Accountants looking to emigrate to Australia can apply under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) Program. You will need to meet the basic requirements for GSM, pass the Australian immigration Points Test and pass a skills assessment for your particular occupation to qualify for an Australian visa.

It is important to note that beginning 1 July 2012, Australian immigration will be introducing huge changes to their skilled migration program. It is expected that under the Australian immigration system fewer people will qualify and processing times will be longer. If you wish to come under the current skilled immigration programme you should apply for a skills assessment as soon as possible. You need to be ready with your skills assessment and, have passed the English language test before you can submit your immigration application.

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A breakdown of communication between immigration officials led to the “lighter touch” UK immigration officers used at passport and visa checks last year, a Parliamentary inquiry consisting of MPs (UK members of parliament) has said. The report published this week by the Commons home affairs committee said that a “highly troubling” lack of supervision led to passport and visa controls being relaxed far too frequently. The relaxed immigration controls led to the dismissal of the UK border force chief, Brodie Clark.

The report states they were “shocked” at the number of times the immigration checks were relaxed. They found the immigration checks had been relaxed for health and safety reasons, to avoid a baggage crisis, because there were excessive queues in the arrivals hall, or to avoid a potential delay in flight schedules. In total, the MPs say that passport and visa checks were waived at least 50 times between May and July last summer at Heathrow and other airports.

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US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced last week that there have been five more countries added to the list of eligible nationals who can participate in the H-2A and H-2B programs in 2012. This brings the lists total to 58 countries. The list of Countries will be reviewed again one year from the date of publication

The H-2A and H-2B programs allow US employers to bring foreign workers to the US in order to fill temporary agricultural jobs and temporary non-agricultural jobs. USCIS generally may only approve H-2A and H-2B petitions for nationals of countries that are designated as eligible to participate in the programs. USCIS may also approve H-2A and H-2B petitions for nationals of countries not on the list if it is determined to be in the interest of the US; this is taken on a case by case basis.

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Christchurch in Canterbury, New Zealand is facing a severe shortage of chefs, prompting Hospitality New Zealand, which represents over 2,400 hospitality businesses in New Zealand to push the government to add chefs to the Canterbury Skills Shortage list. Restaurants re-opening after the quakes are desperate for high level staff, but many chefs were forced to leave the city after the February earthquake for jobs overseas or in other New Zealand cities.

Many restaurants and other businesses suffered extensive damage due to the earthquakes; It has taken many months for businesses in the area to recover from the earthquakes.

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US President Obama announced yesterday that “America is open for business” and detailed a new approach the country is planning to take in order to make it easier for foreign visitors from certain Countries to travel to the US in an effort to boost tourism and create jobs.

“I want America to be the top tourist destination in the world,” said Obama who announced the news at Walt Disney World in Florida, a huge tourist attraction for millions of people each year. “The more folks who visit America, the more Americans we get back to work. It is that simple.”

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A new immigration group was launched in Canada last week comprising of local service providers, health care representatives, business people and politicians. The new Immigration Partnership Council will help immigrants and refugees integrate into Canadian life.

The group brainstormed ideas on how to best assist new immigrants and refugees to become part of the community for two years. Last Friday, the group officially launched their immigration council in Kitchener, Ontario.

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The “Down Under Live” and “Canada Live” expos will be held next month in the UK providing detailed information of immigration and employment opportunities for Australia, New Zealand and Canada and will take place in three different cities across the UK. If you are interested in immigration to Australia, New Zealand, and Canada you should seriously consider visiting an Immigration Expo.

Recent government statistics have shown that Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are the top destinations for people migrating from the UK. Importantly, Australia and New Zealand have been experiencing extreme skills shortages in various industries. There are plenty of opportunities for new immigrants with the right skills and qualifications.

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With this month marking the two year anniversary of Haiti’s massive earthquake, members of the US Congress along with Haitian-American community leaders are urging the Obama administration to expedite US visas for more Haitians to live and work in the US.

Specifically, they are asking to fast-track visas for tens of thousands of Haitians whose applications have already been approved but could take many more years for a visa to be issued. This is due to a cap on the number of visas that the US grants each year.

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The US Travel Association is pushing Congress to pass new legislation to ease US visitor visa restrictions in the hope that tourism to the US will increase. International visitors are expected to spend more than $152 billion in the year 2012, but tourists could offer an even larger boost to the US economy if the current bill before Congress passes so that it is easier to obtain visitor visas.

The bill is designed to stimulate international tourism to the US; Supporters believe it will help the US economy and create more jobs. The proposed overhaul of the US visa system has been endorsed by the National Retail Federation, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

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The Australian Defence Force is trying to recruit laid-off soldiers, sailors and air crew from the UK in order to fill their quota of new recruits. Those chosen will gain preferential treatment when it comes to Australian Immigration and Citizenship. The Australian Navy has sent a delegation to the UK to recruit some of the 5,000 Royal Navy staff due to lose their jobs over the next four years.

Many Australian engineers have been lured away from the military by the mining industry, which offers better pay and conditions. The UK’s Royal Navy has already announced plans to lay off about 1,020 sailors, a third of who are being made redundant compulsorily. The Australian Navy directly contacts redundant UK sailors and offer them “career transition options” for those interested in immigration to Australia.

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