Immigration news

The recriminations have begun after the Republicans lost the US presidential election. The party must decide how to respond after losing an election that most commentators say it should have won. This is of importance to President Obama's Democrats too, and in particular to the President's chances of reforming the US's immigration system.

Before the election, President Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney agreed that the American immigration system did not work. Mr Romney said it was 'broken'. Both agreed that there should be more skilled immigration and both agreed that there should be action on illegal immigration.

The New Zealand government's statistical service, Statistics New Zealand, has released figures that show that, in the year to the end of September, there was a net population fall of 3,300 caused by migration.

Much of the loss can be explained by the continuing trend for native New Zealanders to emigrate, usually to Australia. In the year to September 2012, 53,700 New Zealanders left for Australia. Over the same period, 14,200 people travelled to New Zealand from Australia intending to stay not as visitors but as residents. Of these, most were New Zealand citizens returning from a spell abroad.

The inspector general of the United States' Justice Department has issued a critical report about US federal immigration courts. Michael E. Horowitz says that the courts are allowing the backlog of cases in the system to grow. He also says that, despite a rise in the number of judges, the number of cases dealt with each year is falling.

Mr Horowitz released details of his highly critical report on Thursday 1st November 2012. He said that he found it difficult even to say quite why the system was performing so badly because the courts' record-keeping was so poor.

Jason Kenney, the Canadian immigration minister, has announced that Canada intends to grant visas to 35,000 parents and grandparents of immigrants in 2013. This is the same number as were granted visas in 2012 and, Mr Kenney told reporters in Mississauga, Ontario on November 5th 2012, it is the highest number for 20 years. Mr Kenney said that this figure is 60% higher than the number for 2010.

The US presidential election is over and President Barack Obama will serve a second term as president of the United States. Exit polls show that he owes that victory in the popular vote to Latino voters. Latino pressure groups are demanding that the President keeps his promise to reform US immigration law in the first year of his second term.

There is a great opportunity for skilled tradespeople and professionals from the UK and India and indeed other Countries to emigrate to New South Wales, the most populous state in Australia. It is also the state with the biggest economy. There are three to four times more jobs advertised in New South Wales than in any other state. The unemployment rate in the state is very low and salaries are 10 to 15% higher than elsewhere in the country.

The quality of life in New South Wales is considered by many to be the best in Australia. The climate is sub-tropical and not as hot as it is further north.