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Moderators: Casa, Amber, archigabe, batleykhan, ca.funke, ChetanOjha, EUsmileWEallsmile, JAJ, John, Obie, push, geriatrix, vinny, CR001, zimba, meself2, Administrator
Tobias, can I ask what are your 3 sites of choice?tobiashomer wrote:I have to say I think there are enough forums on this subject, and a presumably for-profit pseudo-"blog" does not add anything useful. I read posts on 3 sites to keep up with the ongoing sagas of UK immigtration, and will not add a 4th for no reason.
Government immigration policy in its arbitrariness and hypocrisy has obviously created a situation where the confusion and suffering of those involved looks like a business opportunity.
Is your name really Jon Thomas or you are having a laugh?
Ministers also revealed that businesses which want to sponsor and employ migrants must be licensed by the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA).
A licence will be required from the autumn, when the second tier of the points-based system is due to come into effect.
Employers can begin applying for licences from today.
Sponsors will be rated "A" or "B" according to criteria set by the Home Office.
Their activities will be monitored, and poor performance could lead to them being downgraded or removed from the register, a Home Office spokesman said.
Tier One requires highly skilled workers to achieve a total of 75 points, with various amounts awarded for education, age and their level of previous earnings.
About 40,000 people applied under the previous scheme for highly-skilled migrants in 2006, with about 20,000 being successful.
Separately, about 14,500 highly-skilled migrants applied to renew their stay in 2006, of whom about 14,000 were successful.
The new points-based scheme will effectively bar low-skilled workers from outside the European Union.
Net migration to the UK was 191,000 in 2006, the lowest level for three years and more than 50,000 down on the 2004 record.
A record number of people came to live in the UK for at least a year - 591,000, up slightly on the previous record set in 2004.
But the number of people leaving Britain for 12 months or more also reached a record high of 400,000.
Just over half (207,000) of emigrants were UK citizens - the first time the annual number of British emigrants had exceeded 200,000.
Under the new measures, employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants could be jailed for two years.
Unscrupulous bosses could also be hit with an unlimited fine as part of the changes.
Firms which are negligent about checking whether their employees have the right to work in Britain could also be hit with a £10,000 on-the-spot fine for every illegal migrant they hire.
someone applying for entry from a poor country, such as Nigeria or Afghanistan, will have to prove annual earnings of at least £4,000, while somebody applying from a wealthier country will have to have a previous salary of £40,000 or more.
Tier two, to be launched later this year, will focus on filling gaps in the labour market - an independent committee will advise ministers on which skills the economy needs.
Flexibility
Businesses who want to bring in skilled workers will need licences.
Other tiers covering temporary workers, young people and students will be introduced later.