Trade Recognition Australia has issued the following advice regarding processing of Australian TRA trade skills applications:

Visa applications for short-term business trips increased to over 120,000 in the last quarter of 2011, according to recent figures.

Speaking on the matter recently, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said, ‘For too long the story of immigration to Canada has been summed up by the frustration of the highly trained professional who arrived with the expectation of being able to work at his or her skill level’.

As further evidence of the growing skills shortage in Western Australia, the WA Shearing Industry Association has called for the 457 visa programme to be expanded to allow migrant workers to fill the labour gap and help with seasonal demand.

The New Zealand Immigration Authority has awarded a Wellington based technology company a NZ$80 million (£42 million) contract for a new system allowing the authority to speed up visa applications as well as integrate more advanced technology, such as biotmetric data.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.