US immigration agency job cuts will bring visa system to a halt

US immigration agency job cuts will bring visa system to a halt

The US federal agency responsible for immigration, processing visa applications and approving citizenship is threatening to furlough more than half of its workforce unless Congress provides additional funding, according to a spokesperson.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is preparing to furlough 70 percent of its staff, unless it receives fresh funding, which would bring an already backlogged system to a virtual halt.

USCS, an agency of the Department of State largely depends on fees from new immigration applications for its operations, now faces an historic budget shortfall.

This comes at a time when President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign manifesto highlights slashing legal and undocumented immigration to America.

Already the number of new immigrants to the US has been dramatically curtailed by new regulations, executive actions and travel restrictions introduced to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The agency has seen fee income decline by 50% since March has requested a $1.2bn bailout from Congress to avoid drastic staff reductions.

"On or before July 2, approximately 13,400 USCIS employees will receive notice that if USCIS must proceed with an administrative furlough, they would be furloughed beginning August 3," the USCIS spokesperson's statement said.

Staff furloughs "will for sure cause noticeable delays immediately," one USCIS employee, who asked not to be named, told the Reuters News Agency. "There are already so many backlogs to work through. It's insane to even contemplate how bad this is going to get."

This week, Trump signed a presidential proclamation banning US entry under a number of categories of temporary visa holders. He also extended the ban on some green card applicants, which the administration said would help open more jobs for unemployed Americans.

The move may win Trump votes, but could also hurt the beleaguered US economy, which has seen many States put the brakes on reopening for business following a spike in Coronavirus Covid 19 cases.

Western nations compete for talented nurses, doctors, engineers, teachers, as well as entrepreneurs and investors. Even if their ultimate destination is America, professionals, such as nurses from the Philippines, will often apply for jobs in the UK, New Zealand or Australia to work or settle abroad. Not all will pursue the American dream after gaining permanent residence or citizenship in another country

Wealthy business people and investors may choose to take their money elsewhere and settle in countries like Canada and Australia or EU countries where they feel more welcome.

EU countries, such as Cyprus offer a guaranteed route to citizenship in the European Union.

The Cypriot immigration policy and legal framework now enable Non-EU applicants to obtain Cypriot citizenship on an expedited basis – fast.

If you have funds to invest and would like to know more about the Cyprus golden visa programme visit: http://eugoldenvisaprogramme.com

Train More British Nurses Instead of Importing Foreign Staff Says UK Prime Minister As International Recruits Ease NHS Staffing Crisis

Marking 100 days since the Conservatives won the General Election, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron was interviewed by Justin Webb for BBC Radio 4 this week. One of the questions he was asked was how he felt about the rising number of non-EU nurses coming to work in the UK to cover staff shortages in the NHS.

The RCN nursing union estimates that there are 20,000 nurse job vacancies in the NHS and warns of a staffing crisis as thousands of nurses retire in the next few years.

 Mr Cameron said we should be providing more nursing training for our own UK citizens for healthcare jobs that are currently growing within the economy.

Specifically on international nurses, Cameron added that the international nurses coming to work in the UK make a huge contribution to the country and the NHS, but called for better at workforce planning.

Knowing how many NHS nurses are needed, Cameron wants to encourage more young people to take nursing degrees at UK universities and promised help to provide the training places to meet the unmet demand.

In the meantime, thousands of job vacancies and shifts are being filled by expensive agency staff, which is why NHS hospitals are flying teams of managers all over the world to recruit international nurses. To add to their pressure, the government has also told NHS bosses to cut back on the millions spent on agency nurses.

Commenting on UK migration levels he stated that immigration controls go hand-in-hand with controlling the welfare system.

New immigration laws coming into force will mean that by April 2017 up to 30,000 non-EU nurses on Tier 2 Work Permits will have to leave the UK if they are not earning more that £35,000 per year. A Band 5 NHS nurse earns £25,000-£26,000, but could top this up with agency temping work.

Ironically, British trained nurses can easily earn well over £35,000 pa by taking up nurse jobs in America or Australia, prompting many of our best nurses to leave the UK each year, which only adds to the staffing time bomb in the NHS.

Bearing in mind that there are not enough places on nursing degree courses at British universities to meet current demands, and that it takes 3-4 years to train a nurse, it will be interesting to see how the NHS copes with UK nursing shortages over the next couple of years.

International nurses who want to work in the UK as a nurse should check the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) website for the requirements, such as an overall band score of 7.00 in the English language IELTS test, and new competency tests. Last year the NMC changed the old ONP scheme to a two stage test, which many nurses are failing.

For full details on the new registration process and working in the UK for non-EU trained nurses or midwives, visit the NMC website, or email me your CV if you are interested in migrating to the UK and working as a nurse or need a Tier 2 Work Permit and Home Office working visa sponsorship for a UK job in the NHS.