1. New Zealand to simplify visa process for entertainment industry migrants

    October 7, 2011 by oe-admin

    New Zealand’s Government has announced changes to the visa entry process for temporary screen, entertainment and music industry workers.

    In a statement released today, New Zealand Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman said the changes will provide ‘a simpler, more streamlined system’.

    Currently all work visa applications are subject to ‘silent approval’ by relevant unions and industry guilds.

    ‘In the past two years there have been 14 applications disputed by unions or guilds out of 4800 applications for screen industry work, and the Government has ultimately granted visas in all those cases’, Dr Coleman said.

    ‘The existing policy is out-dated. It’s been in place for 20 years and the entertainment industry has grown hugely over that time’, he added.

    Under the new system, referrals to these bodies are not required for entertainment workers seeking a New Zealand visa for 14 days or less.

    Furthermore, applicants for temporary work visas of greater than 14 days now have the option of applying directly through their employer, rather than having their case referred to a third party industry group.

    ‘In short, we are removing a redundant, bureaucratic process which only served to make New Zealand a less attractive place for the screen and entertainment industry to do business’, the Minister said.

    The Government has also announced that in the case of enterring the country for ‘significant music, arts or cultural festivals’, performers will now be eligible for entry on visitor visas.

    The changes will take affect in March 2012.

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  2. Australian 457 visas proving popular

    by oe-admin

    The number of 457 visas being granted has reached a peak since 2008. The 457 temporary visa allows employers to sponsor overseas workers to fill nominated positions. It remains the most popular business sponsorship pathway for overseas workers.

    The mining and construction sectors are providing the largest segment of applications at around 20%, much of this due to the boom in these sectors in Western Australia – mining and construction jobs in WA have seen double the number of visa applicants recently.

    Both industries have also doubled in Queensland, and with more contracts in the pipelines industry, these numbers are expected to increase.

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  3. Canada looks to migrants to drive the economy forward

    by oe-admin

    The Canadian Government views immigration as a key factor in building strength in the economy following the recession, and it is looking at deregulation of the Temporary Foreign Worker program.

    Canadian Immigration, Federal Citizenship and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenny has told the news media that while the Canadian economy has emerged from the global recession with relative strength, immigration is now needed to further economic growth.

    Speaking at a Chamber of Commerce meeting in Camrose, Alberta last week, Mr Kenny argued for a change to the status quo in Canadian immigration.

    ‘For a couple of generations Canadians have been deciding to have fewer kids than we need to grow or maintain our population, which means ultimately fewer workers and fewer taxpayers to pay for benefits, health care and pensions for our growing number of retired folk…This is where immigration comes in’, he said.

    Mr Kenny emphasised the potential role of the Temporary Foreign Worker program in driving economic growth filling gaps in the labour market and explained the Government’s reasoning behind limiting the program over recent years.

    ‘In 2009 when we had the recession, because unemployment was going up and a significant number of Canadians were being laid off, the Government wanted to be sure that we weren’t extending foreign workers into an economy where Canadians were going to need those jobs.

    ‘That’s why they tightened up to the one-year Labour Market Option (LMO). Now that things are moving and unemployment is going down and the labour market is getting tighter, we recognise that there’s a need to relax these rules’, he said.

    The Minister acknowledged the bureaucratic hassles and ‘red tape’ often encountered by applicants for Canadian visas and employers attempting to bring foreigners to Canada under the Temporary Foreign Workers scheme.

    In response to these problems, Kenny indicated that his department will seek to streamline its visa application process and move case files to an electronic – and thereby more accessible – system.

    A consultation will be held between the Government and Canadian public over the next month on general immigration issues.

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