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Immigration news

Opposition politicians and immigration activists criticised the UK's Home Secretary on 8th August 2013 after she used her powers to redact or censor a report by the country's Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, John Vine.

The shadow immigration minister, Chris Bryant, asked 'what possible reason can there be for redacting elements of a report by a highly-respected independent inspector?' and concluded 'this is a cover-up to hide her own failings.

The Western Australian territorial government has announced that it is to charge 457 visa holders a fee of AUS$4,000 per year for every child educated in government-funded schools. The government hopes to raise $120m over four years by introducing the charge.

The Western Australian state government treasurer, Troy Buswell, said that the fee was necessary because the numbers of such children has risen sharply. Mr Buswell said that there were 290 children of 457 visa workers in publicly funded schools in 2005. By 2013, this figure had risen to 8,600; a 29-fold increase.

A UK official has warned Pakistani students to avoid unscrupulous immigration advisors. Mandy Ivemy, the Regional Manager for Visas and Immigration gave a press conference at the British Deputy High Commission in Karachi on 7th August 2013 during which she answered questions about applications for Tier 4 student visas.

US IT workers are suing Indian software giant Infosys over alleged abuse of two US visas; the H-1B 'specialty occupation' visa and the B-1 business visa. It is also accused of discrimination against workers who are not from South Asia.

Brenda Koehler, a software engineer from Wisconsin has lodged a lawsuit in the US District Court in Eastern Wisconsin on behalf of herself and other US IT workers after she was refused a job working for Infosys.

The foreign minister of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has announced that his country will introduce a new visa class for refugees deported from Australia under a new treaty between the two countries.

Mr Rimbink Pato says that the PNG government will introduce legislation which would allow asylum seekers permanent resident status and citizenship.

Congressmen and women have gone home for the summer recess while Congress is closed in August. President Obama had hoped that Congress would, by now, have passed an immigration reform bill but there is still no new law.

The President promised to make immigration reform a priority in his second term. The White House has since thrown its weight behind a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would