A K-1 Visa (also known as a Fiancee Visa), is a nonimmigrant visa which benefits fiancées of U.S. citizens. The petitioner files the application in the USA on behalf of the foreign beneficiary. The petitioner must provide detailed information and supporting documentation to establish that both parties are legally free to marry, have met each other within the last two years. In March of 2006, the law was changed to limit the number of applications a Petitioner can file, and the Petitioner must not have a disqualifying criminal history of sexual or partner abuse, or more than three drug or alcohol related convictions. The use of “marriage agencies” in the introductions, and any involvement must be also be disclosed. This law is known as the “IMBRA law”. Once the fiancee visa petition is approved, the application will be forwarded to the National Visa Center. After clearance at the NVC, the petition is then forwarded to the U.S. embassy or consulate in the jurisdiction in which the fianc

Thanks to immigration to the UK, Britain has seen both its inflation and interest rates lowered, says a new report published by city-based think tank, The Work Foundationtoday. The report reveals that UK immigration has caused skills and labour shortages to be avoided and that the economy has been kept on a stable growth path. "On the available evidence... the UK's ageing population, with fewer young people entering the job market, means that a fair and flexible policy of managed migration is essential if the economy is to continue to grow," said David Coats, the foundation's associate director of policy and also author of the report. The report, that praises immigration's affect on the UK, also stated that in 2007, fewer people than in 2006 and 2005 came from central and Eastern Europe. This means that immigration to the UK should be encouraged by other countries as well, so that new blood can be added to the system, keeping inflation and interest rates low. Prime Minister G

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

The new funding will go towards helping newcomers in Hamilton. It will access a variety of settlement services, which includes language training, help in finding a job in Canada, getting settled in their new community, as well as providing child-minding spots so that parents with young children can participate in these programs. In fact, through the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA), the Canadian Immigration Department has increased settlement funding for Ontario by a total of $920 million over five years. "We want more immigrants to come to Canada and we are committed to helping immigrants begin their new lives in our country," said Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Minister Diane Finley. "This funding will give newcomers in the Hamilton area access to a number of valuable services, providing the support they need as they integrate into the community. Their success is good for Hamilton and good for Canada as a whole." Helping newcomers settle, adapt, and integrate

The changes to the Post-Graduation Work Visa are applicable to international students who graduate from eligible programs at certain Canadian post-secondary institutions. "The Government of Canada wants more foreign students to choose Canada and we want to help them succeed," said Immigration and Citizenship Minister Finley. Effectively immediately, international students will now be able to obtain an open work permit under the Canadian Post-Graduation Work Permit Program. Basically, four new changes have been implemented, namely: No restrictions on the type of employment; No requirement for a job offer; Duration of work permit has been extended to three years; This is applicable to the entire Canada, and not just restricted to specific provinces. Previously, the Immigration Department required international students in Canada to have an offer of employment before they could qualify for the Post-Graduation Work Visa. In addition to that, employment had to be related to t

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, in

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 repo