1. Rise in Working Holiday Visas

    January 27, 2012 by oe-admin

    In a recent report issued by the Australian Department of immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), figures show that there is a growth in the numper of people applying for a working holiday visa.

    DIAC figures reveal an overall annual growth of 8.3% in the Australian Working Holiday visa scheme, with 162,980 visa applicants approved, an increase of 10,000 visa grants over the previous year.

    Of the total number of working holiday visa applications granted, the UK represented 21% of the total, followed by south Korea, Irelend and Germany.

    Category: Australian Immigration NewsComments (0)

  2. New Zealand immigration department set for upgrade

    by oe-admin

    The New Zealand Immigration Deptartment’s IT system is set to receive a major upgrade, with the aim of helping to attract skilled migrants, reduce processing times and increase security.

    Service of the new Immigration Global Management System (IGMS) begins this year.

    The new system will help speed up the processing of visa applications and allow applicants to do more online. Some of the changes will include biometric capability, enhancing identity management and improving security.

    New Zealand visa applicants will be given an individual immigration ‘account’ into which they can enter their personal information and keep track of their visa application progress.

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  3. Would-be expats warned of Australian recruitment scams

    by oe-admin

    People hoping to emigrate to Australia are being warned of fraudulent recruiters offering a foot in the door of the mining industry.

    Australia’s resources boom has led to a serious skills shortage, particularly in Queensland and Western Australia, but experts say that jobhunters should be wary of agencies claiming they can find them employment in the sector.

    On Tuesday, Stirling Hinchliffe, Queensland’s minister for employment, skills and mining, issued a statement denouncing the “shonky businesses” exploiting vunerable people, usually in exchange for a hefty fee.

    ‘We’re hearing about a number of businesses who are overstating the level of assistance they are able to offer jobseekers’, he said.

    ‘These operations – usually set up online or at suburban shopping centres – offer, for a considerable fee, to include the jobseeker’s resume on an exclusive recruitment database that they claim is used by resources companies. As far as we can tell, the database is fictitious and we have no evidence to suggest that these companies have links to resources companies or their recruiters.’

    Emigration advisors say that people outside Australia who want to relocate Down Under are particularly likely to fall victim to such scams, which often promise they will also lodge the application for a visa.
    By Leah Hyslop
    Article courtesy of The Telegraph

    Category: Australian Immigration NewsComments (0)

  4. More Brits opting to remain in Australia

    January 18, 2012 by oe-admin

    According to a new Lloyds TSB survey, up to 800,000 British expats have decided against any plan to return to the UK, with the summer riots and the UK’s economic downturn being cited as contributing factors in their decision to remain abroad.

    A year before, 56% of respondents indicated they had no plans to return to the UK, but in the latest survey, this number had risen to 67%.

    Respondents said that improved financial prospects and better quality of life were the main factors driving expats’ decision to remain overseas.

    Despite the higher exchange rate, 64% of those interviewed felt that they were financially better off living abroad, with only 25% believing that the cost of living was higher.

    Category: Australian Immigration NewsComments (0)

  5. Australia ranked second best place in the world to live

    by oe-admin

    Australia has been ranked as the second best place in the world to live, according to a Quality of Life Index published by the United Nations. The UN published its Human Development Index recently and, like the year before, Australia was ranked second for quality of life based on social and economic development, health, education and living standards.

    Norway was ranked first and New Zealand was ranked fifth. The UK came in at 28th on the index.

    Category: Australian Immigration NewsComments (0)

  6. New Zealand gets top marks for work-life balance

    by oe-admin

    An annual quality of life survey for HSBC shows that New Zealand scores highest of 31 assessed countries for expats’ improved work-life balance.

    Expats living in New Zealand said that they had experienced the greatest improvement in their work-life balance and said that they had integrated quickly with their communities.

    New Zealand was also rated as the easiest in which to organise finances, power and other utilities, and it also ranked highly for its education and healthcare.

    Category: New Zealand Immigration NewsComments (0)

  7. 103 year old grandmother emigrates to New Zealand

    by oe-admin

    A great-grandmother from the UK travelled over 11,000 miles to start a new life in Auckland.

    Louise Sydes, 103, from Kent, made the decision after her nursing home was closed due to budget cuts.

    Sydes was orgininally denied a long-term NZ visa and was instead offered a visitor’s visa lasting six months; however, her daughter, based in Auckland, approached New Zealand Immigration Minister Jonathon Coleman directly, who asked for Sydes’s passport to be delivered to him.

    When it was returned, a three year visa was attached. Sydes said that she is looking forward to lots of nature walks and dining on the lamb.

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  8. Canada urged to target euro migrants

    by oe-admin

    Most of Europe’s dismal financial situation combined with its high rates of unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, has led some analysts to urge Canadian immigration authorities to take their pick of the best and brightest Europe has to offer.

    With just a precious few European countries such as Germany, Austria and Holland managing to resist the recession that has gripped the majority of Europe, many countries have been left with high unemployment rates and talented, capable workers desperate for new opportunities.

    Spain has an unemployment rate of 22.9% and Greece, 18.8% according to data from the European Union. Canada has a comparatively low unemployment rate of just 7.5%.

    While these unemployment rates are worrying, the youth unemployment rates of those under 25 in Europe are even more cause for concern: Spain’s youth unemployment rate is an incredible 49.6% while Greece, again the country with the second worst record, is 45.6%.

    Canada has a youth unemployment rate of just 15%.

    Canadian Immigration Minster Jason Kenny has stated that the country intends to take in 250,000 immigrants in 2012, yet despite the outrageous rates of unemployment in Europe, Canada looks set to continue to grant the majority of Canadian visas to immigrants from Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

    Canadian immigration policies have been concentrated on diversification since the 1960s when efforts were made to encourage a greater number of ethnicities and nationalities to Canada. In 1957, Canada accepted over a quarter of a million European migrants and just over 3,000 from Asia. By the 1970s however, Asian migrants had become the largest source of Canadian migrants, with more than 30,000 migrants than Europe in 1979.

    This policy has continued to the present day with Europeans now representing just 15% of the total number of migrants entering Canada. Migrants from African and the Middle East have also become a significant portion of the total number of migrants with 67,000 Middle Eastern and African migrants entering Canada in 2011.

    However, while European migrations rates remain so restricted, some commentators have claimed that Canada is not taking advantage of the opportunity to recruit some of Europe’s frustrated and desperate unemployed workforce, many of whom and young, well educated and English or French speaking.

    Category: Canadian Immigration NewsComments (0)

  9. Canada to increase migrant intake in 2012

    December 5, 2011 by oe-admin

    The Canadian Government has said it will boost the number of skilled visas in its 2012 migration intake, coinciding with the release of a research paper pushing for more skilled labour in the Canadian economy.

    Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has indicated the government will change its approach to immigration intake in 2012, opting for a greater focus on skilled migration.

    Mr Kenney told the Canadian Parliament of his department’s intention to admit between 55,000 and 57,000 skilled workers in 2012, an increase of 8-10,000 from the current figure of 47,000.

    “The government’s number one priority remains the economy,” Kenney said.

    “We recognize the importance of immigration to our labour market and we value the contributions of skilled immigrants who add to our international competitiveness.

    “We are committed to facilitating the arrival of the best and the brightest to our country.”

    In October, Kenney flagged the government’s intention to keep the overall migration figure at 250,000 entrants per year. The government has not deviating from this pledge, suggesting that the increase in skilled migration will be at the direct expense of prospective migrants taking other Canadian visa paths.

    The decision to increase the skilled migration intake has been supported by a paper released by the Institute for Research on Public Policy, a non-partisan Quebec-based think-tank.

    The research paper said that Canada needs to focus more directly on importing skilled labour if it is to remain globally competitive.

    “Canada cannot afford to be complacent in seeking to attract and retain skilled workers,” the report states.

    It also found that skilled migrants receive much higher wages upon entry to Canada and “easily made the most contribution to the country’s labour market”, relative to other migrant types.

    The report also recommended reform of the visa application process, with particular mention of amending processing wait times, the current points system and the recognition of foreign qualifications.

    Category: Canadian Immigration NewsComments (0)

  10. WA looking to migrants to fill skills gap

    by oe-admin

    Four out of five companies in Western Australia plan to hire migrants to help fill skills gaps.

    According to a report by KPMG, 61% of employers said that they had been affected by a shortfall in skilled labour.

    The number of temporary 457 visa holders in WA rose by 85% in July this year, compared with the same period in the previous year.

    The increase in skilled migration has drawn some criticism, with concern about a culture developing in which employers turn to 457 visa workers rather than training their own workers, but many see great benefits from skilled migration.

    The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) advised the Australian Government’s employment taskforce recently that it feels skilled workers boost the resources sector with their valuable skills and experience.

    Category: Australian Immigration NewsComments (0)