Virgin Cruises – Travel the world in style...

Virgin Cruises is an independent company that strives to offer the most flexible options and best customer service for people looking to book their next cruise. They work with all the major cruise lines and hotels to offer you a personalised vacation. If you are tired of the same old itineraries and destinations, Virgin Cruises is the place to go. They offer great deals for the early bird traveller as well as great deals for the last minute cruise shopper. Virgin Cruises also have a diverse array of special offers. For example, you could upgrade your cabin for no additional cost or you could find a free seven-night stay in Orlando just for booking the cruise.

Virgin Cruises offers over 30 different destinations and countries. Additionally, they offer locations that you may not find with other cruise lines. For example, you can take a trip to the Amazon, enjoy some gorgeous sites in Australia or even find yourself enjoying the Arctic. However, Virgin Cruises also offers some cruise favourites like the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. They offer travel dates year around, and this ensures you’ll find the right trip for your schedule.

With Virgin Cruises, you will enjoy a plethora of special rates. For example, you can find cruises that start as low as a special £148 pounds per person. Don’t forget to check out their all inclusive rates, which include air fare, hotel stay, and of course, the cruise of your choice. So no matter when you want to travel, where you want to go, and what you want to do, Virgin Cruises is the one stop vacation planning solution.

Recent Update to the Highly Skilled Migration Prog...

The Highly Skilled Migration Programme (HSMP) is a UK based visa programme that uses a points system to grant visas. The ‘Highly Skilled Worker’, Tier 1 general Visa, has recently replaced the HSMP.  However, if you already have a Highly Skilled Migration Programme visa, it will remain in effect and can be renewed as per usual. The new application process is basically the same, in that it is based on a point system, which is used to determine the applicant’s skills, abilities and general likelihood of success while in the county. The Highly Skilled Migration Programme is a stepping-stone towards possible permanent residency and once you have spent five years as an HSMP visa holder you can apply for permanent residency. After a further year you can apply for naturalisation for UK citizenship. 

The points in the Highly Skilled Migration Programme are given in specific areas, including education, age, language skills, work experience, adaptability and employment. The total number of points needed to submit your application for consideration is 75 for attributes, 10 for English language skills and 10 for funds. Once the total number of points has been determined, your application will be reviewed. It is important to have all your information ready to submit at once, since the process is quite time-consuming. It can be beneficial to use the services of a qualified immigration consultant to assist you in submitting your application properly. Once issued, a Highly Skilled Migration Programme visa is initially good for two years.

Requirements for a US F-1 Academic Student Visa...

Before an ‘F-1 Academic Student Visa’ for a public institution can be issued, the student must show the public institution in the US has been reimbursed.

A student who is a non-U.S citizen and who wishes to study in the United States will require a F-1 Academic Student Visa. This visa is the most common for students who wish to engage in academic studies in the United States. It is for any students who want to study at an accredited U.S college or university or undertake a course at an intensive English language institute.

A foreign student seeking to study in the US may apply for this type of visa provided they meet the following criteria:

•    the student must be enrolled in an academic educational programme, a vocational programme or another type of training programme,
•    the school must be approved by the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services
•    the student must be enrolled as a full-time student
•    the student must have sufficient funds available for self-support during the proposed course
•    the student must maintain a residence abroad which they do not intend to give up.

The U.S Embassy / Consulate cannot issue a US F-1 Academic Student Visa more than 120 days before the actual start date of the course. Even if a student has been issued with a visa to enter the United States, they will not be allowed to enter the country more than thirty days before the course starts; for example: if the student is to start the programme on November 1st, they will not be permitted to enter the United States until October 1st.

Getting Legal Advice When Immigrating...

No matter how keen you are to immigrate you must make sure you go to the right people. An immigration application takes time and requires attention to detail.  This is a legal procedure and it helps to ask for the services of professionals in this area.  However, this is an area that is open to fraudulent activity.  Under the immigration law there are many documents to be signed and verified.  The person or organisation you deal with for guidance must be genuine.  Immigration laws can be complex, and even the representative you choose to deal with may not give you any assurance that you will get an immigration visa.  Representatives who provide an immigration visa service do not make this decision.

If you are applying for immigration status to enter the United States it is advised that you do not pay expensive fees to representatives who are not attorneys.  It is also important that you read all the documents for yourself.  Under no circumstances must you ever put your signature on data that is not accurate or statements that are false.  Ethical representatives who understand immigration law know this is illegal.  If you don’t know what a document means do not sign it, and never put your signature on an application that is blank.  Remember, you will be held responsible for whatever you sign.  It is up to you to make certain the representative has the professional credentials to approach the USCIS on your behalf regarding immigration.

The PBS Five Tier Structure...

The Point Based System – PBS – awards points to applicants based on age, skill gap and labour demand in the United Kingdom, experience and aptitude.

Under the PBS, the tier 1 visa replaced the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme – HSMP. Tier 1 targets specialists including scientists, doctors as well as big time investors. The minimum PBS point requirement for a tier 1 visa is 75.

Applicants for the tier 1 visa have certain rules relaxed. For instance, those who qualify for the tier 1 visa need not have a job invitation in the United Kingdom. Successful tier 1 applicants are granted full access to the United Kingdom’s job opportunities within their relevant specializations.

Other privileges carried by the tier 1 visa include the freedom to invest, do business and settle in the United Kingdom. One can also seek permanent residency.

The tier 2 visa is what replaced the work permit scheme when the PBS system was introduced. Point Based Systems requires successful applicants to score a minimum of 50 points in the evaluation.

 Tier 2 visa applicants must have certificates of sponsorship from prospective employers. The tier 2 visa category caters to more general professionals like nurses and teachers. Like tier 1 visa holders, successful tier 2 applicants can also apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Tier 3 encompasses the low skilled workers wishing to work in the United Kingdom for short periods. Under the PBS, tier 3 will replace the Sector Based Scheme –SBS and the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme – SAWS.

Tiers 4 and 5 cater to students and temporary workers and youth mobility respectively. These classes of visa are highly restricted in terms of professional engagements including work. The visas are not up-gradable and are usually for a limited period only.

Finding Out About Tier 1 Visas...

If you will be travelling to the UK for an extended period of time you will need to find out about getting Tier 1 Visas.  Prior to April 2008 the HSMP Visa (Highly Skilled Migration Programme) was used for skilled workers who were immigrating to the UK.  The new programme, Tier 1 Visas, replaces this programme but is still very similar.  Tier 1 Visas use a point structure for determining eligibility for immigration. There are 5 tier categories ranging from Tier 1 for “highly skilled workers” to Tier 5 for temporary youth workers. The point system used for Tier 1 visas grants points based on education, age, prior salary, and experience in the UK.  Applicants for Tier 1 Visas must get a total of at least 75 points on these categories.  In addition there are two more categories where applicants can earn points.  These include their English skills and their ability to support themselves.  

Tier 1 Visas are very desirable since they allow you a permanent worker status in the country.  The Tier 1 visas are reviewed on an individual basis.  The application must include all the supporting documentation to allow points to be given in each of the areas.  Unlike the original two-step HSMP Visa process the application for a Tier 1 Visa is only one step.  Once the application is submitted it can take a couple of months to get the response. You will then be free to choose your employment and will be paid according to the current UK scale of pay for the position. 

Requirements to Work in South Africa...

Permanent residence can be sought by a foreign national who is a holder of a work permit to work in South Africa for a period of five years and has received an offer of permanent employment, provided that a ‘salary benchmarking extract’ is filled by the prospective employer confirming that the remuneration, including all benefits to be paid, will not be less favourable than that which would have been paid to a South African resident or citizen in the same position, (with due regard to the relevant market segment into which the foreigner is to be employed), or that the Department of Labour has issued a certificate to the same effect.

The present immigration policy in South Africa is particularly stringent; this is because the emphasis in South Africa is to first grant jobs to the general population. However, if you have a skill that is in short supply in South Africa or are planning to invest in the South African economy then you will be able to get work in South Africa much more easily when you have a work permit or visa.

The current requirements for working in South Africa are that you must be of good character and a good citizen; you must not be likely to harm the welfare of South Africa and you cannot have an occupation for which there are a sufficient number of people already available and who meet the occupation requirements.

Those applying for work in South Africa must be between eighteen and fifty-one years old, with an acceptable offer of employment based on their qualifications and experience.

US Medical Professional Training...

If you want to undergo US medical professional training and are interested in staying in the United States for a temporary period then you will need to fill in a J-1 visa application.  This visa is a multi-purpose document used by a variety of foreign students and au pairs.  The J-1 visa application is for the purpose of allowing foreign individuals to take part in training schemes and programmes specifically designed for cultural exchange.

The person who fills in the J-1 visa application must be deemed suitable, according to the requirements of the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination.  The foreign applicant must also have competent English skills.  It is also necessary for the foreign student applicant to have a sponsor in the United States.  The sponsor must be a relevant organisation.  This support must have been acquired prior to the application being submitted.

It is important to understand the J-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa.  This means there is no possibility that this visa can eventually lead to an ‘American Green Card’.  The medical professional is allowed to live temporarily in the United States in order to observe, conduct research, consult and teach.

Apart from filling the criteria for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in Medical Sciences and proficiency in English, the medical professional must also fit the requirements of the Training and Work Experience Scheme.  This is similar to the United Kingdom’s TWES.  This means that once the foreign medical professional has completed his or her temporary term of residence according to the J-1 visa, he or she may not enter the United States for a period of two years.

Immigration Laws in Europe and America...

Immigration law is said to refer to the national government polices that control the phenomenon of immigration to their country.

According to foreign citizens, immigration law is related to the nationality law, which governs the legal status of the people in matters, such as citizenship. Immigration law is said to vary from one country to another as well as to the political climate of that time.

The international law regulates the immigration law regarding the citizens of a country. All the country/countries are allowed entries to its own citizens through the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Strict laws, which regulated the right of entry and internal rights, once were maintained by certain countries. This included the duration of stay and the right to participate in the government. Many countries have laws that show a process for naturalization by which immigrants may become citizens.

The immigration law is found to be used in various ways in different countries whereby, in the UK, immigration law states that the British Overseas Citizens have identical legal rights to the British citizens distinguished only in the title. Anybody born in Britain or a British overseas territory has the right to obtain British citizenship. This is also available as a right for people of whom one parent is a British or British overseas citizen otherwise than by descent.

EU citizens, as created by the Treaty of Rome, Article 17, have the right to work, provide services or select self-employment in the UK.

The immigration law in the US is a very serious political issue as the nation heads for the 2008 presidential elections. Due to the backlog in the processing of the immigration applications by the United States Citizenship and the immigration Services (USCIS), many are still waiting to become citizens of the US.

A lot of countries have their own control measures set up at the entry points to the country (e.g., airports and roads near the border) where a traveller’s documents are checked. The documents required are passports with or without visa, a WHO vaccination card, tickets, and, at times, a presentation of the amount of cash one is carrying.

What You Must Know About PBS Sponsorship...

All migrants entering the United Kingdom have to have been invited by a sponsor.  The only two categories this does not apply to are immigrants who fall into tier 1 and those who are immigrating due to family ties.  An immigrant may not enter the United Kingdom before the sponsor has applied for PBS Sponsorship.  There is a great diversity of sponsors, ranging from companies to educational institutions to religious institutions.  Having a sponsor is the first stage of the process.  Immigrants with PBS Sponsorship must have a ‘biometric identity card’.  This is a necessity for any sponsored immigrant staying in the United Kingdom for more than six months.

Having migrant status is a privilege, and for the sponsor it is a legal responsibility.  All individuals, institutions and companies that extend a sponsorship to migrant employees have to see that all compliances are fully met.  The Border and Immigration Agency has the authority to take away a licence from a sponsor if all the correct ‘procedures and processes are not in place’.  It is important for the sponsor to be aware that the obligation is on them.

Migrant labour usually makes up numbers in certain areas of employment if it cannot be met by the citizens of a country. PBS Sponsorship is a means of filling this gap legally.  Because sponsorship is an ongoing procedure, there are professionals who are able to ensure that it runs smoothly for sponsors.  Migrant labour is a necessity, and many companies depend on the PBS Sponsorship system.