If a person wishes to stay in the country for a longer period of time, for example to live and work, he or she must apply for an L1 visa, H1-B visa or another non-immigrant visa. The US L1 visa application requires a confirmed employment offer from a US company, while the US H1-B visa permits an employer in the USA to recruit foreign employees for specialty jobs, for periods of up to six years.

For anyone intending to live in the USA permanently, some of the routes available are based on family ties, employment and the annual “Green Card Lottery.”

For workers with “exceptional” ability, the employment-based routes for Green Cards via the EB-1 visa and EB-2 visa services will allow them to immigrate to the country.

The EB-3, EB-4 and EB-5 visas are designed to permit qualified individuals to apply for permanent residency in the country through employment opportunities.

A person may also apply for a Green Card if he has a family member living in the USA; this includes siblings, parents, spouse or fiancé. In addition, the annual Green Card lottery aims to allow worthy candidates from under-represented countries to live and work in the USA.

Tier 2 or Work Permits enable British companies to sponsor foreign workers to come and take up employment in the country. This requires the applicants to have a confirmed offer of employment or a Certificate of Sponsorship with a British company.

The Tier 4 or Student Visa allows foreign students to study in the country and has no time limit. If the course of study lasts only for six months, the applicant may enter the country on a UK visit visa. Apart from student visas, the country offers the Post Study Work Programme and Youth Mobility Scheme. These allow foreign students to work during their stay, but for a limited time only.

Anyone who wishes to travel and stay in the UK for more than six months must obtain a Tourist Visa. This includes those coming for business trips, medical treatment and passing through the country. Anyone entering the country for medical treatment can renew and extend their stay if required.

With a validity of two years, the Business Visitor Visa can be granted for either single or multiple entries, in order to free the applicants from having to constantly renew their visa every time they wish to travel.

South Africa immigration services provide immigration visas for excursions, long-term work, study-based projects and permanent residency.

For temporary purposes, such as tourism and visiting family or friends, a foreign visitor should apply for a South African Visitor Visa. A South African Visitor Visa has a validity of more than three months, allows for a short course of study, but strictly forbids the holder from working in the country.

For foreign individuals who wish to live and work in the country for a specified time period, a South African Work Permit must be obtained.

South African Study Permits have a validity that varies, depending on the duration of the course being undertaken by the international student.

For permanent residency in South Africa, the country’s Spouse Immigration Visa permits first or second degree relatives of permanent residents of the country to migrate, either temporarily or permanently.

For foreign nationals who wish to live in South Africa on a seasonal basis only, the most suitable option is to retire to the country. A South African Retirement Visa has a validity of up to for four years and is renewable for the same duration any number of times.

In the categories of business and working permits, applications for permanent residency in the country may also be possible.

On average, each mass layoff resulted in around 50 workers losing their jobs. Reports also show that the manufacturing sector has been experiencing the most pain, with almost 1,300 layoffs, resulting in an estimated 153,000 unemployed workers. In the following month, layoffs increased even more, by roughly 500, increasing to over 200,000 unemployed. From December 2007, which is widely accepted as being the start of the recession and for 15 months after, to sometime in February 2009, layoff figures reached an estimated 30,000, resulting in around 3,000,000 workers becoming unemployed. The unemployment rate for the month of February 2009 was 8.1%, compared to the preceding month’s 7.6% and the previous year’s 4.8%.

February’s mass layoffs gave the western region of the country the top position for the highest number of unemployed, with 65, 792 layoffs. Next in the list was the mid-west region with 64,943 lay offs; third was the southern region with 55,542 layoffs and finally the northeast region with 32,131 layoffs.

On a more positive note, skilled professionals with special abilities are still in great demand and will be considered for visas to America, even in the midst of the recession.

An Entrepreneur Visa grants permanent residence and the right to take any job in the country. With this type of Canadian visa, entrepreneurs can apply for Canadian citizenship after three years of residence. The Canada visa is granted on a point-based system, which takes into account the educational qualifications, entrepreneurial experience and English language proficiency of applicants.

The scoring system for educational achievements is as follows:

•    25 points for a postgraduate degree with 17 years of full-time study.
•    22 points for a Bachelor’s degree with 15 years of full-time study.
•    22 points for a three-year diploma, vocational training and apprenticeship programme with 15 years of full-time study.
•    20 points for a Bachelor’s degree with 14 years of full-time study.
•    20 points for a two-year diploma, apprentice programme and vocational training with a minimum of 14 years of full-time study.

The Canada visa requires at least two years of business experience and net assets of C$300,000 or more. Candidates are expected to take over one-third of the assets of a business for at least one year, which should generate at least one job for a Canadian national, excluding any Canadian relatives of the visa applicant.

Of course, some countries will be more stringent than others. The UK immigration laws are among the strictest in the world, but the US is now seen as one of the most difficult destinations when it comes to obtaining an immigration visa. Many travellers have now chosen to emigrate from their country of origin to Canada instead, as although there is still a thorough visa application procedure the requirements are not as demanding as with the US. Partly as a result of the visa application process, Canada is now one of the more popular destinations for people wishing to move abroad.

For an Australia visa, it can be relatively easy to enter the country on a working visa for up to one year, but long-term immigration visas are harder to come by and require you to be a highly skilled worker. However, there is a demand for trades people in Australia and this is another option to consider when applying for Australian immigration.

South Africa has recently become another popular destination for people wanting to work and live abroad. A South Africa visa will have a similar application procedure to Australia, but the rules are quite stringent when it comes to providing evidence of a clean criminal record and the availability of finance to cover you for at least your first few months in the country.

Once you have decided on the visa you wish to apply for, you will then be asked to provide documents and evidence to back up your application. For example, if you are applying for an H-1 Visa (as a skilled migrant worker) you will need to produce a detailed report of your career achievements and qualifications.

When you have gathered all the necessary documents for your application, you will then be requested to apply for an interview at the US Embassy. This is when you will provide the documentation supporting your application and also be questioned on what you plan to do in the US, where you will live and your reasons for applying for an immigration visa. There is also a fee for applying for a US visa, so it is worth contacting the US Embassy for the latest rates. Once you have completed your interview it will take an average of four to eight weeks to receive a decision, depending on the type of visa you have applied for.

It is also a budding country in terms of the economic power it possesses and the value it can add to the life of anyone moving there. Canadian Immigration is currently screaming out for a whole host of highly skilled workers who are interested in securing permanent residency in Canada.

For many people, however, a short visit to see what the country has to offer is more than enough. One or two weeks holiday will be enough to provide a fascinating insight into the country, which may later develop into a desire to return on a more permanent basis.

If you are thinking of going to Canada for a break any time soon then there will obviously be paperwork to be completed and visas to obtain. Canadian Immigration has a whole list of countries whose residents must apply for a Temporary Residents Visa if they wish to pay the country a visit.

Fortunately, the United Kingdom is not on this list, but a British citizen looking to stay in Canada for longer than three weeks and possibly carry out some short-term work, will need to apply for a Working Holiday Visa. These can be processed in London and are valid for a period of one calendar year.

As with moving to any other country to live, there are immigration laws and rules that must be followed before you can move into a great new house or flat. The immigration bureau for Australia is willing to help and many of the applications, directions and requirements are available online. If you are intimidated by confusing forms or have a lack of knowledge about the process, you may want to hire a service to take care of the work for you.

These companies can assist with visas as well as all the paperwork needed for the newly landed immigrant, allowing you to avoid costly legal fees. There are also options regarding job searches.

As with the obtaining of a visa, the acceptance of an immigration application is based on a test. The test uses a point system, with each area receiving a certain amount of points. For example, if you have worked in Australia previously in a skilled occupation, you could qualify for 60 points. A certain age gains points, as does speaking one of a list of languages.

Like many countries, Canada has a migration bureau that administers a test for its immigrants. One thing that is different about Canada is that a non-Canadian will never be considered a resident. The best status a foreigner can have is “landed immigrant”.

Housing in Canada is plentiful. Housing is much cheaper than in the U.K., even in urban areas like Toronto and Ottawa. Many immigrants have stated that they’ve sold their homes in the U.K. and used only a small portion of the proceeds to buy an even better home. The country has socialised medicine and many other programmes similar to what you are used to in the U.K.

Work in Canada is also plentiful. Those with specialised skills are especially in demand and have a very good chance of getting a lucrative post. Good jobs plus a thriving economy create an average salary of about USD$35,000, which makes the economical living even more affordable.

Canada is also a Nirvana for sports fans and outdoor athletes. With teams like the Maple Leafs, Blue Jays, Canadians and the Senators, residents never run out of events to attend. There is also every kind of outdoor sport imaginable.