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The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is in the process of creating an ‘eMigrate’ system as a mission-mode e-governance project to streamline the emigration process and eliminate the loopholes in the current unorganized system.

“At present, it is not possible to keep track of every emigrant. With the formation of a separate ministry in 2005, the involvement of touts has been reduced but not completely eliminated. The eMigrate system will begin in a couple of months and will be implemented in phases over three years,” said KN Shrivastava, additional secretary and financial advisor, Ministry of External Affairs.

There are 25 million Indians working in 50 countries, and over 5 million unskilled and semi-skilled people in the six Gulf countries besides a sizable number in Malaysia, followed by Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.

Close to 50 employers from the above countries are participating in a two-day conference beginning here today, organized jointly by the MOIA, AP government and the Overseas Manpower Corporation of Andhra Pradesh.

Shrivastava said the recruitment of labor was mainly through recruiting agents at present, which was exploitative for workers and cumbersome for employers. The MOIA was formed to address the labor problems, and a new legislative and regulatory framework would be introduced soon.

A new Immigration Management Bill has been drafted to replace the existing Immigration Regulation Act 1983. It has also taken up skill upgradation programmes for unskilled or semi-skilled labor. The ministry is mulling bilateral understanding with all Gulf countries and Malaysia.

The passports division of the External Affairs ministry would create seven ICT-enabled passport seva kendras in the state by August, three of which are to be in Hyderabad, to curb malpractices. The MOIA has set up an Indian Workers Resource Center with a toll-free 24-hour helpline in Dubai, a similar helpline in Delhi and regional migration resource centers. A Rs 25-lakh Indian Community Welfare Fund has also been created to provide support services to emigrant labour.

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Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Saturday that Turkey and Georgia have already started works to allow citizens of both countries to travel with only state identity cards. Davutoğlu told a joint news conference with his Georgian counterpart, Grigol Vashadze, during his visit to Tbilisi that they plan to apply “single window customs” at the Sarp border gate, the largest and busiest gate in the Caucasus, facilitating trade transactions and enabling cross-traders to present their documents at a single location. Davutoğlu said it is a very serious initiative regarding the integration of the two countries’ economies.

Davutoğlu earlier met with Vashadze to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, regional developments and ongoing restoration in the cultural heritage of Georgia in Turkey and Turkish heritage in Georgia. Ministers then headed delegations during a follow-up meeting, where they discussed ways to ease travel between the two countries. Turkey and Georgia don’t require visas for tourists to stay in the country for up to 90 days.

Speaking about the protection of mutual cultural heritage, Davutoğlu said it will be a important area of cooperation and that the historical churches in Turkey are also part of Turkey’s cultural heritage. The foreign minister promised that Turkey will continue necessary restoration work on Georgian churches, adding that historical and cultural heritage in Ajaria and its capital, Batumi, where a substantial number of Georgian Muslims live, is also shared cultural heritage for both countries.

Speaking during the press conference, Vashadze said they discussed “important subjects” concerning Turkey and Georgia, along with border facilitation works.Noting that he will meet again with Davutoğlu in the near future, Vashadze said they will discuss regional security issues and the Georgia-Russian conflict. Davutoğlu also held talks with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

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There is a new development in the cordial relations between the Bahamas and Australia was realised with the official launching of the Australian Honorary Consulate and the introduction of Caroline Moncur as Honourary Consul.

The event took place Thursday at the Lyford Cay Club, where Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest underscored the importance of such relations. The Bahamas and Australia have been enjoying friendly and supportive relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations on January 7, 1974.

“We work together in the bilateral and multilateral levels. One of our latest important bilateral endeavours was the signing of a Tax Information Exchange Agreement in March 2010. On the multilateral level we are working together on important climate change and maritime issues,” Mr Turnquest said.

Australia also maintains relations with other members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); having extended a hand in friendship and co-operation in a number of areas.

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The EU Commission has given EU member states until 1 July to implement the blue card directive. Starting on 1 June 2011, highly skilled workers from outside the European Union can apply to work in Bulgaria under the EU Blue Card scheme. The blue card would allow a skilled worker with a job offer to take employment in member states under the directive. It may also be possible to work in more than one EU member state using the same Blue Card.

The Blue Card aka Blue European Labour Card is an approved EU-wide work permit (Council Directive 2009/50/EC) allowing high-skilled non-EU citizens to work and live in any country within the European Union, excluding Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom, which are not subject to the proposal. The term Blue Card was coined by the think tank Bruegel, inspired by the United States’ Green Card and making reference to the EU flag which is blue with twelve golden stars.

The Blue Card proposal presented by the European Commission offers a one-track procedure for non-EU citizens to apply for a work permit, which would be valid for up to two-years, but can be renewed thereafter. Those who are granted a blue card will be given a series of rights, such as favorable family unification rules. The proposal also encourages geographic mobility within the EU, between different member states, for those who have been granted a blue card. The legal basis for this proposal is Article 63(3)(a) and (4) of the Treaty of Rome, which states that the Council shall adapt measures on immigration policy concerning “conditions of entry and residence and standards on procedures for the issue by Member States” and measures “defining the rights and conditions under which nationals of third countries who are legally resident in a Member State may reside in other Member States”.

“[One of the] requirements for a non-EU citizen to get a blue card are a higher education certificate,” said Hristo Simeonov of the Bulgarian Ministry of Social Policy and Labour.

Many European companies, including Bulgaria, are experiencing shortage of highly qualified and highly skilled workers. Citizens of countries such as Ukraine, Serbia, Russia, Turkey, Croatia, and Moldavia may soon find it easier to work in Bulgaria, and in other Countries in the EU.

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Significant changes to Australian Skilled Sponsored Visas on 1 July 2011 will result in the removal of the permanent family sponsored visa route; Family members can still sponsor relatives under a provisional sponsored migration visa.

This visa can still lead to permanent residence. Holders of a provisional sponsored skilled migration visa may be eligible for a Skilled Regional (Residence) visa (subclass 887) after meeting certain eligibility criteria. As Australia’s economy heats up, demand for skilled overseas workers will increase. Australia is well known for its skilled migration program, which has influenced immigration programs in other countries such as those in the UK.

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The eight SAARC countries have decided to exempt 19 categories of people from visa requirement and agreed to grant multi- entry visas for three to six months to selected journalists, business persons and sportspersons without prior clearance.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an organization of South Asian nations, founded in December 1985 and dedicated to economic, technological, social, and cultural development emphasizing collective self-reliance. Its seven founding members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan joined the organization in 2007. Meetings of heads of state are usually scheduled annually; meetings of foreign secretaries, twice annually. It is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The meeting of SAAARC council of ministers, held in the Bhutanese Capital of Thimphu also endorsed India’s proposal for setting up of a SAARC forum, comprising non-government officials to act as a pressure group for increasing regional integration, media report said.

Revisiting the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme, the meeting approved a proposal under which visa regime could be liberalised for selected groups.

People from 19 other categories, including members of parliament, diplomats and non-government people involved in SAARC projects will get visa stickers from the respective foreign ministries exempting them from visa requirements.

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Finland’s Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb opens state-of-the-art visa centre in St. Petersburg with 83 service counters and more than 200 employees. The 3,000 square meters top-modern visa centre was opened this week by Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb.

With the new visa centre, Russians will no longer need to stand for hours in queue to deliver their passport documents. Applying for visa will take no more than 15 minutes, according to the information posted at the portal of Finland’s Consulate General.

It is, however, not the staff of the Consulate General that man the new visa centre. Finland is outsourcing the work on receiving and delivering out visas. The centre is operated by the Indian company VFS, while the all decisions relating to visas still will be taken by the staff of the Consulate General.

Since 2005, visas to Finland issued in St. Petersburg have tripled to 751,000 in 2010.55 of the 83 service counters are reserved ordinary applicants. The 28 other counters are for tour operators and travel agencies. The visa-centre is located over two floors with both escalator and elevators within the Olympic Plaza shopping centre.

With an ensured maximum waiting time of 15 minutes, customers can drop in and pick up their visa during the lunch break without wasting much time.

Consul General Olli Perhentupa said “It is hard to imagine a better place for the visa center, because it is located near several metro stations and other transport hubs downtown.”
The centre is open from 9 to 17 on weekdays, but the Consulate General says the centre can work even in weekends if necessary. Also, if visa applicants forget to bring a photo, they can do it at the new centre. There is a bank desk, and customers can purchase snacks and refreshments.

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that they decided to set up High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between Turkey and Kyrgyzstan. Holding a joint press conference with Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev in Bishkek on Wednesday, Erdogan said that the first meeting of the council would take place in Turkey in March.

Noting that it would be beneficial to establish an Investment Agency in Kyrgyzstan, Erdogan said that the two countries could take mutual steps as well as steps in third countries through Investment Agency. He added that Turkey could share its experiences with Kyrgyz officials.

Erdogan said that investments and support made by Turkey in Kyrgyzstan had reached 450 million USD so far, adding that the support which Turkey extended only regarding Manas University had reached 150 million USD so far.

Turkey donated 10 million USD to Kyrgyzstan in 2010, said Erdogan, adding that International Cooperation & Development Agency of Turkey (TIKA) would make an investment of 15 million USD for hospitals and schools especially in southern regions of Kyrgyzstan in 2011.

Noting that a tripartite cooperation could also be made between Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Russia to make investments in Kyrgyzstan, Erdogan said that today Turkey and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement to lift 90-day visas. He added that the agreement included a sentence to lift visa procedures completely between the two countries by the end of the year. Visa will be lifted between Turkey and Kyrgyzstan by the end of 2011, said Erdogan.

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The Federal Government will make it easier for businesses helping the Queensland reconstruction to employ overseas workers. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has promised quicker visa approvals for employer-sponsored temporary skilled migrants who join the effort.

“Skilled labour will be as important as funding for rebuilding,” Ms Gillard said. There will be extra resources, assistance to employers and simpler processes to ensure a five-day turnaround for decision-ready applications. The median processing time now is 18 days.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions urged caution.

“No one wants to see a return to the sort of abuses we saw under the former Coalition government, where unscrupulous employers were allowed to exploit overseas workers and to remove job opportunities and push down the wages of Australian workers,” ACTU president Ged Kearney said.

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The Philippines will introduce special medical visas for foreigners, as the country seeks to grab a bigger share of Asia’s booming health tourism industry. The medical tourist visas, to be introduced later this year by the Bureau of Immigration, will allow foreigners to stay in the country for six months without having to apply for extensions, as regular tourists are required to do.

The government is banking on its English-speaking and internationally trained doctors among its advantages, as well as medical and surgical costs that are up to 50 % cheaper than the United States or Europe. It is optimistic that by offering this visa, it will get more medical tourists from Europe and the United States. The Philippines’ health department launched a programme in 2004 to promote medical tourism by encouraging state hospitals and specialised private institutions to compete with medical organisations elsewhere in Asia. But despite many initiatives, actual numbers have been far lower than set targets. The proposed visa will also help the government earn income from the visa fees and charges.

The Bureau of Immigration is preparing the proposed guidelines for the visa, for approval by the Department of Justice and the President. Under the proposed guidelines, the visa holder may stay in the Philippines for six months without having to secure an alien certificate of registration or identity card. Medical tourist visa holders will also exempted from paying the annual report fee levied on foreign residents. Visa holders will be required to post a bond based on the value of their airline tickets, to help ensure that the foreigners will not violate the conditions of their stay in the Philippines. But local medical tourism businesses are unhappy that making patients post a bond goes against the point of launching the visa; and if a customer has to pay visa fees and arrange a bond, it could drive them to countries with a less bureaucratic approach. The Immigration Act currently allows the extension of tourist or temporary visitor’s visas only to foreigners who come to the Philippines for business or pleasure. Foreigners are initially allowed to stay for either 21 days or two months that may be extended every month up to a maximum of two years.

India has now exempted foreign tourists from the mandatory two-month gap to re-enter the country for regular onward medical treatment. A circular issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs said,” For persons coming for medical treatment, there is a separate category of medical visa. Foreign nationals coming for medical treatment will have to come only on medical visa and not on tourist visa. But this is subject to their submission of a detailed itinerary and supporting documentation (ticket bookings.”
Medical tourism in India has grown. The government estimates, although there are no real figures, that in 2002 150,000 foreign patients visited India for treatments, and this could reach 500,000 this year.

India has recently clamped new restrictions on foreign tourists visiting the country on tourist visas to avoid misuse of such visas which entailed tourists had to give a mandatory two-month gap before re-entering India. So foreign nationals holding Indian tourist visas with multiple entry facility have to make a two-month gap mandatory between two visits. India issues tourist visas to foreigners who do not have a residence or occupation in the country, will now allow foreign tourists who after initial entry into India plan to visit another country as part of neighborhood tourism-related travel and allow them to re-enter India before their final exit to have two or three entries.