United Kingdom is open for business and tourism and China is one of the UK's priority markets, according to the UK Border Agency (UKBA).

In a statement on its website, the agency said, “We have seen continual growth in visitor numbers from China, with the vast majority of those who apply not only getting a visa, but speaking highly of the service they receive when they do.”

The Beijing Labor Bureau will no longer be accepting Employment License applications filed by third-party agents.

The Employment License application is the initial step taken by a Chinese company sponsor to petition the local Labor Bureau to employ foreign talent under Chinese immigration law.

More middle class professionals are moving abroad in search for better lives overseas, according to an Home Office report.

The report showed that almost half of all Britons who emigrate each year are professionals and company managers. The majority of emigrants from the UK in 2011, 72%, leave for work-related reasons. 

Reloc8 Asia has provided Smart Move with some important immigration advice for Japan.

Working Visa Categories

The three main work visas for expatriates would be 1) Inter-company transfer, 2) Investor business manager and 3) Humanities international services. For a short 90 day stay, a tourist visa is usually adequate as long as the assignee is from a country with which Japan has a visa waiver program.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has announced a freeze on permanent residence applications under Canada's Federal Skilled Worker and Immigrant Investor Programs, reports Peregrine Immigration Management.

The freeze took effect on 1 July. Applications for permanent residence under the Federal Skilled Worker and Immigrant Investor Programs will no longer be accepted.

According to CIC, Canadian immigration levels are currently at their highest, and this latest phase is an attempt to limit a further backlog, causing extensive processing delays, in both these categories.

In the latest of a series of announcements from Canada’s Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, it has been revealed that Canada intends to reduce by half the work experience requirement for eligible temporary foreign workers applying to stay permanently.

Currently, to be eligible to apply for permanent residency, applicants under the temporary foreign worker stream of the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) must have acquired 24 months of full-time work experience within the last 36 months. Under the proposed changes, the requirement would be reduced to 12 months of experience.

Savvy travellers can take steps to minimise delays at US airports, says Stephen Maltby, partner in the immigration practice group at New York-based Gibney, Anthony & Flaherty.

Holiday travel has increasingly become one of the most dreaded transportation events of the year, especially when flying into busy US hubs, where long immigration and security queues do nothing to improve the holiday spirit.

Trusted Taveler Programs can be an expedient way to speed up clearance and avoid lengthy lines. Furthermore, expedited screening initiatives can minimise the fuss of Transport Security Administration (TSA) checks for harried travellers.

Finally, advance Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) registration is an absolute must for Visa Waiver passport holders, to prevent any last-minute issues at the check-in desk.

With election fever growing and the media spotlight continuing to fall on Lord Ashcroft and other political party donors, the immigration team at CMS Cameron McKenna has provided some useful clarification on UK residence.

Residence/ordinary residence

The issue of residence and/or ordinary residence in the UK has attracted fresh media attention, and recent cases through the English courts have left some individuals asking important questions about their status.

It seems this is an area of increasing intensity of inquiry or scrutiny by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in their pursuit of higher tax take. A person who is resident, but not ordinarily resident, is liable to tax on his UK earnings – and his foreign earnings are taxable only on the remittance basis. If, however, he is resident and ordinarily resident, he is liable to tax on the whole of the earnings from the employment, irrespective of how little of those earnings are earned in the UK.

Magrath LLP's Corporate Immigration department reviews the findings of a new Government-commissioned report of the Points Based System for immigration.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has published its first review of the highly-skilled migration routes (Tier 1) of the Points Based System (PBS) for managed migration.

The 184-page report is a response to the following question posed by the UK Government early in 2009:

What further changes to the criteria for Tier 1 should there be in 2010/11, given the changing economic circumstances?

The report concludes that it is in the best interests of the UK economy and labour market for the current routes under Tier 1 to be maintained. However, MAC has produced a package of recommendations on key areas of Tier 1. These are set out below.

India is a popular destination, with increasing numbers of executives and business travellers seeking or filling professional positions there every year.

There are many challenges facing expatriates, including culture of work, working conditions, compensation rates, competition, work permits and other issues. We examine below some significant changes to the Indian immigration rules in recent times that affect expatriates and those seeking work in India.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in India recently made certain radical changes regarding Indian visa applications specifically relating to business visas, as it was evident that individuals travelling to India on business visits were working in India in direct contravention of the purpose stated on their visas.