Category Archives: Latest News

USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) is all set to announce new rules for H1B visas in a move aimed to combat fraud and enhance national security. The new rules will set the extension fee for an H1B visa at $ 4000, as suggested by the Department of Homeland Security, severely impacting employers and professionals. The authorities are set to implement changes to the cost of L-1 visa extensions too. This visa allows companies to bring managers and executives from their foreign offices to the US. The proposed regulation would require a $4,500 fee for extending an L-1 visa.

Indian professionals will be the demographic most severely impacted by the new rules given the high numbers of Indian IT professionals who are already on this visa. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa permitting U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign professionals for specialized roles while the L1 is a temporary non-immigrant visa that enables international companies with branches in the US and abroad to transfer specific qualified employees to their US office.

However, the Department of Homeland Security announced that the new fees will not apply to L-1 or H-1B visa extensions until a final decision is made.

The H1B extension fee hike will have immediate effects on both employers and employees, increasing the financial burden on companies and potentially discouraging them from retaining valuable foreign talent. In the long term, this change could lead to a shift in the global workforce dynamic, as companies may seek to relocate operations or hire talent in other countries with more favourable immigration policies. The increased costs could also impact the overall competitiveness of the U.S. in the global market, potentially slowing innovation and economic growth. As businesses and workers navigate this new landscape, it will be crucial to monitor and adapt to the evolving immigration policies and their broader implications.

The new IRCC Survey for Provincial and Territorial Governments and Marc Miller’s statements point to imminent changes in the PGWP in Canada!  

A new survey by IRCC for all provincial and territorial governments has hinted at the realignment of the postgraduate work permit with labour needs in the country. The survey document outlines that the aim of the upcoming reforms is to “Adjust PGWP eligibility to match labour market demands, decrease the total number of PGWP holders, and enhance the chances that international students achieve labour market results that correspond with their education and skills.”

IRCC’s survey consists of 8 questions and each of these questions is a window into IRCC’s thinking about the future of the Postgraduate Work Permit. The following are the questions:

1. “If PGWP eligibility were limited exclusively to occupations facing shortages and their relevant study programs, which specific occupations should be included according to the needs in your region?”
2. Which, if any, groups should be excluded from these changes, such as francophone students, graduate degree programs, or others? Please provide the reasoning behind your choices.
3. Should international students show evidence of a job offer corresponding to the occupational shortage list to retain a PGWP for more than one year?
4. Should additional eligibility criteria (such as language proficiency, provincial support, etc.), besides having a job offer, be applied to PGWP holders who wish to extend their permit beyond one year?
5. What is your opinion on implementing these labor market-based changes to PGWP eligibility for all graduates immediately upon announcement this year, instead of exempting students who are already studying in Canada at the time of implementation?
6. How frequently should the occupational shortage list be updated, and when should these updates be applied to students who are already in the midst of their studies?
7. Do the proposed changes to the PGWP align with the type of candidates you wish to retain as long-term workers in your jurisdictions?
8. Is your Provincial Nominee Program capable of providing a viable pathway to permanent residence for international graduates who have job offers in these critical sectors?

The survey has garnered significant attention from international educators and stakeholders, both within Canada and internationally. Question #5, in particular, has sparked intense discussions among colleagues as the survey circulated. This question implies that changes to the PGWP could be implemented immediately, affecting students who are currently enrolled or about to graduate from their programs in Canada.

There are clear signs that the policy measures recently implemented by the Canadian government, especially the enrollment cap, are significantly reducing application volumes and enrollments this year. This situation demands exceptional caution moving forward, as any additional policy changes could jeopardize one of the country’s leading export sectors and potentially place the industry in a position from which recovery could take years.

International students are applying to more colleges and universities. Students who want to study overseas are also applying to more countries than ever before, with new non-traditional destinations emerging and a greater emphasis on more affordable options, a new INTO survey has found.  There has been substantial growth in applications for Germany and Ireland.

The report, published by INTO student recruitment company on May 27, “signals a major shift in student behaviour and the emergence of new study-abroad destinations,” said Tom Hands, INTO chief recruitment officer for university partnerships. He added, “The competition for universities in top study-abroad markets to attract overseas talent has become even tougher.”

The INTO survey conducted in March 2024, surveyed 1,240 agents from 66 countries and concluded that there was intense competition for recruiting international students with 87% of agents reporting an increase in the number of universities and colleges that students applied to in the past year.

With the new student cap in place in Canada, the new ‘genuine student’ requirement in Australia and further restrictions in the UK agents are increasingly recommending new destinations.

In the survey, 11% of agents said that they had submitted applications to 100+ universities last year. The survey also warned that this would increase the pressure on agents to become adept at applying form admissions and visas to more countries than ever before.

The survey also noted that affordability was playing an increased role is destination choices and the burden of financing higher education in the traditional destinations was now assuming more importance than anytime in the past. The survey also showed that the attractiveness of the USA, UK, Australia and Canada had diminished while new European and Asian study destinations were garnering more attention from both students and agents. Germany and Ireland are the two ‘new’ destinations that have seen the most growth in the last year.

Agents across Asia noted that students are increasingly choosing a destination closer to home.

Besides affordability, career opportunities are increasingly important for international students, with 87% of surveyed agents identifying it as a key factor, an increase of 5% from the previous year.