This surely raises the question, what happens when a foreign child is adopted by Canadian parents! It becomes a matter of concern when a case of hearing reported for a teenage; accused for committing an assault and robbery that is facing the threat of deportation to his birth land. The teenager had committed the crime four years back in 2005 and has been released from a juvenile detention center recently.

The accused who was a minor at the time of the crime had been adopted by a Canadian family. This means he is not a Canadian citizen. Now that question arises what really happens to such an adopted child? So, here is the answer…

A child born after 1947 in Canada is regarded as a citizen of that country. Besides, if a child is born outside Canada after 1977, but if he/she has a Canadian parent is also regarded as a citizen of Canada. This criterion was applicable to a number of generations of people who were born to original Canadians until 2008. But, a law that had been passed in 2009 restricted this to only one generation.

Until 2006, an adopted child from a foreign country was required to be sponsored as a permanent resident first before he/she could be regarded as a Canadian citizen, which is popularly know as naturalization. Towards the end of the year 2007, this law was altered which stated that an adopted foreign child would be granted with Canadian citizenship without first going through the process of immigration. The same law was extended to Canadians who live outside the country.

Now foreign nationals who are adopted by Canadian citizens can obtain Canadian citizenship directly, without having to go through the process of naturalization! To know more about this, contact an Immigration and Visa consultant!

Reports say that the Indian government is planning to make amendments in the guidelines on Conference and Tourist Visa. Union Home Secretary G K Pillai has confirmed that the Home Ministry has received a lot of complaints against the present regulations. Therefore, the Centre is working on easing out the guidelines to make it easier for the overseas academicians to visit the country.

The criticism is against all those guidelines that specify that overseas participants from 8 countries need to go through the security clearance from the Ministry in order to get the Visa.

Pillai confirmed that the Ministry, in consultation with other agencies, is reworking on these guidelines and making it simpler for the foreign nations to come and visit the country. In addition, he committed that Government do make rules which may be not correct and it is a democratic society and we have the right to correct our mistakes too.

He went on to say that the ministry is deeply concerned for overseas nationals who come for a conference in the country. Therefore, it is mandatory to know their backgrounds and other essential details. The essence behind the regulations is to ensure the country’s security.

Pillai also mentioned that scholars having genuine backgrounds would no difficulties, especially if they are qualified from registered Universities.

Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal confirmed that it is essential to check the credentials of overseas applicants.

The Denmark Green Card program is based on the Point Based System. This immigration program is meant for senior executives and professionals. The program offers a permit for residence for a period of three years to the applicant and his dependent family members. The eligibility criteria that an applicant is judged is based on the points based system which includes academic qualifications, age, total work experience, academic qualifications obtained in Europe and so on. The Government of Denmark has brought out an occupation list which is the ground for applicants to apply.

However, while applying for the program, it is but obvious that the applicant has to be extremely careful and should take all the necessary precautions. Some such aspects to be considered include:

• Details regarding the points based system should be looked into very carefully prior to applying. The applicant should only apply if he scores the minimum pass mark. In order to score the bare minimum, the applicant must carefully look into all the aspects of the points based system.
• The applicant has to be sure whether or not his profession features in the Positive List of Occupations. This list is based on the assessment conducted by the government. This list consists of those professions where in there is a shortage of skills in the country. These are the jobs that could likely be taken over by immigrants.
• The applicant should get a complete overview of the educational qualifications that are mandatory for him to qualify for the visa. It is best that the applicant consults a specialist for the same who can advise him on the same.
• Just by having the relevant qualifications will not make an applicant automatically eligible for the program. The applicant has to provide with the relevant reference letters from his employers which enlist his job responsibilities.
• Right amount of fee has to be deposited along with the application form. The form should contain the right information with the relevant supporting documents.
• To prove his English proficiency, he must submit his English test reports or a statement in English language.
• All the documents which are not in English language should be translated in English.
• The application procedure involves certifications for various documents from the various Indian authorities. So, the applicant must know of all the authorities that need to be contacted for the same.
• The most important of the eligibility criteria is to have the relevant amount of money to cater to the settlement expenditure in Denmark. This has to be for the first year after obtaining a permit. Thus, proof of funds should be attached with the application form. For this, it is important to seek advice of an expert regarding the various forms of savings and so on.

All in all, the applicant must know that the application must be submitted at the nearest Danish Embassy in the applicant’s country of origin. In order to go through a hassle free immigration process, it is best recommended to contact an Immigration and Visa Specialist.

Recently, the Australian Immigration Minister, Chris Evans stated and made it public that the employers would use the temporary skilled visa program, that is 457 Subclass only if they do not able to find skilled workers within Australia.

The government made it clear that Australian employers are now required to look for the local workers to fill the vacancies first. Further they will be able to use the 457 Subclass visa scheme and recruit overseas skilled workers only when they do not find Australians who could fit the bill. With this, the Oz government wants to deliver that the local skilled workers should be given the priority and provided with the job opportunities created in the country.

The government is trying to make sure that the hiring of overseas employees does not affect the local skills. It is true that Australia needs skilled overseas workers, but at the same time it is also important to ensure that the temporary skilled visa holders do not replace the local workers. As a matter of fact, Australian workers have always been concerned about the possibility of bringing in foreign skilled workers at cheaper rates, thereby making local skills out of work.

However, the Worker Protection Laws are there to protect the rights of the Australian workers. According to February statistics, the average salary of a temporary visa holder in Australia is near about $100,000, up $10,000 from a year ago. The stats clearly show that the 457 Subclass visa holders are highly skilled workers and working for the same pay rates as local residents, which further indicates that the worker protection policies have been effective so far and are working!

Visa frauds are getting common these days. Recently a man from California has been accused for operating a racket of undocumented and fake test takers who assisted many overseas applicants in attaining US Student Visas, confirmed Federal Authorities.

The gang used to assist the applicants in passing English Proficiency Examinations and in obtaining Student Visas at the later stages.

Eamonn Daniel Higgins, 46, the brain behind the ring appeared in the US District Court. In addition, 16 of clients (under doubts) are arrested for committing visa frauds. Amongst these suspects, a lady working for Higgins was illegally granted to take exam by using illegal documents and fake identity proofs.

Nothing has been confirmed as far as the backgrounds of these clients are concerned, nor has anything being said about their linkage with any sort of criminal or terrorist activities.

Debra Parker from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that the investigations have astonished the US immigration authorities. She went on to say that illegal Visas are surely one of the biggest concerns for the country and the motives of visa frauds would be further scrutinized in the upcoming weeks.

Another official from ICE confirmed that six of the arrested clients would face criminal charges while the rest of them would be deported. Remaining suspects would face further investigations.

It has been reported that the culprit has managed to grab a heavy amount of more than tens of thousands of dollars from the overseas applicants and helped them get Student Visas.

Students studying under the F-1 Visa under Optical Practical Training will now enjoy an extended work period of 29 months. The advantage holds for students of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Students who have not enrolled themselves in any of the STEM subjects have the freedom to work for only one year.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a tenure in which overseas students who have enrolled themselves in their courses for nine months or beyond that can gain work experience related to their work field. These students are not required to get work H-1B visa in order to fulfill their work requirements.

According to James W Herman, a renowned counselor, the OPT facility provides ample opportunities to students to gain ample experience in their fields. The option has assisted thousands of Indian students, especially when it comes to gaining experience in the US. It also provides additional skills linked with the field of students, which further helps them in enhancing their career perspectives.

All overseas FI-Visa holders in the US have the freedom to enroll themselves in Optional Practical Training, as it provides them with perfect opportunity to gain quality work experience, a step closer towards their brilliant career

Stats say that more than 10% of the overseas students in the US enrolled themselves in Optional Practical Training during 2008-2009 and in turn grabbed plenty of benefits out of it.

Overall, it is good news for all those students studying in the US who are planning to study in the US along with gaining work experience!

The much-awaited changes to the UK Tier 4 Student Visa have finally been implemented on February 22, 2010. The changes have been made in an attempt to deter the fake overseas students from entering the UK. Let’s have a look at the implementation:

As part of the new implementations, all Tier 4 student visa applications must contain a CAS, that is Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, no matter the whether the applications are made from inside or outside the United Kingdom. From now all applications under this category of Points-System must be provided with a CAS number, as well as sponsor license number.

The applications should include a CAS statement, along with the student’s name; his/her birth date; title of the course he/she is intending to take; the start and end dates of the course; documents supporting the applicant’s qualifications; sponsorship details pertaining to financial assistance; and ATAS certificate (whoever is entitled to produce).

Even if an applicant was provided with a visa letter prior February 22, 2010, that needs to be altered with a Confirmation of acceptance for Studies. However, applicants of outside the UK who have been issued with visa letters and paid the visa fee prior February 22, 2010 are not required to replace their letters with CAS.

Along with these changes, there have been changes made to the Sponsorship Management System, the online tool that helps sponsors in the UK in bringing migrants.

All those students who are considering to migrate to the UK, should contact an Immigration and Visa Consultant in order to keep up with the latest implementations in the country.

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.