New measures to bar tens of thousands of foreign workers from outside Europe coming to work in Britain as the recession bites deeper were outlined by the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, today.

The package includes possible moves to prevent the families of skilled migrants working in Britain and restricting skilled migrants to taking jobs only in occupations with shortages.

Points based system forces employers to offer jobs to British before immigrants.

More than 151,000 overseas nationals from outside the EU were granted permission to work: almost four times the level when Labour took power in 1997.

 New requirements for immigrants in the UK to carry identity cards, replacing stickers in passports.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration quietly withdrew in the weeks after Barack Obama's election a new rule requiring high-level approval before federal agents nationwide could arrest fugitive immigrants. The future for Obama's aunt, who had been living in the country illegally, will be determined at an immigration court hearing in April.

The BBC reported on the immigration raids that occurred recently.

Seven people have been arrested in raids by UK Border Agency officers on restaurants and takeaways in County Durham and Tyneside. In one Indian restaurant in Durham three Bangladeshi men were found working illegally while in a Chinese takeaway two more people were arrested.

Three further arrests were made in another Indian restaurant and a fish and chip shop in Wallsend.

An agency spokesman said the raids followed tip-offs from the public.

Many nurses hoping to move to the US will now have to wait around three years to gain their US visa, as opposed to the two months they needed to wait previously, as US immigration clears its backlog of EB-3 visa applications.

Foreign nurses are being told not to lose faith that they will be granted a US work visa, despite a current freeze on work permits for nurses from certain countries.

This is why I always reiterate, defrauding the federal government is not only felonious it's foolish. Desperate people wanting to make a buck and thinking that entering into a sham marriage will be the answer may be in for a big surprise. Entering into fraudulent marriages for immigration purposes give the rest of the legitimate cases a bad rep and unfair to those that have taken legal steps to ensure they are reunited with their loved ones.

RYAN NICKLAUS WILLIAMS, 28, of Puyallup, Washington was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 37 days in jail with credit for time served, 100 hours of community service, four months of electronic home monitoring, and three years of supervised release for the crime of Conspiracy to Commit Visa Fraud. In sentencing WILLIAMS, U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton noted that the visa fraud conspiracy was a “very serious offense” that had a profound effect on legitimate visa seekers.

Multiple media outlets are reporting that Thailand plans to waive visa fees for tourists.

Sounds interesting but do you think that will really encourage people to come to Thailand? How about making the government more stable and taking measures to prevent another hostile airport takeover?

This article by my vigilant colleague, Brent Renison, has a poignant message regarding the rigid immigration system and its archaic interpretation of a spouse. I was inspired by Brent and went on to represent two widows who were entangled in this immigration mess, and while one was successful, the other is part of Brent's class action. Here's the article and link.

On November 23, 2008, CBS “60 Minutes” exposed the Widow Penalty to a national audience in a segment hosted by Bob Simon entitled “For Better or For Worse – A Loss of Love and Country.” This letter is written to the Obama-Biden Transition Team in an effort to educate the incoming Administration about the Widow Penalty, and to urge its end through administrative interpretation and through legislation. There is a way to ameliorate the Widow Penalty through a simple administrative policy change – to recognize that once an application for benefits is lawfully filed, the death of the petitioning relative does not automatically strip the survivor of the status of a spouse. There is also a way to help thoseSurviving Spouses Against Deportation Urges An End To The Widow Penalty who intended to file an application, but who did not have an opportunity to do so before an untimely death – through legislation.