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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently released its International Migration Outlook Report for 2013. The report contains subsidiary reports on all the 34 countries that make up the OECD including Canada.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently released its International Migration Outlook Report for 2013. The report contains subsidiary reports on all the 34 countries that make up the OECD including New Zealand.
New Zealand is one of the most isolated nations on earth. It is situated in the south-western Pacific Ocean. It is one of the smaller OECD countries with a population of 4.405m. It has sought to encourage immigration in recent years in large part because many native born New Zealanders leave the country as young people and do not return.
The acting head of the UK's visa and immigration services has appeared before a committee of MPs in Westminster to answer questions about her progress in improving the UK's visa and immigration systems. Sarah Rapson was made acting head of the newly formed UK Visas and Immigration Directorate (UKVID) in April 2013.
During an hour-long appearance before the Home Affairs Committee on 11th June 2013, Ms Rapson was questioned at length about backlogs in UKVID's systems, in particular in asylum cases and in the processing of visas.
Representatives of many of the most famous tech firms in the US have lobbied Congress and urged it to pass the comprehensive immigration reform bill that they will vote on this summer.
Over the last few weeks, representatives of Microsoft, Texas Instruments, Intel, Adobe, Broadcom, Motorola have held meetings with members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In order for the bill to become law, both houses of Congress will have to vote for it with 60% of votes in favour. The tech firms are trying to persuade as many senators and representatives as possible to vote for reform.
There are fears that the immigration reform bill currently being considered by the US Congress could damage the US's J-1 visa which promotes cultural exchange working by allowing young people from around the world to work in the US in a variety of jobs. Many J-1 visas go to young people working in summer camps as sports coaches or counsellors.
An academic at one of the UK's leading universities has issued a report that the UK's new citizenship test, which was introduced in March 2013, is 'unfit for purpose'. Dr Thom Brooks, who teaches history at Durham University, said that the new test requires those who take it to know 'trivial facts' that 'many citizens born and bred in the UK would struggle to know'.