Tag: immigration

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Tunisia Bolsters Measures Against Illegal Immigration to Italy

Situated about 130 km from the Tunisian coastline, the island of Lampedusa is often chosen as the first stop for migrants making illegal sea voyages to Italy…reports Asian Lite News

 Tunisia in 2023 intercepted more than 75,000 illegal migrants while they were attempting to enter Europe via the Mediterranean Sea route to Italy, media reported.

It is more than double the number in 2022, during which more than 35,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested while sailing to Italy off Tunisian coasts, said the report on Wednesday, citing Tunisia’s National Guard spokesman Houcemeddine Jbabli.

Over the past several months, Tunisian security has intensified the crackdown upon waves of illegal immigration destined for the Italian island of Lampedusa, extending relevant operations from the southeastern province of Sfax to other provinces, Xinhua news agency reported.

Situated about 130 km from the Tunisian coastline, the island of Lampedusa is often chosen as the first stop for migrants making illegal sea voyages to Italy.

ALSO READ-Aman Venice Offers Intimate Escape in Italy

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Tougher French immigration bill passes, Macron’s majority wobbles

The French government had initially said this would be a carrot-and-stick legislation that would make it easier for migrants working in sectors that lack labour to get a residency permit, but would also make it easier to expel illegal migrants…reports Asian Lite News

French lawmakers gave their final approval to a contested bill that toughens rules for immigrants on Tuesday, giving President Emmanuel Macron a policy victory that nonetheless exposed cracks in his centrist majority.

The bill, a compromise reached between Macron’s party and the conservative opposition, illustrates the rightward shift in politics in much of Europe, as governments try to fend off the rise of the far-right by being tougher on immigration.

“Today, strict measures are necessary,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said after the vote in the lower house. “It’s not by holding your nose in central Paris that you can fix the problems of the French in the rest of the country.”

The minister expressed relief that the bill passed with the votes of his centrist coalition and the conservatives, without relying on the surprise endorsement of far-right lawmakers, whose support had caused embarrassment in the presidential camp.

The French government had initially said this would be a carrot-and-stick legislation that would make it easier for migrants working in sectors that lack labour to get a residency permit, but would also make it easier to expel illegal migrants.

In order to gain support from the right, however, the government agreed to water down the residency permits measures, while delaying migrants’ access to welfare benefits – including benefits for children and housing allowances – by several years.

The French have long prided themselves on having one of the most generous welfare systems in the world, granting payments even to foreign residents, helping them pay rent or care for their children with means-tested monthly contributions of up to a few hundred euros.

The far right and, more recently, conservatives, have argued these should be reserved for French people only. The deal agreed on Tuesday would delay access to housing benefits for unemployed non-EU migrants by five years.

The compromise also introduces migration quotas, makes it harder for immigrants’ children to become French, and says that dual nationals sentenced for serious crimes against the police could lose French citizenship.

The deal, hashed out by a special committee of seven senators and seven deputies and later approved by both houses, was initially good news for Macron, who had made the migration bill a key plank of his second mandate and could otherwise have had to shelve it.

Just six months before European Parliament elections in which immigration will be key, however, it could also boost Marine Le Pen who, sensing a political opportunity, called the rejigged bill “a great ideological victory” for her far-right party.

She surprised the government by announcing her party would vote for the bill, causing immense embarrassment to the left wing of Macron’s party, who find it unpalatable to vote in unison with the far right.

One of the most vocal representatives of Macron’s left wing in parliament, Sacha Houlie, voted against the bill, his entourage told Reuters. In the end, 20 members of Macron’s Renaissance party voted against the bill, 17 abstained and 131 voted for the bill.

Speculation about some ministers threatening to resign if the vote passed had swirled in French media ahead of the vote. But none had immediately materialised after the results were announced.

ALSO READ-UK MPs seek revised immigration bill

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Sunak announces curbs to cut immigration 

As part of the new measures, the government would curb international students from bringing their families to UK unless they are pursuing postgraduate research degrees…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday announced a series of new steps to crack down on soaring immigration in the country.

Sunak described the new measures as the government’s ‘radical action’ to bring down the immigration rate, adding the steps would ensure that immigration benefits the UK.

As part of the new measures, the government would curb international students from bringing their families to UK unless they are pursuing postgraduate research degrees and hiking the minimum salary that skilled foreign workers will need to earn if they want a visa to work in the country.

Taking to X, PM Sunak said, “Immigration is too high. Today we’re taking radical action to bring it down. These steps will make sure that immigration always benefits the UK.”

He posted, “IMMIGRATION ACTION, BANNING overseas students from bringing their families to the UK, unless they are on postgraduate research degrees, STOPPING immigration undercutting British workers, SCRAPPING the 20% going rate salary discounts offered for shortage occupations.”

Net migration to Britain reached record levels last year, official figures showed, putting pressure on the UK government that has made the issue a political touchstone, CNN reported in May.

Britain saw a net migration of 606,000 people in 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, with 1.2 million people arriving in the country and about half that number leaving.

CNN reported that despite pledges from successive Conservative governments to drastically reduce the numbers of people moving to the UK, particularly in the wake of Brexit – a rupture that was touted by its proponents as a necessary step for Britain to “take control” of its borders.

The vast majority of people arriving – 925,000 – were non-EU nationals, and around one in 12 of those were asylum seekers, included for the first time in the ONS’ annual release.

“The main drivers of the increase were people coming to the UK from non-EU countries for work, study and for humanitarian purposes,” Jay Lindop, Director of the Centre for International Migration at the ONS, said, according to CNN.

Last year, Indian nationals were issued the largest number of UK study, work and visitor visas, according to UK Immigration Statistics.

More than 258,000 Indian nationals received visit visas in the year ending June 2022 — a 630 per cent increase compared to the previous year (when travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic were still in place), read UK Immigration Statistics.

But experts warn it also risks causing further chaos in the already stretched health sector and damaging the UK’s long-term growth prospects.

Cleverly told MPs on Monday that “migration is far too high and needs to come down … enough is enough”.

He added: “Today I can announce that we will go even further than those provisions already in place, with a five-point plan to further curb immigration abuses that will deliver the biggest ever reduction in net migration. In total, this package, plus our reduction in student dependants, will mean about 300,000 fewer people will come in future years than have come to the UK last year.”

Along with raising the salary threshold and scrapping the “shortage occupation list”, Cleverly announced that social care workers would no longer be allowed to bring their dependants when they came to work in the UK.

He also said people living in the UK – including British citizens – would now be allowed to sponsor family members to move to the UK only if the person living in the UK earned £38,700, up from £18,600 currently.

Finally, the government is asking the Migration Advisory Committee to review the rules for those who have completed undergraduate degrees in the UK.

A spokesperson for Downing Street called the package “the biggest clampdown on legal migration ever”. They added: “We believe this is a package which will enable us to significantly reduce numbers whilst achieving economic growth.”

It forms one part of a two-part plan to reduce the numbers of people coming into Britain legally and illegally. This week Cleverly is likely to fly to Kigali to sign a new asylum treaty with Rwanda, with ministers ready to bring forward new legislation in an effort to finally kickstart the government’s Rwanda plan.

Sources say Downing Street originally intended to announce a more moderate package of restrictions on legal migration but buckled under heavy pressure from Tory backbenchers and Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister.

Downing Street denied, however, that the five-point plan was the same one Jenrick had reportedly lobbied the prime minister to adopt on multiple occasions in recent weeks.

Christopher Howarth, a former adviser to the Home Office under Priti Patel, said the Treasury had vetoed precisely such moves when Sunak was chancellor because of fears it would stymie economic growth.

“These changes are the ones we urged the government to focus on 18 months ago,” Howarth said. “But they were opposed by various government departments, and especially by the Treasury.”

Taken with previous changes made to student visas, the Home Office calculates this will lead to 300,000 fewer entrants into the UK.

ALSO READ-Sunak’s Diplomatic Misstep Deepens Concerns in Tory Circles

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UK Faces Highest Public Dissatisfaction with Immigration Handling

This comes as the net migration to the UK reached a record high of 606,000 in 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data revealed in May this year…reports Asian Lite News

Public dissatisfaction with the UK government’s handling of immigration is at its highest level since 2015 with two-thirds (66 per cent) saying they are unhappy, according to a research.

Just 12 per cent of those questioned in a survey across England, Scotland and Wales, say they are satisfied, the 2023 study by Immigration Attitudes Tracker from Ipsos and British Future said.

This comes as the net migration to the UK reached a record high of 606,000 in 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data revealed in May this year.

The study showed that only a fifth (22 per cent) of Conservative supporters are satisfied with the government on immigration while most Conservatives — 56 per cent — are dissatisfied, and a quarter — 26 per cent — “very dissatisfied”.

As for Labour supporters, almost three quarters (73 per cent) are dissatisfied, and only eight per cent satisfied, with the way the issue is dealt with.

While the major reason given for dissatisfaction is the failure to stop Channel crossings, the responses are divided by politics.

“Liberals think it is inhumane, while hardliners think it isn’t achieving what has been promised. What they all have in common is the feeling that the government isn’t doing a good job,” Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future, said.

“Attitudes to immigration are nuanced but the sharp divide along party political lines means we should expect a noisier, more heated immigration debate as Britain heads towards a General Election,” Katwala added.

For Labour supporters, ‘creating a negative or fearful environment for migrants’ (46 per cent) and ‘not treating asylum-seekers well’ (45 per cent) are important reasons for dissatisfaction.

Among Conservative supporters, however, 82 per cent say, “not doing enough to stop Channel crossings” as a reason for their dissatisfaction, and only 9 per cent “creating a negative or fearful environment for migrants”.

The research finds that seven in 10 people (71 per cent) say they do not trust the Conservative Party to have the right policies towards migrants crossing the Channel, with just 21 per cent saying they trust Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s party.

The Labour opposition is trusted by 32 per cent of the public to have the right policies on Channel crossings, yet it is distrusted by 53 per cent.

Some 52 per cent of Conservative supporters say they do not trust their own party on Channel crossings, but 60 per cent of Labour supporters say they trust their own party to have the right policies on the issue, while 28 per cent do not.

With recent official figures showing that over 21,000 people reached British shores by crossing the English Channel illegally so far in 2023, Prime Minister Sunak was hauled up by the opposition Labour for having “failed to get a grip” on the issue.

But Sunak, who has made “stop the boats” a key priority of his government, branding the cross-Channel route “illegal”, insists that his efforts are “working”, and the government is making progress.

“…politicians won’t rebuild public trust by raising the volume of the debate — that will take workable solutions, particularly on asylum, that balance control and compassion,” Katwala said.

Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos, said that “with an election on the horizon and attention on the issue of immigration and asylum unlikely to go away, there isn’t much trust in either of the main parties to get the balance right”.

The study also highlights migration for study, as it forms a large proportion of net migration figures, with 37 per cent of the public happy for international student numbers, a 22 per cent prefering them to increase, and 31 per cent wanting reductions.

More than 100,000 migrants have arrived on small boats since the UK started publicly recording the arrivals in 2018.

ALSO READ-New Zealand immigration investigating employers for visa scheme breaches

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New Zealand immigration investigating employers for visa scheme breaches

Immigration Minister Andrew Little said that the country’s Public Service Commission will review the AEWV scheme’s processes following complaints…reports Asian Lite News

Following complaints of worker exploitation and breaches of the work visa scheme, the immigration authorities in New Zealand are probing more than 160 accredited employers, according to a media report.

As of August 9, five employers have had their accreditation suspended and six revoked for breaching employment standards, false declarations, liquidation and having migrants working for them without valid working rights or in breach of visa conditions, The New Zealand Herald reported.

A 27-year-old migrant worker from Punjab told The Herald on condition of anonymity that he was assaulted and left at the airport in the early hours of the morning this month after failing to pay “extortion” money to his employer.

A painter by profession, the worker paid a fee of about $20,000 for his initial visa and arrived in New Zealand last month where he stayed with his employer’s family and three other colleagues in a two-bedroom house in Auckland.

He was not paid any wages for the three weeks that he worked but was instead asked by his employer to pay another $20,000, and was also threatened with deportation.

“I begged them to have mercy, but they said if I had no more money to give then they will deport me and ban me from coming back to NZ,” the painter told The Herald.

Following this, the employer and two of his colleagues assaulted the painter in the early hours on August 9 and drove him to Auckland Airport.

According to radio service RNZ, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) general manager Richard Owen said they were aware of migrants being charged between NZ$14,000 to over $30,000 by agents, and some being dismissed before even starting work.

The painter is now being helped by a social worker and the Takanini Gurdwara Sahib Sikh temple with accommodation and food.

Dalijit Singh, president of The Supreme Sikh Society of NZ, said the Indian painter was one of about 10 exploited migrant workers that are being referred to the temple every week.

Apart from India, there are workers from countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South America, according to an RNZ report.

“This is becoming a real problem since the start of this accredited employer programme,” Daljit told The Herald.

Steve Watson, Head of Immigration Compliance and Investigation, told The Herald that the agency has received a range of allegations and complaints, including worker exploitation, overstaying or people working or employing workers illegally.

However, he added that not all complaints are specific to the AEWV category.

“As of August 6, 2023, we are currently investigating 164 accredited employers. These investigations are in a variety of stages and we can’t comment on open investigations,” Watson said.

Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Andrew Little said that the country’s Public Service Commission will review the AEWV scheme’s processes following complaints.

Launched in 2022, the AEWV (Accredited Employer Work Visa) program, encourages businesses in the country to hire, train, and upskill workers.

Additionally, it offers qualified employees earning at least the New Zealand median hourly salary of NZD $29.66, a road to residency.

To obtain this visa, one needs employer accreditation, an employment check, and a visa application.

As per the report, more than 77,000 Accredited Employer Work Visas have been approved since the new visa opened in July 2022, and there are approximately 27,400 accredited employers.

ALSO READ-UK may relax work visa rules for Indians under FTA

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Bulgaria to help Sunak stop illegal immigration

Bulgaria has stopped 11,000 illegal entries across its border with Turkey since January, a 40 percent increase compared with the same period in 2022…reports Asian Lite News

Britain is seeking a new partnership with Bulgaria in a bid to halt illegal immigration as over a million Syrian and Afghan refugees are expected to head to western Europe from Turkiye.

The Times reported on Thursday that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to announce a security partnership with Bulgaria to boost intelligence sharing between the National Crime Agency and Bulgarian police.

The aim is to combat organized crime groups that smuggle migrants and equipment used to manufacture dinghies, mainly in Turkey.

Sunak’s main goal is tackling the small boats crisis by urging fellow European leaders to treat illegal migration as a top priority.

After this year’s earthquake in February and the resumption of deportations to Afghanistan, over a million refugees of both countries who are currently based in Turkiye are expected to head to western Europe and Britain.

Illegal immigrants travel in dinghies being manufactured in Turkey, which the UK Border Force says has become a hub for people smugglers ferrying migrants across the English Channel.

While no official cooperation deal is expected soon, the NCA has been commissioned to build “closer links” with Turkish authorities to target smuggling gangs.

Bulgaria has become a major entry point to the EU for gangs bringing in boats’ equipment from Turkiye and for migrants following a crackdown on Aegean Sea crossings into Greece.

The arrangement helps Bulgaria to “destroy the business model” of the criminals, according to Downing Street.

Bulgaria has stopped 11,000 illegal entries across its border with Turkey since January, a 40 percent increase compared with the same period in 2022.

Sunak said illegal migration posed an “unprecedented” threat to Europe’s borders.

“Europe is facing unprecedented threats at our borders, from (Russian President) Putin’s utter contempt of other countries’ sovereignty to the rise in organized immigration crime. We cannot address these problems without Europe’s governments and institutions working closely together,” he was quoted as saying.

The Home Office said: “Migration is driven by a number of factors, and we will continue to work with international partners to overcome them. We have a close partnership with Turkiye when it comes to the shared problem of illegal migration.”

Meanwhile, the NCA said: “Tackling people smuggling is a top priority, and we work closely with international partners to disrupt the supply of vessels.”

Last month, the UK and Albania agreed on a package of measures to tackle illegal migration, which include migrant return agreements and the setting up of a joint operational task force to manage illegal migration of Albanian citizens to the UK.

Migrant crossings into the EU surged by 64% last year, as organised criminal gangs tapped into cross-border European networks, according to the UK government statement.

Stemming the rising flow of illicit arrivals into the EU and the Schengen passport-free travel area has been a pressing issue and the growth of illegal migration one of the main concerns voiced last year when Bulgaria and Romania were yet again denied entry into the Schengen zone.

In March, the EU launched pilot projects on migration management with Romania and Bulgaria, with a focus in Bulgaria on the external EU border with Turkey.

Speaking ahead of a summit, the Prime Minister warned there was an “unprecedented” threat to the Continent’s borders from organised immigration crime, with a 64 per cent increase in migrant crossings into the European Union in the past year.

He announced a new deal with Bulgaria to stamp out criminal gangs using the country as a route to smuggle migrants from Asia and the Middle East into Western Europe and the UK.

Sunak also said that negotiations were starting with Moldova for a new agreement to allow the return of migrants and foreign criminals to the eastern European state.

He also confirmed that a similar deal with Georgia has come into force. This followed returns agreements with Albania, Serbia, India, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Sunak spoke ahead of a meeting in Moldova of the European Political Community, a group of nearly 50 countries featuring EU and non-EU member states from the Continent.

He said: “Europe is facing unprecedented threats at our borders. From [Vladimir] Putin’s utter contempt of other countries’ sovereignty to the rise in organised immigration crime across our continent. We cannot address these problems without Europe’s governments and institutions working closely together. In every meeting, every summit, every international gathering like this, the security of our borders must be top of the agenda.  The UK will be at the heart of this international effort to stop the boats and defend our national security.”

ALSO READ-Abu Dhabi hosts UAE-Bulgarian biz forum

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US, Mexico agree on tighter immigration policies

President Biden, who announced his reelection campaign, is trying to signal his administration is making a serious effort to tamp down the number of illegal crossings.

US and Mexican officials have agreed on new immigration policies meant to deter illegal border crossings while also opening up other pathways ahead of an expected increase in migrants following the end of pandemic restrictions next week.

Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall spent Tuesday meeting with Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and other top officials, emerging with a five-point plan, according to statements from both nations.

Under the agreement, Mexico will continue to accept migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua who are turned away at the border, and up to 100,000 individuals from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador who have family in the US will be eligible to live and work there.

Despite sharing a 1,951-mile border with the US, Mexico had been notably absent from the rollout last week of a fresh set of efforts, including the creation of hubs outside the United States where migrants could go to apply to legally settle in the US, Spain or Canada. The first centers will open in Guatemala and Colombia.

The COVID-19 restrictions have allowed US officials to turn away tens of thousands of migrants crossing the southern border, but those restrictions will lift May 11, and border officials are bracing for a surge. Even with the restrictions, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border, and President Joe Biden has responded by cracking down on those who cross illegally and by creating new avenues meant as alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey.

Mexico’s support is critical to any push by the US to clamp down at the southern border, particularly as migrants from nations from as far away as Haiti are making the trek on foot up through Mexico, and are not easily returned back to their home countries.

US: A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands in front of the border fence that divides the United States and Mexico in San Diego, California, the United States. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong/IANS)

With Mexico now behind the US, plus an announcement Tuesday that 1,500 active-duty US troops are deploying south for administrative support, and other crackdown measures in place, border officials believe they may be able to manage overcrowding and other possible issues that might arise once the COVID-19 restrictions end.

Biden, who announced his Democratic reelection campaign a week ago, is trying to signal his administration is making a serious effort to tamp down the number of illegal crossings, which has been a potent source of Republican attacks. He also is trying to send a message to potential border crossers not to attempt the journey.

But the effort also draws potentially unwelcome comparisons to Biden’s Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, whose policies Biden frequently criticized. Congress, meanwhile, has refused to take any substantial immigration-related actions.

The US will continue to turn away Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who cross illegally. Mexico said Tuesday it would continue to accept up to 30,000 migrants per month from the four countries that are making up a ballooning share of the overall illegal border crossings, with no easy way to quickly return migrants to their home countries.

According to data on asylum seekers in Mexico, people from Haiti remained at the top with 18,860 so far this year, higher than the total for the whole of 2022.

Meanwhile, the US is accepting 30,000 people per month from the four nations for two years and offering them the ability to legally work, as long as they come legally, have eligible sponsors and pass vetting and background checks.

The administration also plans to swiftly screen migrants seeking asylum at the border itself, quickly deport those deemed as not being qualified, and penalize people who cross illegally into the US or illegally move through another country on their way to the US border.

Migrants who take part in a caravan board a truck on the Puebla-Mexico highway, in the state of Puebla, Mexico. (Xinhua/Carlos Pacheco/IANS)

In addition, 1,500 active-duty personnel will be deployed to the border area for 90 days and will be pulled from the Army and Marine Corps. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will look to backfill those troops with National Guard or Reserve troops during that period, Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said. There are already 2,500 National Guard members at the border. They are not working in a law enforcement capacity, but their mere presence sends a message.

Then-President Trump deployed active-duty troops to the border to assist border patrol personnel in processing large migrant caravans, on top of National Guard forces that were already working in that capacity.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre downplayed any similarity between Biden’s immigration management and Trump’s use of troops during his term. “DOD personnel have been supporting CBP at the border for almost two decades now,” she said. “So this is a common practice.”

But some in Biden’s own party objected to the decision.

“The Biden administration’s militarization of the border is unacceptable,” said Senate Committee on Foreign Relations chair Bob Menendez, D-N.J. “There is already a humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere, and deploying military personnel only signals that migrants are a threat that require our nation’s troops to contain. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

ALSO READ: AMLO urges abandoning “hegemonic interventionism”

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Canada’s immigration backlog shrinks to 2.2 mn

Canada's immigration backlog shrinks to 2.2 mn: IRCC.

This comes while the number of applications in inventory has risen for permanent residency, CIC News reported…reports Asian Lite News

Canada’s immigration backlog came down to just over 2.2 million from last month’s 2.4 million, according to new data revealed by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

With this, the citizenship inventory stands at 3,14,630 applicants as of November 30, compared to 3,31,401 on October 31, CIC News reported.

The permanent residence inventory stands at 5,12,342 people as of December 2, compared to 5,06,421 as of November 3.

The biggest reduction was seen in the temporary residence inventory, which stood at 14,16,125 people on December 2, compared to 15,37,566 persons as of November 3.

As of December 2, there are 43,326 applications for Express Entry programs waiting in the queue — an increase of over 3,500 since November 3 data, which stood at 39,589.

The inventory for all family class immigration programs has dropped slightly to 1,27,091 compared to November 3 when it was 1,28,112.

The Spouses and Partners sponsorship program is among the largest inventories among all lines of business, at 62,106, a minimal increase compared with November 3.

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) has an inventory of 53,770 persons compared to 55,653 persons waiting for decisions in November.

September 30 data showed that there were 1.5 million applications in the backlog, meaning that IRCC cleared over 3,50,000 applications from the backlog.

This comes while the number of applications in inventory has risen for permanent residency, CIC News reported.

IRCC says that between January and October 2022, they produced 4.3 million final decisions for permanent residents, temporary residents and citizenship compared to 2.3 million final decisions in the same period last year.

The Canadian citizenship body says it wants to have a less than 50 per cent backlog across all lines of business by the end of March 2023.

To achieve this, IRCC began transition towards 100 per cent digital applications for most permanent resident programs on September 23.

It also hopes to make all citizenship applications digital by the end of this year, including those for minors under 18.

ALSO READ-Canada’s Parliament rises up, recognising Sindhi language

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Nearly a million immigrants became citizens in FY 2022

The top five countries of birth of immigrants who became naturalized US citizens in fiscal year 2022 were Mexico, India, the Philippines, Cuba and the Dominican Republic…reports Asian Lite News

Nearly one million immigrants obtained US citizenship during the fiscal year 2022 — the highest number of naturalized citizens in almost 15 years, according to a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) report.

USCIS completed processing 1,075,700 naturalization applications and administered the oath of allegiance to 967,400 new US citizens during the year ended September 30.

The number rose to 1,023,200 immigrants when considering children.

The top five countries of birth of immigrants who became naturalized US citizens in fiscal year 2022 were Mexico, India, the Philippines, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, according to the USCIS data.

The immigrants who either have been green card holders (permanent residents) for 3-5 years or meet various military service requirements are eligible for US citizenship.

The processing time, from the time you file your citizenship application to when you attend the oath of allegiance ceremony, is between 18.5-24 months.

The current government filing fee for naturalization applications is $725, including $640 for processing and $85 for biometrics services.

Military applicants are exempt from both the fees.

Immigrants with US citizenship are allowed to vote in federal elections, eligible for candidacy in US elections, have greater access to government assistance programmes, like Medicare, sponsor relatives seeking permanent residency, and ensure automatic US citizenship for children.

According to government data, USCIS oversaw more than 8.7 million immigration cases as on June 30 — from green card applications to asylum requests and work permit petitions.

“Every immigration case entrusted to us represents an individual or a family seeking to build a better life in the US,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou.

“We have made measurable progress towards building a more humane immigration system… There is more work to do, especially to reduce processing times for all people we serve, and congressional support is critical to achieving our ambitious backlog reduction goals in the year ahead.”

In the coming months, USCIS plans to build on this progress by implementing premium processing for all petitions for immigrant workers and certain employment authorisation applications for students and exchange visitors.

It hopes to establish a permanent biometrics exemption for all applicants for change of non-immigrant status and extension of non-immigrant stay.Several common forms, including the applications for employment authorization, adjustment of status, and naturalization will be simplified, the USCIS stated.

President Joe Biden.(photo:Instagram)

Biden backs bill to speed up immigration by Indians

President Joe Biden has thrown his weight behind a legislation to speed up immigration for Indians that is expected to come up in the House of Representatives soon and relieve the 90-year waiting period for some.

The proposed legislation, if adopted, would end the country caps, which limit the number of Green Cards or permanent resident status, leading to citizenship that can be issued to each country every year at 20,000, except for some immediate family members and for Mexicans and Canadians.

This will make the employment-based Green Card system merit-based without regard to nationality.

Calling it an effort to ameliorate the “the harsh effects of the immigrant visa backlog”, the President’s Executive Office expressed support for the legislation’s “goal of allowing US employers to focus on hiring immigrants based on merit, not their birthplace, by eliminating the per country limitation on employment-based immigrant visas (Green Cards)”.

Paving the way for the adoption of the legislation known as EAGLE Act — short for Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment — the House Rules Committee on Monday approved sending it to the House for a vote and the House cleared on Tuesday the procedure for voting on it.

If it is passed by the House, it will have to get the approval of the Senate where a similar bill proposed by Republican Kevin Cramer and Democrat John Hickenlooper is pending.

In a race against time, the two versions of the bill will have to be reconciled and get final approvals before the Congress ends its current session.

A similar legislation was passed by the House in 2019 and another version of it in 2020, but it died when the two chambers did not have time to reconcile the differences in their versions of the bill before the end of the session.

There are 3,69,000 Indians waiting for Green Cards based on their employment and a total of 7,00,000 including family, but cannot get them because of the country caps and are trapped in the limbo of unrealistic waits.

The latest State Department statement on Green Cards shows that applicants from April 2012 were only now eligible to get them.

ALSO READ: Indian-origin Rachna Singh makes history as 1st South Asian minister in Canada

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Spain eases immigration rules to offset labour shortages

Pedro Sánchez (IANS)

The reform will also allow international students to work up to 30 hours a week while studying, and to start work in Spain at the end of their studies…reports Asian Lite News

Spain’s government on Tuesday eased the country’s immigration laws to make it easier for citizens from outside the European Union to work in the country to address labor shortages in areas such as tourism and agriculture.

Under a reform approved at a weekly cabinet meeting, foreigners from outside of the bloc who have lived in the country for two years or more can seek temporary residency papers.

The reform will also allow international students to work up to 30 hours a week while studying, and to start work in Spain at the end of their studies.

It will also make it easier for foreigners to obtain a work visa to come to Spain and take up jobs in areas facing labor shortages.

These measures will “improve the Spanish migratory model and its procedures, which are often slow and unsuitable” and have “high social and economic costs for Spain,” the social security ministry said in a statement.

Social Security and Migration Minister Jose Luis Escriva said the reform aims to “encourage regular, orderly and safe immigration.”

While Spain’s unemployment rate of 13.65 percent is high by European standards, employers say they struggle to hire workers in sectors such as tourism, agriculture, construction and trucking.

Citizens of European Union nations are allowed to live and work in Spain but this has not been enough to help ease labor shortages.

Spain also has migration programs with countries such as Morocco, Ecuador and Colombia to ease job shortages in specific areas.

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