Will studies get cheaper after the Brexit?

           

 A lot of people are wondering whether studies in the UK are going to be cheaper or more expensive following the all the Brexit events.

             The impact on the economy and the pound is already noticeable, with the pound showing the initial signs of recovery after the initial down fall. According to a higher education expert– EU public diplomacy and outreach in India and in the SAARC, ‘This will affect Indian students in many ways. Studying in UK was never this inexpensive. The fee will reduce and this means that more students can now dream of studying in the UK.’ The new UK visapolicy updates, also lets the student to extend their stay to six months after their academic course is complete.

             However, students need to be a little cautious. Rahul Choudaha, CEO of DrEducation, a US-based global higher education research firm, says, “In the immediate short-term, direct cost of studying in the UK will be declining due to currency devaluation. However, uncertain prospects for finding work opportunities will make it (difficult for students to) recover direct cost and hence overall cost of study in the UK will still increase.” Visa issues can be resolved if the UK government brings in a separate visa policy for Indians and other international students of Commonwealth nations.

             According to Carly Minsky, student content editor, Time Higher Education, UK, “For international students outside the EU who are already required to pay international rates, tuition fees will not be directly affected by Brexit, although there are various factors which could affect the cost. If the pound remains weak against students’ home currency, these students ultimately will find themselves better off when they pay tuition in sterling. However, if universities suffer financially after Brexit, whether due to a lack of EU funding or fewer EU citizens deciding to study at UK universities, they may decide to increase fees for international students to make up for the deficit.”

               About the author - PROVE (Professional Registry Of Verified Employees) is a new labor oriented service promoted by National Organization for Software and Technology Professionals (NOSTOPS), to help fill in the gap information that the Indian Knowledge worker heading abroad face when it comes to knowing their Rights. 

Problems our Indian working class faces while going abroad.

India receives the highest amount of remittances in the world, it received US $66.30 billion in the year 2014-15. It is one of the main reasons that India could survive the recession that saw many big economies collapse. The biggest share we receive is from the Gulf countries, where the majority of the remittance comes from the low skilled or unskilled labor workers. Despite their invaluable contributions to our country, many Indian migrant workers continue to face exploitative working conditions, forced labor, non-payment of wages and other forms of human rights abuse that sometimes plunge them into slavery-like conditions. Let’s take a look at the hassles our working class employees faces,

- Deception by visa brokers and recruiting agents:

         They are victims of various forms of deception and trickery at the recruitment stage. These include excess charges for visas and other travel documents, processing of fake travel documents without informing the workers of their illegitimate status, recruitment for non-existent jobs, misrepresenting the job and working conditions, providing falsely inflated loans that lead to situations of bonded labor. We have heard countless stories of migrant workers landing in the wrong country and being stranded there, being jailed for having the wrong documents, finding their salary or work conditions are not what they were promised. This is compounded by:

- Lack of awareness of pre-departure training:

         Lack of authentic and timely information relating to overseas employment, recruitment agencies and immigration procedures makes workers dependent on intermediaries and vulnerable to exploitation. And,

- Lack of access to remedies:

         The power differential between workers and recruiting agents makes it difficult for workers who face abuse to secure justice. Enforcement mechanisms are not strong enough and complaints registered rarely lead to convictions.

          These are some of the major problems that are faced by the working class employees while they are going abroad.

New changes in the Ireland’s employment process.

     

  Several changes have been made in the Ireland’s employment process, benefitting the people looking to pursue a job in Ireland. Apart from making the process online, immediate changes are made to the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List (HSEOL) and the Ineligible Categories of Employment List (ICEL) allowing Irish sponsoring companies to employ more foreign nationals. Further, the requirements for Trainees under Intra-Company Transfers have also been relaxed. So,

What are the Changes?

Employment Permits Online System (EPOS) moves forward.

The Department of Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation (DJEI) announced last week that it will be assisting employers by making the Employment Permits process easier and faster for their foreign workers. In September, the DJEI will roll out its new Employment Permits Online System (EPOS), which will provide intuitive online application completion and filing, document submission, and fee payment for Employment Permits in Ireland. This much-anticipated improvement should result in a more convenient process with a faster turn-around time for applicants.

Relaxed Requirement for ICT Trainees

In the final noteworthy part of last week’s announcement, the DJEI reduced the minimum employment period for Trainees under the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) Permit scheme from six months to one month. Now foreign national trainees only employed with their foreign employer for one month are eligible for assignments at the company’s branch or affiliate in Ireland. These changes to the HSEOL and ICEL lists and to the ICT trainee regulations are effective immediately, and the details will be incorporated into the new EPOS online application process and the accompanying amended forms due out in early September.

Additions to occupation lists.

Also to support employers experiencing labour shortages, the DJEI has made immediate additions to the HSEOL list, which determines whether an applicant holds an occupation eligible for a Critical Skills Employment Permit. The DJEI also made adjustments to the ICEL list of occupations ineligible for employment permits.

The following occupations have been added to the HSEO

·         Paramedics

·         Respiratory physiologists

·         Tax consultants specializing in non-EEA taxes

·         Accountants working in the multinational corporation (MNC) global audit services.          

        These changes are extremely positive and are welcomed by the international community of overseas workers. 

American Work permit – Official Rules & Regulations of American Work Visa

Circumstances under which one can extend their H1B status

American competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000 provides for such extensions in two circumstances:

Under the new law American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000 section 104(c): a beneficiary of an employment based first, second or third preference petition who is eligible for permanent resident but for the application of the per country limits may obtain extension of the H1B status until the adjustment of status is decided. An H1B status can be renewed in one-year increments for the beneficiaries of any employment based petition until adjustment processing is completed as long as 365 days or more have elapsed since the labor certification application or immigrant petition was filed.

American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000 gives some advantages to people in adjustment of status over people in consular processing, but at least one of the law’s benefits may be usable in either context:

“The section 104(c) extension beyond the sixth year for individuals with employment based immigrant petitions filed but priority dates not current appears to be available only in the context of an adjustment of status”.

“The section 106(a) provision for extending H1Bs beyond the sixth year when permanent residence processing has taken too long can be read to apply whether the individual pursues adjustment or consular processing, since one can become eligible for its benefits if the petition has been filed”.

 To read more download American Work permit – Official Rules & Regulations of American Work Visa

American Work permit – Official Rules & Regulations of American Work Visa

Discrimination or Document Abuse Prohibited

While it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that the regulations are met, the employer cannot discriminate against aliens. Discrimination or document abuse involves asking too many questions or asking for more than the required number of documents to prove work authorization. For example, requiring additional documents from a person with a foreign name or a foreign accent could amount to discrimination. Employers must walk a fine line between following the law and being overly cautious; making assumptions which can result in discrimination.

The major responsibility of an employer, whether the new employee is an alien or a US worker, is to complete the “Employment Eligibility Form” or the I-9, as it is commonly known.

The I-9 form helps the Immigration and Naturalization Service (CIS) in enforcing immigration laws. An employer may not knowingly or unknowingly hire an illegal work. This is punishable by law. An I-9 can be used as evidence against an employer who fails to properly complete and store the forms, whether or not any of the employees are illegal aliens. Civil and criminal penalties may be levied against employers for violating rules.

To read more download American Work permit – Official Rules & Regulations of American Work Visa

American Work Permit - Official Rules & Regulations of American Work Visa

An overview of Specialty Occupation

The H1B status is for foreign workers who will hold specialty occupations. A specialty occupation is one which “requires theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge to fully perform the occupation and which requires the attainment of bachelor’s degree or higher in a specific specialty as a minimum for entry into the occupation in the United States.” Thus, there are two requirements: First the employer must demonstrate a need for someone in a specialty occupation as the minimum capability to perform the job; and second, the foreign national must have the required degree, or its equivalent, in a subject closely related to the position. Under the regulations, the need for a person in a specialty occupation can be shown by one of the following:

1] Hold a US baccalaureate or higher degree required by the specialty occupation from the accredited college or University;

2] Hold a foreign a degree determined to be equivalent to US baccalaureate or higher degree required by the specialty occupation from the accredited college or University;

3] Hold an Unrestricted State license, registration or certification which authorizes him or her to fully practice the specialty occupation and be immediately engagement in that specialty in the state of intended employment; or

4] Have education, specialized training and/or progressively responsible experience that is equivalent to completion of a US baccalaureate or higher degree required by the specialty occupation, and have recognition of expertise in the specialty through progressively responsible positions directly related to the specialty. 

To read more download American Work permit – Official Rules & Regulations of American Work Visa