|
|
|
|
|
Indians get maximum British citizenship in 2007
London: Indians have turned out to be the largest group of immigrants, who have been granted British citizenship during 2007, according to the official figures released this week.
In 2007, a record number of foreign nationals, 164,635 people, were granted citizenship, a seven per cent rise in 12 months. It was the highest since the Home Office began keeping comparable records in 1997, the figures reveal.
The biggest group was from India, who made up nine per cent of the total with 14,490. Filipinos constituted seven per cent with 10,840, Afghans six per cent with 10,555 and South Africans five per cent with 8,150.
A quarter of citizenships, about 41,000 were given to children, while about 29,000 became British nationals through marriage.
In 2007, 160,980 people applied for citizenship while 14,725 applications were rejected.
According to the Home Office, the reasons for increase in 2007 were not clear but suggested that speedier decision making had reduced the backlog of applicants.
While record number of people took citizenship, separate figures released by the Office of National Statistics showed that a record 400,000 people have left Britain in 2006, of which more than half were British citizens.
Of these, almost one-third went to live in Australia and New Zealand, a quarter to Spain or France and about one in twelve to the US.
An estimated 591,000 people came to Britain, resulting in net immigration in 2006 running at 191,000. Net immigration of New Commonwealth citizens was 115,000. It was the highest of all foreign citizenship groups coming to the country.
Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans made up 80 per cent of net migrants, with London being their most common destination, where they intended to stay.
|
|
EU plans to launch Blue Card simillar to US Green card,good news for Indians
Brussels:T The European Union is planning to set up a US Green Card style visa programme to attract highly qualified immigrant workers, which is a good news for Indian professionals seeking jobs abroad.In an effort to meet the growing demand for professionals like doctors, engineers and IT experts, the 27-nation bloc may introduce EU Blue Card, a special residence and work permit to immigrants granting them a "very generous" legal status.If the visa plan, still at the consultation level, materialises, it will open new avenues for Indian professionals in European countries besides the United Kingdom, a popular destination for job seekers.
The EU proposal aims at accelerating and simplifying the formalities for entry of immigrant workers by doing away with different complex national procedures besides facilitating their mobility throughout the EU. Apart from making the procedure easier, the Blue Card will provide immigrant workers better conditions for family reunification and right to equal treatment with EU nationals on availing a host of social and economic rights.
To come into effect, the proposal needs the approval of member states and the nod of European Parliament. "Immigration issues are the prerogative of member countries," said Neena Gill, Chairwoman of the EU's Indian delegation. Under the plan, immigrant workers will be able to move, work and live in any EU country provided there is a work contract and a need in that labour market, European Union officials told the media.
The plan, European Union officials said, stems from the realisation that EU, facing an acute shortage of skilled labour, has fared badly in attracting qualified professionals vis-a-vis countries like the US, Canada and Australia. EU attracts mainly low qualified immigrant workers while highly qualified workers prefer destinations like America, Canada and Australia. Leave aside attracting professionals from non-EU nations, statistics show that only one per cent of the EU citizens are ready to move to another EU country for work. |
|
|
National Minimum wage will rise to £5.73
London:The national minimum wage will rise to £5.73 an hour in October, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced.It will rise by 3.8% from £5.52. For 18 to 21-year-olds the rate will be £4.77, up from £4.60, while 16 to 17-year-olds will get £3.53, up from £3.40.The government said that one million people would benefit from the increase, two-thirds of whom would be women.
Mr Brown said that the minimum wage had gone up by 60% since the policy was introduced by the government in 1999. The original level when the minimum wage was launched was £3.60 an hour. It was last increased in October 2007. Secretary John Hutton said: "The national minimum wage remains one of the most important rights introduced by the Government in the last decade."
"Before it was introduced, some workers could expect to be paid as little as 35 pence an hour. Our legislation has ensured that can no longer happen."I am proud of the minimum wage. It makes a real difference to the lives of many of our lowest-paid workers and protects them from exploitation. It also creates a level playing field for business and boosts the economy."
"This rise is well below current RPI inflation and projected pay increases, which both stand at 4.1%," said Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "There is no doubt that this increase will benefit thousands of working people. "However, it falls short of its aim to protect the poor from the constant price rises in essentials like fuel, food and housing."A much more realistic figure would be a minimum wage of £6.75 an hour, which would lift many more families out of poverty and off means-tested benefits." |
|
New immigration
application forms are now available online
London:The new and revised
immigration application forms for applications made on or after 29
February 2008 are now available from www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk.
If you are making your application before 29 February, you
must do so on the existing form, which is marked 'version 04/2007'
or 'version 05/2007'. If you are applying on or after 29 February
2008, you must use the new form which will be dated '02/2008'.
The new and revised forms can be downloaded. You must make
sure you have read the guidance notes that accompany the application
form before you make an application. If you are unsure which
application form you should use, you should read the relevant
section of this website or contact BIA on 0870 606 7766.
The
forms that have been revised are:
Extension of stay or
further leave to remain
BUS - business person, sole
representative, retired person of independent means, investor,
innovator
FLR(IGS) - International Graduates Scheme
FLR(M) - husband, wife, civil partner, or unmarried or
same-sex partner of a permanent resident
FLR(S) - students,
student nurse, prospective student or sabbatical officer, exam
resits, thesis writing
FLR(FT:WISS) - Fresh Talent: Working
in Scotland Scheme
FLR(IED) - work permit holders
FLR(O) - other categories
Settlement, permanent
residence or indefinite leave to remain
BUS - business
person, sole representative, retired person of independent means,
investor, innovator
SET(DV) - victim of domestic violence
SET(F) - family member of a permanent resident
SET(M) - husband, wife, civil partner, or unmarried or
same-sex partner of a permanent resident
SET(O) - other
categories
Other
NTLTOC - transfer of residence
permit from an old to a new passport
COA - certificate of
approval for marriage or civil partnership in the United Kingdom. |
| |
|
Indian student in UK jailed for indecent behaviour
New Castle:An Indian student, studying law at Newcastle, has been jailed and faces deportation to India for making indecent exposure and sexual assault.Amit Shivrain, 26, was jailed by magistrates in Newcastle, for four months and will be on the sex offenders' list for seven years. He was in the UK on a student visa.
Shivrain allegedly attacked a woman as she walked to work and exposed himself near a primary school in Newcastle.Paul Doney, prosecuting lawyer, said, "He stopped her to ask for the time. Because she was not wearing a watch she stopped to get her mobile phone from her rucksack."While she was activating the phone, Shivrain allegedly exposed himself. The woman walked away and phoned the police when she got to work.
The woman identified him when he was placed in a video line-up, and said in a statement that the incident had left her very distressed and frightened to go out alone, reports from Newcastle said.Shivrain's lawyer Gregg Stephens said this "moment of madness" had ruined his client's life.
|
|
Occupations to be removed from the list of national shortage occupations
The following occupations will be removed from the list from 18 March 2008:
Dentists
Consultants in dental specialities (except consultants and specialists in paediatric dentistry, which remain on the list).
Consultant posts in the following specialist areas:
- accident and emergency;
- additional dental specialities;
- cardiothoracic surgery;
- clinical radiology;
- dermatology;
- endocrinology and diabetes mellitus;
- endodontics;gastroenterology;
- general internal medicine;
- general surgery;
- histopathology;
- infectious diseases;
- medical oncology;
- neurosurgery;
- obstetrics and gynaecology;
- ophthalmology;
- otolaryngology;
- paediatric cardiology;
- palliative medicine;
- psychotherapy;
- public health medicine;
- respiratory medicine;
- rheumatology;
- trauma and orthopaedic surgery; and
- urology.
General medical occupations:
- dietician;
- biomedical scientist or medical laboratory scientific officer;
- occupational therapists;
- pre-registration cytogeneticists; and
- speech and language therapists (employed at Agenda for Change band 5 or 6, or independent sector equivalents).
Nurses:
Not all nursing occupations are being removed from the list. The details below set out those we are removing and those that remain on the list.
The following nursing occupations are being removed from the list:
- midwives; and
- audiology;
- sleep or respiratory physiology;
- neurophysiology;
- cardiac physiology;
- clinical radiology; and
- pathology.
However, the list of shortage occupations still includes registered nurses employed at bands 7 and 8 or their independent sector equivalents and registered nurses employed in the following specialties:
- operating theatre nurse; and
- critical care nurse (nurses working in wards with a Level 2 or Level 3 classification).
|
| |
|
|
|
|
