While most of the countries are having a hard time emerging out of recession, it is believed that Australia is on top while recovering from the same. Individuals who cannot find a decent job in their home countries are suggested that it’s time for them to pack up and ship out to Australia as the work sector in Australia is now out of recession and there are plenty of jobs being created every day. In late September this year a certain numbers of Jobs were expected to be created in October but to the surprise of many individuals  a lot more jobs were created than expected, which proved that Australian economy was proving out to be a developing economic force. While moving to Australia has remained a successful destination among many immigration seekers but while undergoing recession people have thought it more clearly. The facts suggest that about 24,500 people were employed in Australia in the month of October alone.
Australian statistics released recently has shown on balance positive news for the Australian economy, with the country performing better than expected and in the top three countries in the world. Australia was expected to lose 10,000 jobs in October but the Australian economy actually managed to add 24,500, neutralising the impact of the slightly higher unemployment rate across the country. Australia’s current unemployment rate is 5.8 per cent, up from 5.7 per cent, but the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported that Australia’s unemployment rate has stabilised and will not reach the peak of 6.75 per cent forecast in this month’s mid-year budget review instead touching just 6.3 per cent next year before turning down.  The result show the Australian economy is performing better than any Western country, other than Norway and Switzerland, with unemployment in Britain predicted to peak at 10 per cent. The figures suggest that the employment ratio of the Australian economy is an indication for a way to recovery in global contexts since UK is still stuck with recession. The Australian figures of employement in the month of October are not only surprising but are better than expected. In fact, the employment figures have led the world’s economists to predict that Australia may increase its interest rates to 3.75 per cent in December after having become the first G20 economy to increase rates since the beginning of the global recession, when it did so in October. Immigrating to Australia for skilled immigration or for study purpose is particularly very attractive for many graduates from around the globe.

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admin Immigration Immigration, Immigration to Australia

Modifications in the Quebec Skilled Worker Program will let the province to greet additional immigrants. The fresh selection system for Quebec Skilled Workers will make it easier for a number of applicants to meet the criteria. On July 2009 there were reports highlighting that the province of Quebec which handles its own immigration program as part of an agreement with the Canadian Federal government, would be making certain changes to the Quebec Skilled Worker program.  On October 14th changes to the Quebec immigration programme were announced and implemented and the new criteria could make it very easy for some applicants to qualify for immigration to Quebec province. According to the new changes, the most significant change reduces the overall selection pass mark from 59 to 55 for a single applicant and from 68 to 63 for a couple.  There are various new measures now like the breakdown of points awarded for education has been amended to recognize more types of diplomas than under the previous system. Undergraduate diplomas attesting to 1 or 2 years of university education and more vocational and technical diplomas are now considered. Applicants with certain educational backgrounds will not only benefit from more points, but will also qualify for priority processing. The more encouraging weighting of the education and age criteria could make it easier for some applicants, who did not meet the criteria under the previous system, to become entitled to immigrate to Canada in the Quebec Skilled Worker category.
Apart from that, in addition, the “Areas of Training” criterion, which awards bonus points to applicants with certain educational or training backgrounds, has been changed to reflect the current needs of Quebec’s economy and labour market. The breakdown of points awarded for an applicant’s age has also been adjusted, so that it declines less rapidly after the age of 35 than under the previous system. After the implementation of giving Education and Age criteria so much of importance in a more favourable kind of way it can make it easier for some applicants that do not qualify under the previous system can now become eligible to immigrate to Canada under the Quebec Skilled Worker Category.
People who make a successful application to obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) can later submit their application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada office for various checks like medical and security checks for the issuance of a Canadian PR visa. The new rules had been in operation since October 14 and all the applications that are being received now are now assessed under this new system of follow up. For many reasons Quebec is the best choice if one wishes to immigrate to Canada.

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After the new priority processing arrangements have been made by the Australian government on September 24th, many applicants who had applied to Australia for immigration have protested in numerous ways. The new rules were not only unjust and unfair but it holds back the visa applicants for a time period of 3 years. Late last week an online petition was taken out by some applicants who had been waiting for their visas since past year. This whole issue has not only raised concerns among certain organisations but it has also made some Australian authorities worrying. The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) has written to the Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship expressing their concerns about the priority processing of General Skilled Migration applications.

The visa applicants were writing to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for a refund of their application fees since many of the applicants do not wish to wait for next 2 to 3 years for a visa. Despite the call for a refund of visa costs to those who face a wait of up to three years before their Australia visa will be processed the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Senator Evans has dismissed the idea. Speaking about the opposition and call for a refund of visa fees, the Minister said Australia Immigration would continue taking applications, although the entire system including the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) was under review.
Pointing out the Minister’s quotes, MIA stated that the new visa processing regime creates numerous serious problems including damage to Australia’s reputation, additional costs related to the wait to the Australia visa application, and the difficulty for employment for applicants on bridging visas. The MIA further said there was a potential risk to Australia’s reputation with thousands of people having paid Australia visa application charges, with the reasonable expectation that the applications would be finalised within published service standard times, waiting indefinite lengths of time for a decision on their applications. The outcome could be drastic as people would start protesting. The MIA has suggested that the Department should refund fees for applicants who now wish to withdraw their application,  and that it is particularly important to give priority processing exemptions to those applications which were about to be finalised just before the changes were announced. Nevertheless the proposals made by The MIA are well received by the protesting applicants whose applications for immigration to Australia under certain categories are now put on hold by the Australian Immigration department.

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admin Immigration Immigration, Immigration to Australia

According to a recent survey the BBC claims that number of students coming to the UK to study on UK visas has risen drastically in last couple of years. After the introduction of the UK points based system the number of individuals going to UK on student visas from India and Bangladesh has increased sharply. However the previous statements made by the UK Border Agency assured that the number of students coming to UK from abroad was roughly the same as last year but BBC later discovered that the number of students has actually tripled for certain countries as compared to last year. Between June and August 2008, some 6,771 UK student visas were granted by the British High Commission in Mumbai, New Delhi and Dhaka. However, during the same period in 2009 – after the points based system had been introduced for people applying for UK visas – some 19,950 student visas were issued by the same Indian and Bangladeshi offices.

UK’s points based system was introduced in order to increase the control over people moving to the UK from outside the EU. The criteria for student visa for UK are stricter and many great opportunities are there for the government to monitor students once they have entered the UK with increased security checks. The figures subsequently obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act show there has been a sharp increase in the number of student visas granted in India and Bangladesh – two of the biggest centres for non-EU student visa applications.
On the other hand the government says it has cracked down on bogus colleges, and that the number of institutions able to bring students into the UK from outside the European Union has been halved since the introduction of the new points-based immigration system. In a statement, Mr Oppenheim told the Donal MacIntyre programme: “The UK Border Agency has 74 visa-issuing posts worldwide, so three cities should not be taken as representative of a global trend. The points-based system is designed to be flexible. It enables us to regularly check and monitor all student applications and colleges to ensure that they meet the required standards, and take action where necessary.”

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On 23rd of September the new Priority Processing procedures were put forth in practice by the Australian Immigration authorities. The new procedures not only are applicable to those who would apply with a fresh application but are also applicable to those who had applied earlier too. Because of the new priority processing arrangements, people who had applied earlier and were waiting for a response from the immigration department were put on hold till 2011-2012. Frustrated by the sudden, unfair and unexpected move by DIAC (Department of Immigration and Citizenship) to have changed the processing policies overnight many visa applicants who had applied for a visa have now set up an online petition to protest against such ‘extremely unfair practices’ by the Australian authorities. As per the new rules the Australia immigration department announced a new list of processing priorities for the General Skilled Migration program affected both unallocated applications and Australia visa applications already allocated to case officers and in the process of being finalised. The new visa processing priorities were announced unexpectedly and suddenly and were put into immediate effect by the Australian government due to which many visa applicants are now facing abrupt changes of their plans.
Frank Claassen’s, publisher of the petition, said: “We feel the implementation of these changes to applications already in the process of being finalized to be an extremely unfair practice and respectfully ask the department to reconsider this decision. We ask that DIAC apply fair practice and not penalize applications already in the process of being finalized.”  It is a call that many immigration specialists and government commentators have considered unlikely to be headed given current economic pressures.  As per the Australian government’s plans to review and announce the new MODL (Migration Occupation in Demand List) is expected to have extensive changes to the immigration system to Australia and it is expected to shed some light on the new pathways for Australian immigration.
The petition is available online on http://www.gopetition.com/online/31230.html and the Senator for Australian Immigration, Chris Evans had been informed about the same. All of the applicants who feel strongly against the same cause are expected to sign the online petition and the same would be forwarded to the Senator. The Petition outlines the unfair and sudden changes made by the Australian authorities and a strong opposition for the same. Please follow the link and sign the petition to make your disagreement against the new rules heard by the Australian Government.  The petition is available on – http://www.gopetition.com/online/31230.html

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admin Immigration Immigration, Immigration to Australia

Gordon Brown, The British Prime Minister, in a recent article revealed his plans to tighten the UK’s immigration rules by reducing the number of professions which can recruit from outside Europe and also limit the number of immigrants coming to Britain on student visas. He revealed his plans that doctors and other professionals from outside Europe would be prevented from taking up jobs in the country in a crackdown on immigration. Brown said immigration had been a source of “economic, social and cultural strength for Britain,” but he understood concerns about the impact of a rising population on employment, wages and the cost of housing. “I know people worry about whether immigration undermines their wages and the job prospects of their children and they also worry about whether they will get a decent home for their families,” he said. “They want to be assured that the system is tough and fair. They want to be assured that newcomers to the country will accept their responsibilities… obey all the laws, speaking English is important, making a contribution.”

Addressing the media on the problems arising because of increase in Immigration the Prime Minister said, “The case for managed and controlled immigration was not an issue for many political parties but the emphasis is on the right way of British immigration. Brown has made many reforms after holding the office as a prime minister and the new laws introduced by him are better as per the global trend. Further Mr. Brown promised to tighten the ‘labour market test’ which generally allows employers to recruit skilled workers from outside Britain for a job which would now allow the skilled immigrant to take up the job only in case there is no settled worker that fits for the same. The new test would obligate that the job should be advertised for a month before any immigrant from outside could be recruited. In future as per the prime minister, government sanctioned training schemes would be created to ensure that the unskilled job seekers in Britain could prepare for the jobs in severely shortage job categories like Catering, Supply Teaching or some skilled Medical and Engineering jobs. A review of student visa is also announced that would consider the case for raising the minimum level of course for which students can apply. Under the points system, all employers and colleges will be expected to obtain a license to act as a sponsor for each immigrant and ensure they are following the rules. Brown said a round of inspections of colleges approved to sponsor student applications had seen the list of such institutions cut by more than half – from 4,000 to 1,800 – as well as the temporary shutting down of applications for student visas from parts of China where there had been evidence of abuse.
He stressed the need for a fundamental restatement of what Britain expects of those who aspire to become citizens, as well as strengthening the idea of what it means to be British. “If the main effect of immigration on your life is to make it easier to find a plumber, or when you see doctors and nurses from overseas in your local hospital, you are likely to think more about the benefits of migration than the possible costs. But people want to be assured that newcomers will accept the responsibilities as well as the rights that come with living here – obeying the law, speaking English, and making a contribution. So if people ask me: ‘Do I get it?’ Yes I get it.”
The prime minister said those who wanted to stay in Britain would have to prove their commitment after five years of being in the country by a probation system, which included a clean criminal record. “The changes I have set out today – the new points-based system on entry, and the proposed points-based system for citizenship – amount to far more than a different mechanism for handling immigration,” Brown said.

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A research made in Australia regarding immigration outlines that Australia would face a potential skills shortfall if steps are not taken to increase workforce participation. According to the report by the Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce, Australia will have a skills shortage, and will require 1.4 million additional workers by 2025. Australia is expected to see strong population growth, figures based on the continuation of high birth and net migration rates, but the report paper warns the ageing population will mean a decline in workforce growth which will exacerbate labour shortages. “The prominence of demographic change and skill shortages has recently been overtaken by the economic downturn of the last 12 months. With unemployment increasing over that period, it would be easy to assume we no longer have a labour or skills shortage problem. However, skills shortages still exist in many industries, and the reality of Australia’s ageing workforce means we face a structural deficit of workers over the next 15 years”,  the paper says.
The report indicates that under current trends and government policies, the nations participation rate (The percentage of Australia’s working-age population that is employed or seeking employment) would fall from 65.2 to 61.8 by 2025. Based on their findings, the organisation has recommended a number of measures, including removing barriers to work for older people, and boosting skilled immigration intake. Providing further information, one of the reporters of a famous Australian newspaper, Darin Ritchie said “To meet moderate levels of labour-demand growth, Australia’s participation rate would need to be 68 per cent. To address this workforce deficit, Australia needs to raise the average retirement age, increase the workforce participation of disadvantaged groups, increase migration, or offset labour demand through productivity growth.”

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admin Immigration Immigration, Immigration to Australia

Trade courses now hold a ticket to Australia as trade occupations like Plumbing, Carpentry or Masonry are quite popular for helping a student take permanent residency (PR) in Oz land. There were times when an MBA or courses in beauty industry from Australian educational institution were more than popular to fetch a dream job and also a PR in Australia. If Sajan John, Director of Melbourne based Ind Aus Business  Links, is to be believed then in the present times a student who completes an MBA also has to struggle to get a PR in Australia. He said, “There is a huge shortage of technically qualified manpower in the fields of painting, carpentry, brick laying (mason), plumbing and electricians. Not only would one get a PR after a two-year course in any of these disciplines but also get a handsome monthly income.”
Mr. John further elaborated that following the huge media publicity on the attacks against Indian students in Australia, the waiting period to get a student’s visa has gone up from one month to two. Prior to a student visa being issued by the Australian Embassy in India, most of the students are called for a personal interview.  John came to India early this month and is conducting a series of seminars across the state and in Chennai for prospective students immigrating to Australia for studies.  He stated, “Nursing is still in demand but my advice to prospective nurses looking to immigrate to Australia is not to be duped by agents. We have seen a good number of cases of nurses, who arrive there to do a course in community welfare, which they are told is an easy way to get a job as a nurse. But at the end of the day they end up nowhere,” said John.
Speaking about the tuition fees and courses charges in Australia John said, “The total tuition fee for a two-year course in either a university or any of the various colleges in any technical areas would be in the range of Australian $18,000-22,000 ($16,700-20,430)”.  According to John, living expenses would range around Australian $1,000 a month and this can be recovered by working 20 hours a week. “After the course those who start working can earn around Australian $40 an hour in these trades. This is huge money but surprisingly from the various seminars I have conducted here the demand from students here is still for MBA and for nursing careers. The minimum eligibility for students aspiring for a higher education in these technical trades is Class XII and a score of 5.5 in International English Language Testing System (IELTS) ,” said John.

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admin Immigration Immigration, Immigration to Australia

With ageing population and impending labour problem, this year Canada is accepting the highest ever number of immigrants from across the globe. With the introduction of fast track immigration, the entire procedure had grown simpler for the immigrants, who could seek immigration under different categories of skilled worker category, federal investor category and Quebec investor category.
The Canadian government had implemented major changes to ease the influx of talented and hard working immigrants to fill shortage in its labour market, therefore, applicants falling under Canada’s 38 priority occupation list (POL) and Australia’s critical skill list (CSL) were processed on the fast track system and the aspiring candidates got decision within a short span of 6-12 months. Now businessmen could easily make it to their dream destination as permanent residents under the Canadian Federal Investor Programme and Quebec Investor Programme without worrying about clearing IELTS.
With just two years business experience and having net worth equivalent to CDN 8,00,000, the businessmen qualify for this opportunity enabling their entire family to immigrate.

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admin Immigration Immigration, Immigration to Canada

Vetassess, the Australian assessment body, just announced that they are going to implement a new policy from 01st January 2010 for the assessment of all people who are applying to immigration to Australia. The changes made by the assessment body would be applicable for General Professional Occupations and not applicable to the Trade Occupations. Vetassess is responsible for many occupation assessments some of which are:

−    Office Manager (ASCO) 3291-11
−    Urban and Regional Planner (ASCO) 2523-11
−    Property Manager (ASCO) 3293-13
−    Construction Project Manager (ASCO) 1191-11
−    Financial Investment Advisor (ASCO) 3213-11

Currently, VETASSES only demand that an applicant have a qualification ‘comparable to the Australian standard’ in order to receive a positive assessment, with no criteria set regarding the qualification content or work experience. However, in order to receive a positive skills assessment through Vetassess from 1 January 2010, applicants will now need to have:

−    A qualification that is in a ‘highly relevant field of study’ to the nominated occupation;
−    Between 1 year and 3 years (depending on occupation) of ‘relevant employment’ to your nominated occupation

This clearly sets the bar higher for Vetassess applicants, demanding that they present far more evidence demonstrating their experience and study as it directly correlates to their nominated occupation. The changes have the potential to affect anyone in a general professional occupation who is looking to be assessed under Vetassess, but especially those who lack the necessary qualification or work experience to be positively assessed in their nominated occupation under the new rulings.  As per the Vetassess statement made after the changes have been announced, “DIAC will continue to accept all VETASSESS Skill Assessments from both the old and new system provided that your nominated occupation remains on the Skilled Occupation List and VETASSESS is the designated assessing authority for that occupation.  However, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship may ask you to have a current VETASSESS assessment if there is a significant gap between the date of assessment and the date of applying for your visa.”

A number of immigration pathways have been tightened due to restrictions implemented by both the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and the various Australian states and territories. As a result, some migrants could find that without the ability to receive a positive skills assessment from VETASSESS in a specific nominated occupation, they will lack any route to Australia. According to VETASSESS if you lodge a complete application before 31 December, you will be assessed under the current rules (with the further recommendation that applicants ensure to send their applications no later than 18 December, in order for VETASSESS to receive the application in time). However, if anything is missing from your application, then it is likely you will be assessed under the new criteria. Even if you feel confident that you will qualify under the new criteria, it would still be preferable to be assessed under the current familiar criteria and be in the best position possible to avoid any potential hurdles to your immigration to Australia

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