Though the global financial crisis seems to be easing, other side-effects of the crisis are still causing problems like job losses. The number of unemployed is now forcing some hot immigration destinations like the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada to adopt much tighter policies.

As one of the biggest sources of migrants, China is among the hardest hit. The number of Chinese immigrants worldwide reached 35 million up to 2008. Most of them, around 27 million, have moved to other Asian countries, 6 million to the Americas, a million to Europe, and the rest, one million to Australia and the African continent. However, the tighter policies are making moving abroad much harder.

This year has seen frequent changes in immigration policy all over the world.

The United Kingdom is among the first to introduce a visa and immigration cap. The decision receives wide welcome when it is proposed.

UK's new policy will cut the annual number of immigrants from 200 thousand to around 10 thousand. The number of skilled non-EU workers allowed to move to the UK each year will be no more than 22 thousand. Visas issued under the new "exceptional talent" route will reduced from 13 thousand to one thousand. The tight new measure will be officially implemented in April 2011. Officials say, students visa may also be tightened in the future, with those who want to go to high school or follow lower degrees finding it impossible to get a visa.

Canada also suspended its investment immigration applications in June. It's introduced a doubling of requirements for foreign investors seeking to base themselves in Canada. From Wednesday, foreign investors must have personal net worth of at least 1.6 million US dollars and make an investment of nearly 800 thousand US dollars to apply for the "maple" card.

Singapore and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have also raised their immigration requirements. Singapore wants its foreign investors to have at least 30 million Singapore dollars and invest between 1 million to 2.5 million Singapore dollars. Hong Kong SAR has increased the gross investment level from 6.5 million to 10 million Hong Kong dollars, and real estate investment has been eliminated from the category.

The United States is the only country which is still open. The 500 thousand US dollar investment figure remains unchanged. However, experts predict the current US immigration law due to mature in 2012 may be brought forward to 2011.

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