UK’s points-based Tier 4 starts today

By CHARLES KELLY

London, UNITED KINGDOM — Tier 4, for students, will be launched today, 31 March 2009, despite the huge backlog of student visa (VAF) applications at many major British Embassy posts.

Large visa sections, such as in Manila, are inundated with student visa applications and processing is taking up to four months. Read more

Beware of email job offers

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) warned Filipinos against illegal recruiters who offer jobs in the United Kingdom through the internet. Read more

Migration agency fraud racket uncovered in Australia

An alleged racket involving migration agents supplying false documents for student visa holders has been uncovered in a joint agency operation in Melbourne. This was disclosed last week by Senator Chris Evans, Australia’s Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. Read more

Filipinos on board hijacked tankers

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed in a press statement that there are 33 Filipinos working on board the two chemical tankers that were hijacked off the coast of Somalia on March 25 and 26. Read more

Spain may give OFWs right to vote

A top government official of Spain recently announced plans of allowing Filipino residents to cast their vote in local elections, a report from Inquirer.net said.

Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Miguel Angel Moratinos was in Manila last week for a three-day official visit. Read more

How 2 Come to the UK | By CHARLES KELLY

Foreign workers, students to be charged £50 to enter UK

LONDON, United Kingdom — Foreign workers and students from outside the EU will be forced to pay £50 when they arrive in Britain to help ease the impact of their stay on public services, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The new “migrant tax” will be levied on the thousands of immigrants applying for a work or study visa from non-EU countries. Read more

IOM forum series (1 of 5)

Saving and investing OFW money

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched a forum series in Manila last week. The first forum was on financial literacy programs initiated by government and non-government organizations. Two speakers, one from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the other from ATIKHA Overseas Workers and Communities Initiative, Inc., gave a presentation in the forum. Read more

Canada launches online resource for newcomers

A new online resource to help newcomers and prospective immigrants put their skills to work in Canada faster was announced by Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney last week.

“Each year, thousands of skilled newcomers arrive in Canada. It is in their interest, and in Canada’s interest, to do everything we can to help them put their skills to work here as soon as possible once they arrive,” said Minister Kenney. “This is one more tool to help them obtain the greatest benefit from their experience and education.” Read more

UK lacks social workers

By CHARLES KELLY

London, UK–One in seven social worker vacancies in England is unfilled and the profession is in “crisis,” the Conservative opposition party told the BBC last week.

The figures suggest that around a third of posts were unfilled at several councils in November 2008–just before the Baby P abuse case was exposed. Read more

Jobs in Korea, Canada

An official of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) disclosed new job opportunities for Filipinos in South Korea and Canada.

In a recent report by Inquirer.net, Assistant Secretary Reydeluz Conferido said Korean companies that are interested to participate under the new Employment Permit System agreement between the Philippines and South Korea want to hire Filipinos as janitors and factory workers. Read more

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