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A new bill has been introduced by Australian Immigration minister Scott Morrison which aims to strengthen the character test system, which has not changed since 1999.
The changes, if approved, would give the government more power to refuse or cancel visas for non-citizens on character grounds. As long as there was reasonable suspicion that a person was involved in criminal activities, that would be sufficient grounds to refuse a visa.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Leader of the Conservative Party says he wants to to restrict immigration from the EU. However, there is uncertainty on how this could be done. Free movement of Labour is an important principle of the EU.
The proposed changes are a reaction to the UKIP victory in a recent by-election, where Douglas Carswell, a former Conservative MP, became the first UKIP MP elected to Parliament. The Conservative Party now worries that more voters could swing to UKIP in the upcoming general election, which will be held in May 2015.
According to a recent report, Fair Work inspectors are now checking the immigration status of employees. An amendment to the Migration Act passed in 2013, makes it an offence for Australian employers to employ a person who does not have work rights in Australia. It is very important that employers carry out the necessary checks to find out whether employees have the right to work in Australia.
An Arab activist faces deportation from the US, after failing to tell immigration officers about a conviction relating to a fatal terrorist bombing in Jerusalem in 1969, which killed two people.
Rasmeih Odeh, associate director of the Arab American Action Network launched an appeal, which was dismissed by the federal judge in Chicago last week. She is charged with immigration fraud.
Asian migrants are driving a resurgence in immigration to the US, with the largest increase in newcomers since before the recession.
High numbers of Chinese students and skilled workers from India are now moving to the US, with the cap on H-1B visa applications being reached in less than a week this year.
Hispanic immigration is also increasing, after slowing down in the past few years due to lack of job opportunities, especially in construction. Many Hispanic workers returned home during this period.
The annual US Diversity Immigrant Visa program's (DV-2016) application period started on 1st October.
Also known as the 'Green Card Lottery,' introduced in 1990, main purpose is to increase immigration to the US from countries with traditionally low immigration rates. 50,000 applicants are selected at random by computer.
Green Card is the popular terms for a lawful permanent residence visa in the US. Other types of 'green cards' include the EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 employment based immigrant visas and green cards based on marriage to an US citizen or permanent resident.