U.S. Visa Application
An H1B visa requires sponsorship by a US based employer. Foreign nationals cannot apply by themselves for this type of visa, a US employer must petition for their entry. The application date can be as long as six months before the actual start of employment based on the US fiscal year.

H1B Requirements
The H1B visa is designed for workers in specialty occupations or professions that entail expertise or specialised knowledge. The minimum requirement is normally a job-relevant tertiary education, equivalent to a 4-year US Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent of a three-year course plus three years of relevant work experience. Undergraduates can qualify for a H1B visa if they have at least 12 years of relevant work experience. Professional practitioners are required to pass the licensure exams mandated by the government.

Duration of Stay
H1B holders can work in the USA for a maximum of three years during their first term. This visa can then be renewed for up to two years and for one further year thereafter. When the six-year maximum residency ends, H1B workers must leave the USA and wait for one year before applying for another visa.

Rights of H1B Workers
Should an H1B worker be dismissed prior to the expiration of his visa, the sponsoring employer is liable for the expenses he incurs in returning to his previous foreign residence.

The most common types of South African visa are listed below.

Work Visa
This visa is often granted to foreign professionals when there is a skill shortage in the South African market. Information technology, engineering, accountancy and finance are some of the most highly sought-after positions in South Africa.

Spouse and Life Partner Visa
A South African relative or permanent resident must sponsor this visa.

Retirement Visa
South Africa is a popular destination among retirees, owing to the anti-discrimination provisions of its constitution and the climate. A retirement visa grants temporary or permanent residency and is available to anyone who is financially capable of supporting themselves. To qualify, South African visa applicants must have a pension account or annuity amounting to at least R20,000 per month. Unlike a work permit, a retirement visa does not require employer sponsorship, though retirement visa holders enjoy the right to work in South Africa if they wish to.

Business Visa
This type of visa offers temporary residence to businessmen. Its closest foreign counterparts are the UK investor visa and the US EB-5 visa. To qualify for a business visa, applicants must have a minimum investment of R2.5million. Visa applicants must also submit a comprehensive business plan and must be employed in the planned venture. Proof of entrepreneurial skills and business experience are also required.

The H1B or Specialty Occupation Visa is aimed at skilled workers. It grants a minimum of three years of residency, which can be extended twice, up to a maximum of three more years. To qualify for the H1B visa, you need to be a graduate of a job-relevant course and have at least three years of relevant work experience. If the educational qualification is not relevant to the target job, at least twelve years of related work experience will suffice.

L1 or Intra-Company Transfer Visas are intended for foreign nationals who must work in the USA on the instructions of their employer. This type of visa is designed for those who are relocating to the US subsidiary or branch of their employer.

E Treaty Trader or Treaty Investor Visas are intended for the employees of accredited Treaty Traders or Treaty Investors. E visas are valid for only two years, but can be renewed indefinitely.

Employment-based green cards come in three types. EB1 is for managers and experts in the fields of science, arts, business, education and sports. EB2 is given to foreign nationals who have earned notable achievements in their respective fields. EB3 is for professionals who are sponsored by US employers to work in the country. This type of visa imposes a minimum level of work experience and educational qualification, as does the work visa.

The South African government recognises the fact that though the country is quite large, there is a limit to the level of population, including both South African citizens and immigrants that can realistically be accommodated. As a result, they are very keen on accepting only skilled people to work there. As there are many South African citizens who belong to the unskilled and semi-skilled category of workers, the government is only interested in encouraging immigrant workers who possess educational degrees or higher forms of skills and talents. In addition, anyone wishing to apply for a South African visa must be ready to share their knowledge and be willing to provide training and development to the unskilled citizens of South Africa.

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The government of South Africa introduced the Immigration Act of 2002, with the intention of strongly promoting control over the issue of South African visas.

Anyone interested in moving to the country has to pay US$255.00 for the application forms for a South African visa. The fee applies to every individual or family and whether the permit is eventually granted or not, the fee is non-refundable. Usually, the applicant must wait for around 12 to18 months before the government makes a final decision.

If you wish to live in South Africa, you must be prepared to go through the process of acquiring a South African visa, no matter how long the process takes. However, once you have the correct permit, you will be given the opportunity to enjoy the rich culture and amazing wildlife of the country.

Becoming an American citizen is no easy task. The processing of paperwork could take a relatively long time – it could take days, months and even years – which could be unbearable for anybody who is all amped up to be a legal resident of the United States. Immigrants are categorised into two groups: Unlimited Immigrants, who may stay in the country without numerical limitation, and Limited Immigrants, who have annual limitations. Immigrants with annual limitations can take advantage of three different types of visas, such as the USA Family-Based Immigration Visa, the USA Employment-Based Immigration Visa, and the USA Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery.

In applying for visas which are provided by the embassy, the migration applicant should be petitioned by either their relatives living in the US or their employers. Some applicants, such as investors, diversity immigrants, certain special immigrants, and priority workers can apply for a visa without a petition. America has strict migration policies in order to protect its own people’s welfare, health, and security; thus, not all the applicants for migration will be eligible. People who might threaten the peace and security of the country and its people, such as those who may have mental or physical disorders, communicable diseases, and those who have criminal records are not allowed to enter the USA.

Immigration to the United States is a popular option, albeit a very tiring one. However, the rigorous process reaps great rewards when one is finally on their way to what is considered as the world’s ‘melting pot’ of cultures.

However, the majority of experts and analysts are confident that Obama’s immigration reform will be put into action, and it could lead to changes in US immigration policies that will affect prospective candidates from the UK. Currently the US visa regulations are considered quite strict in comparison to most English-speaking countries.

The August bulletin released by the US Department of State has publicised changes to the EB-2 and EB-3 categories for employment-based permanent residence visas. Currently countries in the EU fall under the EB-1 category, and although this has remained unaffected, deadlines have been brought forward for applications in the EB-2 category. More countries were expected to be added to the EB-3 visa, but this has yet to materialise.

These visas are usually offered to people that have made outstanding contributions in their field, or managers and executive-level employees of multi-national companies. In June, 2009 it was revealed that employment-based fourth and fifth preference numbers were higher than expected. When this statement was released, demand for the EB-1 visa was high, but the allocated numbers were yet to be affected.

If you are a prospective immigrant applying for permanent residence and you are still abroad, you can apply at the nearest South African diplomatic office in your country of residence. If you are already residing in South Africa with a legal temporary residence licence, you can apply for immigration at the nearest Regional Office of the Department of Home Affairs in the province in which you intend to permanently reside or take up employment.

Some of the basic requirements for permanent residence are individually considered on merit through the Immigrants Selection Board, an autonomous statutory board. If you desire to permanently emigrate to South Africa, you must be of good character, be a worthy inhabitant, and not likely to be harmful to the country’s welfare. Furthermore, you must also not follow a profession in which there are already adequate people available to fulfil the needs of the country.

Generally, you must apply for immigration to South Africa whilst you are in your country of residence, and wait for the result of application before you proceed to the country. However, you can also apply for immigration whilst you are in the country if you are in the country with a valid work permit; the child of, or married to, a citizen of South Africa, or a permanent resident of South Africa; exempt from the requirement of holding a temporary residence permit; or being sponsored by a blood family member for immigration purposes.

Due to the need to create job opportunities for South African workers, the country has required prospective immigrants to be seriously devoted to investing their skills and experience for their own benefit and the benefit of South African citizens.

Recently a change in immigration law has allowed children of temporary workers in Alberta and Ontario to obtain work permits. This is currently a temporary scheme and eligible candidates will have to meet certain requirements.  Canadian immigration laws can vary quite substantially from province to province and no similar schemes have been put in place in other areas of the country.

A new report detailing the impact of Canada’s immigration reform has just been released by the Maytree Foundation, a Canadian policy research organisation, and this may bring about further changes to the country’s immigration policy. Currently, Canada has a quite liberal stance in comparison to most countries for migrants arriving from the UK, and the data collected in the report suggests that closer monitoring should be brought in for temporary workers. It was also stated that immigration was “fundamental to the nation’s social and economic well-being”.

The country of Canada is largely under-populated, but smaller communities in the rural areas, such as North Bay, Ontario, have developed initiatives to attract more migrants into these areas. It is well worth considering rural areas as a location to settle if you are applying for a permanent visa to Canada as this will increase the chances of your Canada visa application being approved.

As a democratic country, the US offers different options of migrating to their country. The country’s doors are open to students, skilled workers, professionals and relatives of US citizens alike. Despite the September 11 terrorist attacks and tensions at the US-Mexico border, the US remains an immigration-friendly country. For people who want to visit the US for a short period of time, either to visit relatives, take a holiday or attend business meetings, they can apply for a Non-immigration Visa. However, if you intend to pursue permanent residency in the future and stay in the country for good, you can apply for an Immigrant Visa, which is the same as a ‘green card’.

It is important to determine how long you will stay in the country as well as the nature of your stay, because each classification has its own specific requirements. Upon deciding which visa you will apply for, it is easier to take care of the requirements under each class. If you plan to work in the US, it is recommended that you look for a US-based company who will sponsor you. This will be easier on your part as the work visa application is taken care of by the employer, and not the applicant.

As an ‘immigration-friendly’ country, the US has made immigration information available through all of its embassies and consulates. This ensures that an applicant’s experience with the American system is a pleasant one.

Aspiring workers cannot apply for work permits themselves. Their potential employers should apply on their behalf. This seeming hassle is due to the unemployment issues surrounding South Africa.

There are several types of Work Permit, the most common being the General Work Permit. Applicants for the said permit are required to provide conditional offers of employment from their potential South African employers as well as documentation which confirms that the employers primarily hire local residents. The application must also include a certification that the aspiring workers possess the necessary qualifications set by the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA). When workers have been in possession of a General Work Permit for at least five years, they may apply for permanent residency. There are further steps concerning the permanent residency application.

Another common South Africa Work Permit is the Quota Work Permit. This type of permit applies to aspiring workers whose skills are deemed scarce. Unlike the General Work Permit, the Quota Work Permit does not require its applicants to provide offers of employment.

There are other types of Work Permits in South Africa. The granting of permits primarily depends on the skills of the foreign worker. For permits such as Intra Company Transfers and Corporate Work Permits, granting depends on the status of the company by which the worker is employed.