure genuine entry for legal applicants!

When we talk about Australia, imagery of kangaroos, yellow jerseys of the Aussie cricket team and Sydney Opera House comes to our mind! Aussie land is not only famous for Symonds, Gilly, or Ricky Ponting, but for world class education system also! People regard Australia as one of the best study abroad destinations on this globe. The education system of the country celebrates a strong reputation and is applauded for its ace faculty facet throughout the education arena. Apart from enjoying the scenic beauty, decent cost of living and world class facility, Australia makes an excellent place to study your favorite course in an applauded university.

The world’s smallest continent is draped with all the educational amenities one can ask for! The mix of various ethnic backgrounds serves as a cherry on the cake when it comes to studying backgrounds of different kind of people under one roof! In addition, students get to know the tradition of other countries, while sharing their own perspectives with other overseas students.

Studying in Australia provides a magnetic experience, giving ample opportunities to students to come and study in world class colleges and universities. Additionally, overseas students have the choice to indulge themselves into part time employment during their ongoing curriculum.

Education in Australia ensures a high quality education affirming success in your field in the upcoming future. The education system is divided into four major facets: Vocational institutions, Universities, English language institutions and schools.

Applicants can go for some of the highly applauded Universities like The University of Adelaide, The Australian National University, The University of Melbourne, Monash University, The University of Queensland, The University of Sydney, and The University of Western Australia. In order to enroll in Australian institutions, it is vital to clear all the requirements and fulfill the eligibility criteria, recommended by different universities.

Educational institutions need to have accreditation from Australian Government and ensure that they are providing the right information to the overseas students. Applicants need to get a valid Student Visa and check with the Australian Embassy to know about the whole process. Advice from an expert Study Visa consultant would also prove crucial at this stage!

Immigration is becoming a common practice these days. With so many advantages and positive consequences associated with the facet of Immigration, people from all over the world find it an easy option to enter an altogether exciting world of a new country.

Recent amendments in the visa rules have left various applicants think about their Immigration status all over again. Also, the amendments are right from a certain aspect as every country wants immigrants to come and study in their country but no one wants to encourage Illegal Immigration as such.

Also, changes have been implemented, considering the fact that many applicants regard Student Visa as a backdoor entry to acquire a Permanent Residence Status, which is not right as far as the legal aspects are considered. That is one of the reasons as to why Britain banned Student Visa Applications from North India and other countries. But the amendments have not done any justice to the genuine students!

Genuine students have to go through normal security checks (including health, character and security) and fulfill other Immigration related requirements, like demonstrating proficiency in the English language and having the required educational qualifications, to name a few. In addition, they need to show that they have genuine intention to enter the premises.

Also, strict security measures have been implemented in order to identify undocumented applicants and those who intend to enter the premises in an illegal manner. For instance, Canadian Airports were recently draped with the implementation of SPOT - Screening Passengers by Observation Technique, to identify the suspicious migrants. The stringent measures would surely create some hassles for the genuine immigrants, but would surely assist in stopping Illegal Immigration to a great extent.

Australia, too, recently made some mends in its Immigration rules. Check this out at: http://blog.abhinav.com/amends-in-the-australian-laws-for-immigration/

Recent amendments in the General Skilled Migration (GSM) have led to the placement of Discussion paper on the website of department until 12 March 2010. The paper has been established after a mutual discussion between Commonwealth, State and Territory Government along with other officials.

The discussion is open to public comment. In addition, following are some of the fragments from the paper (facets that should build a new Points Test:

• It should contribute to selecting those prospective applicants who would provide maximum human capital, hence contributing to the highest in the Australian economy. In addition, it should not bar/cease very good applicants from offshore or in Australia.
• It should also allow applicants decked with high value attributes including proficiency in the English language, to name a few, to get the maximum number of points. Also, it should be able to work under the current as well as the new arrangements (if any) in a flexible manner.
• Undue weight to any one given factor should not be provided.

Check out the official website for more info: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/points-test-discussion.pdf

The main motto behind introducing this discussion paper is know the effectiveness of the Points Tests in selecting good applicants who could serve the Australian economy in the best possible way

Also, it would become necessary for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to provide a report on the outcome of this review. The applicants can submit their comments at independent.skilled@immi.gov.au by 12 March 2010.

The Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa Program allows individuals with skills to enter the New South Wales New as per the occupational requirements of the regional areas in the state. This visa category that falls under the subclass 475/487, requires sponsorship from the state government or a Regional Certifying Body in order to help an individual to enter and work in the NSW.

Like any other visa category, the Skilled Regional Migration Visa also requires applicants to meet a number of criteria. Here are a few of them:

• An applicant should not be above forty-five years of age.
• An applicant should have a certain level of English language skills.
• An applicant must gain at least 100points on the DIAC skills test.
• An applicant must intend to live and work in regional New South Wales.

New South Wales accepts applications for sponsorship under the Skilled Regional Sponsored Migration category for regions- Southern Inland Region, Northern Inland Region, Riverina, Orana and Murray. The Regional Certifying Bodies in NSW are entitled to accept the applications for skilled occupations. But, before applying for this visa, one needs to verify if he/she has the qualifications that are recognized in Australia, as well as the listed occupations available in the regions.

In order to apply for sponsorship from any of the above mentioned regions, all one needs to do is to fill up the NSW From R and send it to the regional office, along with a copy of the skills assessment with application fee!

Alan Johnson was recently addressed by Immigration officer Lisa Lea, who is a part of his own border staff, an incident that left the former red-faced! Lisa called his immigration policies a “waste of time” and quizzed him for the new system crafted for dealing with prospective non-EU students. She also questioned him on the lax and easygoing UK’s border controls.

Mr. Johnson was obviously left embarrassed after Lisa told him that it is required to reintroduce interviews for non-EU student applicants in order to slow down the rate of bogus applicants.

Lisa called the whole procedure “waste of time” and explained how much time is drained in the filling of tedious paperwork by the Border Agency Staff. She also questioned as to why the staff does not interview prospective students as a part of current Immigration policies?

The simplest way, according to her, to know whether a particular applicant is economic migrant or not, is to simply have an interview with him - a procedure that doesn’t happen any more! She also said that paper-based applications are not ample to judge the applicants, and has further lead to a huge hike in the arrivals in the recent times.

Mr. Johnson defended his Immigration policies by saying that the old one WAS NOT FOOLPROOF!

Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesman Chris Huhne said that Lisa’s comment prove that the whole system is not working in a proper manner, and is a proof of Government’s mismanagement!

Hindus in UK are now free to carry out cremation practice in traditional Hindu ways – if they wish to – following a judgment that went in favor of Baba Davender Ghai, a Hindu-origin spiritual leader.

The latest decision overturned the earlier decision made by the High Court stating that Hindu Cremation practices are “dirty and smelly.” The recent decision taken by Lord Neuberger, the most senior judge in the UK, pointed out that Ghai’s demand of having a Hindu-style funeral can be accommodated within the cremation legislation.

His statement “I am over the moon” confirmed his happiness and spoke all about his inner state! He assured that the decision did not mean that from now onwards Hindus have the right to perform cremation ceremonies anytime, anywhere, nor do he wants that! He just wants that the current crematoria should acknowledge the Hindu sentiments and requirements. He also confirmed that Lord Davenport, has offered him a piece of land, which would enable Hindus to perform cremation practice.

Ghai came to UK in 1958. He said that he has spent his entire life by the Hindu scriptures and now he craves to die by them. He said that the decision has poured a new life in an old man’s dreams! He assured that he just wants to clarify the laws rather than disobeying or disrespecting them!

Reports say that the old man has been involved in campaigning for cremation to be performed in Hindu style for so many years. The court has now accepted that his funeral pyre must be performed within an enclosed structure.

In a case of human trafficking, Judge Richard Bray has blamed UK’s Immigration controls after charging Vietnamese siblings for trafficking almost 100 illegal immigrants into UK. The Judge passed his judgment and sentenced Hanh Van Vu, 40, for 11 years of jail as his half sister (also his wife) was jailed for two years.

Reports say that Hanh married his sister, Duc Thi Vu, in order to stay in the UK as both have been sentenced deportation for gaining UK citizenship by wrong methods.

The Judge said that he has done his part of the duty and leave the rest for the Home Officers. He went on to term the UK Immigration controls as “pitiful” and disclosed his apprehensions at the lax immigration rules which allow anyone to enter the premises without any identification.

In fact, the judge was shocked that despite not having a proper documentation, illegal immigrants find it a cakewalk to enter the UK and are let onto the streets without facing any stringent checks or scrutiny.

Duc Thi Vu had lived in Britain under a fake name for 19 years. Hanh Van Vu married her and gained entry into the UK on an illegal basis. He also smuggled a titanic quantity of 100 undocumented immigrants and set them to work only to get “modern form of slavery” in return.

The adjudicators in the UK Parliament feel that the UK Border Agency is not able to handle the intensive number of applications that are coming in and processing them on time. According to a recent report, this lack of management is leading to extensive use of the funds generated from the public. It is also posing threats to the confidence that has been placed on the current immigration system.

According to the report which has been brought out by the ombudsman in the parliament, the Border Agency has to work extensively to ensure that it’s appropriate functioning. The report has been brought out after an independent investigation and has instances where there have been complaints with reference to the governmental agencies. Off these, there are four hundred and seventy eight accusations against the Border Agency itself. These were found out since last June and around thirty three complaints were investigated then by the ombudsman’s office. Ninety seven percent of these were found to have originated from the Border Agency itself.

As per Ann Abraham, one of the ombudsmen, only clearing the backlog is not just enough. More needs to be done in this regard for which a constant effort has to be made to achieve the desired results. Additionally, the standards have to be raised accordingly and avoid the present situation of backlogs in the future. The main reason behind this is the impact of such a situation would cost very badly for both the system as well as the applicants. More so, the faith in this system would be lost if it continues.

With this, the fairness in all the decisions made regarding immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers would also be questioned. This is because those applicants whose cases have been rejected after a long delay would be difficult to be deported. During their stay while awaiting a decision, their roots might have been grounded so deep that it would be difficult for them to be removed. In other words, the circumstances might change which would permit them to live in the United Kingdom.

On the other hand, when the UK Border Agency was approached with these complaints, it was well – acknowledged. With this, it also mentioned that a slow and steady progress is happening on the backlog cases. Around 235,000 cases have been resolved till now.

All in all, what remains to be seen is that the current situation is not aggravated further; instead progress is on the cards.

After the recent amendments in the Australian Immigration rules, various applicants are left in a dilemma about their Immigration status. According to reports, hundreds of Koreans who were intending to immigrate to the land of Kangaroos were left in a state of confusion for finding alternatives, after Australian government streamlined the Skill List in its Immigration regulations.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans said that the mends are targeted at accepting migrants having higher skills. He strictly said that if the migrants are not draped with proficiency in the English language, don’t have apt trade skills, then they should not have any right to be eligible for a PR status.

At the mention of vocational schools, stats say that almost 11,500 Koreans got themselves enrolled in vocational colleges as of last November. Out of them, 5,200 managed to get a PR status from July 2008 to June 2009.

A Korean official confirmed that the amendments are not targeted for any particular nation. A Seoul official said that until and unless the amendments are targeted at a particular nation, it becomes difficult for any country to get involved in the issue.

There are speculations that the amendments would be targeted at minimizing the enrollment at vocational schools to ensure that students with right skills are entered in Australian premises.

It is not just about Koreans, but applicants from all over the globe would suffer a hint of effect in their Immigration plans to Australia!