Latest news with #workvisas
RNZ News
12-08-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Hospitality industry on govt's two new work visas
rural employment about 1 hour ago Farmers, winemakers and tour operators are welcoming the government's announcement of two new work visas to help bring workers into the country - but the hospitality industry says it's been left out in the cold. Restaurant Association President Mike Egan spoke to Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira.
Reuters
30-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Italy to issue half million non-EU work visas over next three years
ROME, June 30 (Reuters) - Italy will issue nearly 500,000 new work visas for non-EU nationals from 2026 to 2028, a cabinet statement said on Monday, as part of a strategy to expand legal immigration channels in response to labour shortages. A total 164,850 people will be allowed in next year, aiming to reach a cumulative total of 497,550 new entries by 2028. It is the second such move Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made since she took office nearly three years ago as the head of a right-wing coalition. The government had already decided to issue over 450,000 permits to migrants between 2023 and 2025. Alongside rules to allow in new workers, Meloni has taken a tough stance against illegal arrivals, moving to speed up repatriations and curbing the activities of charities rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean. "The quotas were determined taking into account the needs expressed by the social partners and the actual applications for work permits submitted in previous years, with the aim of a programme that responds to the needs of businesses and is also realistic," the statement said. An ageing population and a sagging birthrate highlight the need to attract foreign workers in the euro zone's third largest economy. There were some 281,000 more deaths than births in 2024 and the population fell by 37,000 to 58.93 million, continuing a decade-long trend. Agricultural lobby Coldiretti welcomed the government's plan, saying it represented an important step to guarantee the availability of workers in the fields and the country's food production. "The government will continue with determination to allow legal migration channels, benefiting important sectors of our economy," Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told daily La Stampa on Sunday. To counter the ongoing depopulation and maintain current levels of inhabitants, Italy would need to take in at least 10 million immigrants by 2050, according to research by the Osservatorio Conti Pubblici think tank.
Geek Wire
18-06-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
‘Flight to security': Tech employers, foreign workers anxious amid ICE raids and immigration uncertainty
American flag. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser) U.S. immigration crackdowns aimed at undocumented workers in agriculture, construction and elsewhere are having ripple effects in the tech world, which employs thousands of foreign-born workers with highly sought-after computer science skills. Two Seattle startups providing immigration services say the climate is stoking fears and a sense of urgency. 'Anxiety has increased,' said Xiao Wang, co-founder and CEO of Boundless. 'The volume of questions, inquiries, and the amount of misinformation that goes on through social media is such that people are increasingly concerned about what is real, what is not real.' Priyanka Kulkarni, founder and CEO of Casium, also sees corporations that sponsor employees from abroad examining their options. A variety of temporary work visas and green cards are available for immigrants with special knowledge and abilities. That includes the H-1B visa that's often issued by lottery to qualified tech candidates, and the O-1 visa for globally exceptional talent. EB-1 'Einstein visas' are awarded to world-class professionals, professors and researchers, while EB-2 visas go to workers in areas of national importance or holding essential skills. 'Employers are getting really rational,' Kulkarni said. 'They're trying to separate signal from noise. They want to understand realistic options. We're developing multi-track strategies, so different visa categories for different talent profiles.' Amazon ranked No. 1 in the tech sector for H-1B visa approvals last year at 14,764, while Microsoft secured 4,725 of the visas. Boundless co-founder and CEO Xiao Wang. (Boundless Photo) Boundless and Casium have built technology to speed the application process for landing visas, assess the suitability of candidates, collect data on which applications are successful, and provide legal support. Wang and Kulkarni said people are being aggressive in managing their immigration status, hoping to stay ahead of a potentially shifting landscape. 'People are really trying to take control of their immigration journeys,' Kulkarni said. They're 'more proactively reaching out.' 'I call it a flight to security,' Wang said. People on temporary visas are seeking something more permanent, like a green card. Those whose status is work-related, are seeking options that aren't non-employer based. Demand for naturalization services are strong right now, he added, which is unusual. It's more common to see a lull in citizenship interest after a presidential election year. Some foreign workers aim to strengthen their profiles by holding leadership roles or publishing in academic journals, for example. Employers are ensuring their actions comply with regulations, such putting wages at the right level and aligning job duties with a visa's focus. 'As there is more increased scrutiny,' Kulkarni said, 'the ability to get clarity and the ability to get education on the options is going to become more important.' Priyanka Kulkarni, CEO and founder of Casium. (Casium Photo) While tech companies over the years have advocated for the use and expansion of visas allowing them to hire talented workers, they've been mum on ICE enforcement actions. When reached by GeekWire, Microsoft declined to comment on immigration issues, and Amazon has not responded to an inquiry. Given that the raids have focused on undocumented employees, it's no surprise to Wang that tech companies aren't speaking up. 'The immigrant community is not a monolith. There are different people with different backgrounds who come via different avenues and have different interactions with the government,' he said. 'It's a very rational decision for large tech companies wanting to keep their cohort of international employees — especially in engineering and high tech roles — out of the spotlight of this particular issue.' Even if the administration's current policies aren't directly disrupting the flow of tech workers from abroad, Wang said he's seeing a 'chilling effect' on new immigrants coming to the U.S. and companies recruiting foreign workers. By turning people away, 'there can be a real dampening effect on new job creators, new innovators, new entrepreneurs that will also cause the U.S. to lose its lead in science, technology and the global economy,' he said. 'It's against our own interest.'
The Independent
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
The reasons why experts are predicting a further plunge in migration
Net migration to the UK has fallen from 860,000 to 431,000 in the year up to December 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) expects net migration to halve again to 200,000 in the next year due to a weakening job market. MAC chairman Professor Brian Bell attributes the fall to a decline in non-EU workers and students, and anticipates a further drop in work visas. ONS data indicates a decrease in available jobs and a rise in unemployment, suggesting firms are hesitant to recruit. MAC says that changes in Labour 's immigration policies, including raising the skills threshold for work visas, will likely impact the hospitality and retail sectors, while a ban on care workers bringing family members into the country is reducing health and care worker visas.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Net migration data due after Starmer's warning on ‘island of strangers'
New estimates for the level of net migration to the UK – the difference between the number of people settling in the country long term and the number of people leaving – will be published on Thursday. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will give its first estimate of net migration for the 12 months to December 2024, along with updated figures for the years to June 2024 and to December 2023. The most recent estimates, published by the ONS in November, put net migration for the year to June 2024 at a provisional total of 728,000, down from a record 906,000 in the previous 12 months. A further drop is likely to be seen in the new estimate for the year to December, following the introduction in early 2024 by the previous Conservative government of restrictions on people eligible to travel to the UK on work or study visas. The latest figures will come less than a fortnight after Sir Keir Starmer said high net migration had caused 'incalculable' damage to British society, as he set out a series of measures aimed at reducing further the number of people moving long term to the UK. The Prime Minister, who said the country risks becoming an 'island of strangers' without better integration, said he wanted net migration to have fallen 'significantly' by the next general election – but refused to set a target number. Sir Keir's plan includes reforming work and study visas and requiring a higher level of English across all immigration routes, and is expected to reduce the number of people coming to the UK by up to 100,000 per year. Sir Keir's reference to strangers faced criticism – including from Labour backbenchers – as it was said by some to have echoes of Enoch Powell's infamous 'rivers of blood' speech. But Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the Prime Minister, insisting the tone of his plan was 'completely different' from the 1968 anti-immigration speech. The Prime Minister's spokesman later confirmed Sir Keir stood by the words he used and rejected 'absolutely' the Powell comparisons. Results of a poll published earlier this week suggested Britons feel disconnected from society, wary of other people and worried about community tensions. The More In Common survey of more than 13,000 British adults found half said they felt disconnected from society, while 44% said they sometimes felt like a 'stranger' in their own country. But the poll suggested that the reasons for disconnection went beyond immigration and culture, with economic insecurity closely related to feelings of alienation. For many years, the level of immigration – people coming to the UK – has been higher than the level of emigration – people leaving – meaning more people are coming to settle in the UK than are leaving to settle in another country. The Government's promise to 'take back control of our borders' comes as Labour battles a surge in support for Reform UK, which won a by-election and council seats across England earlier this month, with policies including a 'freeze' on immigration.
