Australia Immigration

Australia’s migration programme will be maintained at 190,000 places in 2013 to 2014 to help fill skills shortages and reunite Australian families, it has been announced. Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Brendan O’Connor said that the country’s permanent migration programme is about getting a balance between economic and social objectives. ‘The government’s top priority will [...]

The Australian government has announced new measures to support the country’s diverse multicultural communities. A $15 million investment will be given to local communities to embrace the benefits of multiculturalism and maintain cohesive and socially inclusive neighbourhoods. Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Kate Lundy said that the measures reaffirm the government’s commitment to multiculturalism. ‘They will [...]

While the general press is very often full of financial news, economic data and many other reasons why expats are moving to countries such as Australia, the fact is that one of the more popular reasons is still good old-fashioned love. We are hearing more and more stories of people meeting up on holidays, study [...]

Restrictions are needed on the number of overseas workers a company in Australia can nominate for employment because it is too easy to employ hundreds of workers without justification, it is claimed. The reasons are set out in detail in a discussion paper prepared by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for the Ministerial [...]

Australia’s 457 visas and other skilled migration programmes play a small but critical role in meeting the resource industry’s workforce requirements and should be off limits to politically charged rhetoric and poll driven policy making, it is claimed. In its submission to the Senate Standing Committee Inquiry, the Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA) hits [...]