Topical:
In his first ever interview with the French media, Donald Trump has waded into the European Union's immigration debate, declaring that immigration could signal the 'end of Europe.' Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for the US Presidency, is infamous for his views on US immigration.
The Australian government has extended the country's Seasonal Worker Visa Program (subclass 416) to include cattle, sheep, grain, and mixed industries. The announcement to extend the programme comes in the midst of a severe labour shortage across Australia's agricultural sector.
The Seasonal Worker Visa Program helps Australian employers, unable to find enough local workers to meet seasonal labour needs, to recruit from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste.
Donald Trump, the billionaire real estate tycoon and frontrunner for the Republican nomination for the US Presidency, continues to make headlines for his extreme views on US immigration policy. His campaign has involved numerous attacks both on Muslims and Mexicans. This is despite needing illegal immigrant Mexicans to work at Trump construction sites and needing financial support from rich muslims. He has even criticized Pope Francis' visit to Mexico last week saying that 'he [the Pope] doesn't understand the Mexico-US immigration situation.'
The Australian government has resisted calls to scrap the so-called 'backpacker tax', which is set to come into force in July 2016. Despite strong opposition from Australian farmers and tourism bodies, the government will press ahead with the scheme, which will see travellers who hold working holiday visas taxed 32.5 cents on every Australian dollar earned.
Having had its Tier 4 visa sponsorship licence to recruit international students revoked the fate of the London School of Business and Finance's (LSBF) Tier 2 Visa sponsorship licence to employ overseas workers from outside the EU remains unknown. After losing its Tier 4 visa sponsorship licence, hundreds of international students who now have to leave the UK are demanding their money back.
In order to stay in Britain for longer than six years under the Tier 2 visa scheme, non-European nationals working in the UK probably need to apply for indefinite leave to remain. To apply for permanent residence they will soon need to earn at least £35,000 annually (AUS$72,000 per year.) New visa rules affecting Tier 2 visa holders are being implemented beginning in April 2016, which will affect workers from outside the European Economic Area. Alongside Americans and Indians, Australians receive the most British work visas.