Immigration To Canada Australia & Hong Kong

Australian Immigration still looking for British Skilled Workers

The Australian Government is holding an employment expo in London on 11 and 12 September 2010 to match Australian employers with skilled workers from the UK. The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) had the following to say:

"Are you skilled in engineering, medical services, or trades? If so, Australia needs you."
"There is still a critical need for skilled workers across a range of Australian industries. The Skills Australia Needs Expo in London will target the industries most in need of skilled workers, such as the mining, health and construction industries."
"The expo will play host to representatives from major Australian employers and governments from all Australian states and territories. Participants will be able to find out more about possible career pathways down under."
The Australian Expo Program first started in 2005. So far there have been 23 Australian employment expos with eight in the UK. The main features of the 2009 employment expo were as follows:

• 38 exhibitors including Australian employers, Government organisations and relocation service companies.
• More than 1800 people with skills in demand in Australia visited the Australian Expo.

Australian DIAC went on to say the following:
"The last expo was a big success for both industry representatives and people attending: 90 per cent of participants said they would recommend future expos to friends, while 80 per cent thought they might have met a suitable sponsor for migration to Australia as a result of the expo."
There is still good demand in Australia for skilled immigrants. Immigration to Australia based on employment is certainly worth considering.

Over 30,000 United States H-1B visas still available

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According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), approximately 31,000 H-1B visas are still available for fiscal year 2011. During the boom years there was always a shortage of H-1B visas and it was very difficult for companies to obtain this visa for their foreign employees.

Latest news

• 11 August 2010 US Visa Waiver Scheme ESTA Fee soon
• 15 July 2010 US H-1B Visas still available - July 2010 Update
• 26 May 2010 US Immigration announces continued H-1B visa availability in May 2010

The United States economy has still not fully recovered from the economic downturn and so demand for H-1B petitions remains low; This provides a good opportunity for companies that have had difficulties obtaining H-1B visas in the past to obtain them now. In 2006, all available H-1B visas were snatched up in a single day.
The H-1B visa is primarily for workers with a bachelors degree or higher (and fashion models) who plan to work for a US employer in specialized, degree level work. H-1B workers may live and work in the United States for a period of up to three years, which may be extended for up to six years. If you meet the requirements for another visa category you may be able to stay longer.
The normal cap on H-1B visa petitions is 65,000 per fiscal year with an additional 20,000 available per year under the H-1B Masters Degree Exemption, which allows the first 20,000 petitions for applicants with a Master's degree or higher to be exempt from the cap.
Below is a table showing the availability of H-1B visas as of 20 August 2010:

Type of Cap	Cap Limit	Petitions Recieved
Normal H-1B cap	65,000	33,900
H-1B Masters Exemption	20,000	12,600