Contentious ‘Widow’s Penalty’ Frozen for at Least Two Years

September 4th, 2009

A temporary suspension of one of the most contentious immigration policies has highlighted President Barak Obama’s interest in a ‘softer’ approach to some of the more painful consequences of US family immigration.

The current interpretation of one aspect of US family immigration under federal law, introduced as part of George W. Bush’s immigration crackdown, is now being frozen pending further notice from the US Department of Homeland Security and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, following a decision by the Obama administration.

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Immigration consultant USA immigration

US immigration: update on emotional hearing for proposed UAFA bill

September 4th, 2009

The Uniting American Families Act saw an important development on 3rd June, 2009, as the Senate Judiciary Committee began its hearing to end the current discriminatory immigration policy for same-sex bi-national couples.

Currently, same-sex partnerships that have one non-American partner are unable to sponsor their loved one for US visa applications, unlike opposite-sex couples. With more than 36,000 bi-national same-sex couples affected by the law, an estimated 47 per cent of whom are raising children together, it is no surprise that this is an emotional and highly-charged issue.

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Immigration consultant USA immigration

Relocation of the DIAC processing centre to affect spouse visa applications

September 4th, 2009

The relocation of the previously-named Perth Offshore Parents Centre (POPC) on 25th May 2009 brought with it some important administrative changes which will affect the visa application process for spouse, parent and interdependency visas to the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

Since 25th May 2009, the POPC has been renamed the Parent Visa Centre (PVC) and has moved from its previous address of Level 3, 166 Murray Street, Perth, WA, 6000 to its new location at Wellington Central, Level 3, 836 Wellington Street, West Perth, WA, 6005.

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Immigration consultant Australian immigration ,

Tighter personal interviews help root out sham Australian marriage visa applications

September 2nd, 2009

A stricter marriage visa interview has been introduced by the Australian Immigration department to deal with the increase in sham marriages and civil partnerships.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship Bona Fides Unit is dedicated to assessing the genuine and on-going nature of marriages, de facto relationships and civil partnerships for those people applying for Australian partner and spouse visas.

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Immigration consultant Australian immigration ,

New fees and health screening changes to New Zealand visa applications

September 2nd, 2009

Two important changes to the New Zealand partner visa application process have come into effect since the beginning of August 2009.

The first change relates to the fees for family class applications, including marriage visa and de facto partner visa applications, lodged outside New Zealand from the 17th August onwards. It is important to note that those applications received after the 17th August with the old fee will not be accepted. This change is as a result of the significant currency changes over the past few months and, as such, does not relate to applications made within New Zealand and paid for in New Zealand dollars.

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Immigration consultant New Zealand immigration ,

Speeding Up Compulsory ID Cards for Foreign Nationals

September 1st, 2009

Home Secretary Alan Johnson has recently been in talks with the UK Border Agency to look at ways in which the proposed identity card scheme for foreign nationals may be speeded up.

The current plans see all foreign nationals requiring compulsory identity cards within three years, meaning that any person from outside the European Economic Area wanting to live and work in the UK for more than six months will have to go through the rigorous process of obtaining an identity card, which includes both personal and biometric information.

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Immigration consultant UK immigration ,

New Australian partner visa forms now available

August 31st, 2009

The new Australian visa application forms are now required from all foreign nationals applying for a family-class fiancée, partner or marriage visa to come to Australia, with the old forms no longer accepted as of 1st July 2009. Applications submitted using the old forms will be rejected. It is important to be aware that, even though the new 40SP and 47SP forms look very similar, there are some differences, so it is imperative that the new form is used for all applications.

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Immigration consultant Australian immigration ,

Fee increase across the Australian visa application spectrum

August 26th, 2009

Recent changes to the fee structure of both onshore and offshore Australian visa applications came into effect on Wednesday 1st July 2009, having initially been announced in late June, and apply to all foreign nationals looking to obtain a fiancée, partner or marriage visa for entry into Australia.

The fee changes will see the onshore subclass 820, subclass 801, subclass 829 and subclass 814 visa applications increase considerably, from its previous AUD$2105 to AUD$2525. For offshore fiancée, spouse, and partner visa applications, there are also increased fees, going up from AUD$1420 to AUD$1705.

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Immigration consultant Australian immigration , ,

New Australian partner visa forms now available

July 5th, 2009

The new Australian visa application forms are now required from all foreign nationals applying for a family-class fiancée, partner or marriage visa to come to Australia, with the old forms no longer accepted as of 1st July 2009. Applications submitted using the old forms will be rejected. read more

Immigration consultant Australian immigration

Fee Increases Across the UK Visa Application Spectru

June 25th, 2009

Recent changes to the fee structure of both onshore and offshore UK visa applications came into effect on Monday 6th April 2009, having initially been announced in February, and apply to all applicants looking to visit, work or stay in the UK, including fiancee, partner and marriage visa applications. These fee changes are in direct [...]

Immigration consultant UK immigration , ,