Further Hike in Immigration Fees
London:New immigration fees, funding sweeping changes to border security over the next 12 months, have today been announced by the Government.The announcement comes just weeks before the introduction of a new points based system (PBS) for managing migration. The system will help ensure only workers with the skills to benefit Britain's economy come to the UK and put in place a licensing system for businesses who want to recruit from overseas. These new measures will help ensure people play by the rules.

"We believe that it is fair that those who benefit most from using our immigration system should help fund it,said Immigration Minister Liam Byrne ."We welcome the contribution that legal migrants make to the economy and cultural life in the UK and we have ensured that these fees, which will usher in the biggest reforms to the immigration system in a generation, are at levels that will not damage our international competitiveness,he said. "We are confident that we are not out of line with other countries' prices and that the people we want to come here will not be deterred from doing so" he added.
Regulations for the following immigration fees have been laid in Parliament:

• tier 1 of PBS - (general highly skilled workers) in-country applications;
• tier 2 of PBS - sponsor licence applications for employers;
• certain entry clearance and transit visas outside the PBS rules; and
• certificates of entitlement to right of abode in the UK.

The fees are part of a challenging programme of reform to the immigration system the Government has committed to over the next 12 months, which include the introduction of on-the-spot fines for employers who don't make the right right-to-work checks, the introduction of a single border force with police-like powers for frontline staff, and compulsory ID cards for those foreign nationals who want to stay.

The Government has already achieved its first milestone by completing the global roll out of fingerprint checks on anyone who applies for a visa to come to the UK.Taken together all these measures make-up the biggest shake-up of the immigration system in its history. They allow the UK to continue to reap the benefits of migration, while also preventing abuse of the system.

NRI Doctors in UK often face racial abuse
The report published by British Medical Association (BMA) shows that one in three doctors in Britain has been victim of such attacks in clinics. In the last six months alone, the BMA research reported that there were two horrific cases of violence towards doctors in the Glasgow area. In November, a patient in his consulting room beat up a general practitioner and, in August, another general practitioner was stabbed by a patient in her practice.

In December, Arun Rai, 49, who graduated from Ranchi University, was hospitalised after being assaulted by a patient during an examination in his clinic in Glasgow, prompting other medical staff to carry personal alarm systems at all times. "Violence is not always physical in nature, but is more frequently verbal. There is no clear evidence that ethnic minority doctors are more liable to suffer from such abuse, but certainly racial language is still heard in various circumstances”, report said.

Around 600 doctors from across Great Britain responded to the BMA survey on their experiences of violence in the workplace in the past year. A third had experienced some form of violence - including threats and verbal abuse - and one in ten had been physically attacked, including being stabbed, kicked, punched, bitten and spat at. Of these, one in three received minor injuries, and one in 20 was seriously injured. More than half (52 per cent) of doctors who suffered violence did not report the incident.

The most frequently stated reason for workplace violence was dissatisfaction with the service, including frustration with waiting times and refusal to prescribe medication. This has doubled as a cause of violence since 2003, when the BMA last conducted the survey.
Other findings from the research include:

Half of doctors say that violence in the workplace is a problem.

-More than half had witnessed violence against other staff, such as nurses and receptionists.

-Female doctors are more likely to experience violence in the workplace than males (37 per cent compared to 27 per cent).

Junior doctors are the most likely to experience violence, followed by GPs.

Almost two thirds of psychiatrists report that violence in their workplace is a problem, compared with a fifth of surgeons.

Most doctors have not received any training in dealing with violent patients.

One in ten doctors has access to a secure facility in which to treat violent patients.

The Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, currently progressing through the parliament, contains proposals to tackle nuisance behaviour on NHS hospital premises. The BMA is seeking an amendment to the bill so that general practitioner premises are also covered.