Nationals of Australia, Canada and New Zealand may continue to apply throughout 2010 unless advised at a later date.

The date of application is the date that the fee associated with the application is paid. This means the date shown on  the payment receipt, which depends on how the student paid for his / her visa application, for example, at a British diplomatic mission overseas, visa application centre or online.  Applicants wishing to apply with a visa letter must ensure that an appointment to make a payment is made before the 22nd February 2010.

• North India - New Delhi, Jalandhar and Chandigarh
• Bangladesh - Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittagong
• Nepal - Kathmandu

The card provides a simple way of confirming the holder's nationality, identity and immigration status in the UK. It shows whether they have the right to work or study legitimately under the UK's points-based system for immigration, and helps them to access public services.

The changes do not affect the settled population, foreign nationals who are seeking to settle here, or applicants in other immigration categories (who continue to receive a vignette in their passport when they extend their stay).

Regarding the Tier 1 (General) route for highly skilled workers, the MAC's recommendations include:

• the salary multipliers, which are used to convert previous earnings outside the UK into a UK equivalent, should be rapidly and thoroughly reviewed;
• migrants with a bachelor's degree but no master's degree should be allowed to come to the UK under Tier 1 (General), if their previous earnings are high enough;
• professional qualifications (in law and accountancy, for example) should be considered as equal to a master's degree;
• the pay thresholds should be substantially increased, with no points for previous annual earnings below £24,000;
• migrants with previous annual earnings of at least £150,000 should not need to meet the educational qualification requirements;
• applicants should receive points for their age if they are 39 or under; and
• successful applicants should initially be allowed to come to the UK for two years, rather than three as at present, with a three-year extension later if they are in highly skilled employment.

The MAC says the Tier 1 (Post-study work) route - for migrants who want to work in the UK after completing a course of study here - should continue, as it brings economic benefits to the UK. But it recommends that the government should consider whether all courses and all institutions should continue to be treated the same.

The government will announce whether it accepts the recommendations in early 2010.

The purpose of these checks is to verify that the individual entering the United Kingdom is the same person who gave their biometrics when they applied for their visa, entry clearance or ICFN.

This change will apply to advertising campaigns that start on or after 14 December. Employers that have already run advertisements will not need to re-advertise to meet the new requirement.

To provide flexibility to employers, the four weeks will not need to run continuously. This will mean that employers will be able to advertise skilled jobs for shorter periods initially, for example for two weeks. This ensures that where resident workers are available, they can quickly be recruited to skilled jobs.

Where there are no suitable resident workers available, the resident labour market must be tested for a further two weeks, making four weeks in total, before employers can appoint a migrant worker.

These proposals are the next step in building on the rapid progress the Government has made in tightening up Britain's border controls.

Over the past three years the United Kingdom has seen the introduction of e-Borders to check individuals in and out of the country and the implementation of the points-based system which ensures that only those who benefit the economy can come here to work.

In order to bring together the essential changes that have already taken place, the government is proposing a new bill to bring forward a new legal framework to simplify and consolidate 40 years of immigration laws. This will make the system more transparent than ever before.

The new, temporary, time-limited, permission will be given for a particular purpose to visit, work or study and is subject to conditions such as access to work or public funds. Permanent residents will be given permission without any time limit or conditions attached.

The draft bill also proposes a new streamlined power of expulsion replacing the current powers of deportation and removal. Individuals who are issued with an expulsion order will be required to leave the United Kingdom and will not be able to re-enter while the order is in force.

A tough new menu of conditions is proposed for those on immigration bail, including restrictions on residence, work or study; access to public funds; and reporting and electronic monitoring.