Immigration news

More and more Indians are studying in Australia. This represents a significant resurgence in demand for student places after two years of declining student immigration levels. Declining student numbers over the past few years caused serious problems for Australian universities many of whom are very dependent on overseas student fee income.

During the first six months of 2011, the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), recorded a 21 percent rise in student visa applications from India.

According to Ruth Dyson, New Zealand Labour Party spokesperson on immigration, New Zealand is in dire need of more skilled immigration. There are skills shortages in many areas of the New Zealand economy. Immigration is good for the New Zealand economy. Government research suggests that even at existing immigration levels there will be a gain of $28 billion to the New Zealand economy by 2021.

Dyson feels that Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman's stance on immigration is detrimental to the Kiwi economy.

Australia implemented major changes to its General Skilled Migration program on 1 July 2011. The pass mark for various visa subclasses is now 65 points. The age limit has also been raised from 45 years of age to 50.

There is likely to be a twenty-four hour strike by The Public and Commercial Services union starting in the evening of Wednesday 29 June until the evening of Thursday 30 June. A number of UK Border Agency staff in the UK will not be working during this time.

During this twenty-four hour period there may be additional delays at border control. Individual ports, airports and international rail terminals will be affected. UKBA says that they have plans in place to reduce the impact of the strikes.

Writers and artists are banding together to criticise changes to the UK points based immigration scheme which make it more difficult for writers, composers, and artists from outside the EU to come to Britain.

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, 120 writers and artists called the points based system "inappropriate for short-term visits by artists".

Germany is facing increased skills shortages. Germany is looking abroad for highly skilled immigrants to fill vacancies in skilled occupations.

New proposals endorsed by the German cabinet will exempt mechanical and electrical engineers, automobile builders, and medical professionals from rules which allow German firms to hire overseas workers from outside the EU only after they have gone to a great deal of trouble to show that they cannot find suitable candidates who already have the right to work in Germany.