Border fully open two months early from 11:59pm 31 July Significantly simplified immigration processes that provide faster processing for businesses New Green List that includes over 85 hard to fill roles created to attract and retain high-skilled workers to fill skill shortages Green List will provide streamlined and prioritised pathway to residency incentivising high skilled healthcare, engineers, trade and tech sector workers to relocate to New Zealand long term Visa extensions for around 20,000 migrants already in New Zealand to ensure skilled workers stay in country New sector specific agreements, to help industries transition from a reliance on low-wage, low…

The report, named ‘Migrants in the Australian workforce’, said that about one in five international students, and half of all skilled temporary visa-holders, have historically transitioned to permanent visas.However, the report found that while the number of international students on temporary visas has grown significantly in the past decade, the number of permanent visas has not.Highlights:Temporary migrants make up seven per cent of the Australian workforceGrattan Institute report says migrants who stay in Australia are more likely to work full-time compared to the Australian populationDespite greater levels of education and experience, recent migrants earn less today than they did a decade…

We now have an unprecedented 30,000 unsuccessful asylum seekers living in the community, mainly working on farms. Image: iStock Under the Morrison Government we have seen the biggest wave of asylum seeker applications in Australia ever – at over 100,000. Coming by air it is almost twice as big as the fourth wave under the Rudd/Gillard Governments. A new Parliament, and possibly a new Government, offers an opportunity for policy renewal, including in immigration policy. Beyond its border protection mantra, over the last nine years the Coalition Government has implemented a hotch potch of immigration policy changes that offer little…

The government’s proposed plan to cap student numbers would “turn back the clock on social mobility” and prove “counterproductive” as the country seeks to increase the number of adults with high-level skills, Universities UK (UUK) has warned. UUK represents 140 institutions – most in England, where the proposed reforms would impact – and today published its response to a government consultation on sweeping higher education reforms, which closed on Friday, 6 May. UUK said it opposed a student number cap, arguing the UK already faced a growing graduate skills gap predicted to grow to over 15% by 2030. Graduate shortages…

A recent spike in student applications from Nepal comes with a risk of students being left in immigration limbo, writes Dr Abul Rizvi. OVER THE LAST 30 years, overseas students have been the key driver of immigration levels. As we move from negative net migration in 2021 to a forecasted long-term net migration of 235,000 per annum by 2024 (see Chart 1), it will be overseas students who will largely determine if this is delivered. But how this is delivered is just as important as the level of immigration. (Source: ABS Migration, 2021 Budget Paper No. 3)The student contribution to…

The migration and mobility partnership is a “success” of talks in Berlin on top of agreements that cover sustainable development and ​​climate protection, German chancellor Olaf Scholz said. “We can use the great potential of migration and skilled workers to our mutual advantage. It is the first agreement of this kind for our country,” he said. “I am confident that the Comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement between India and Germany will facilitate movement between the two countries,” prime minister Narendra Modi agreed, adding that recent free trade agreements with UAE and Australia were signed “in a very short time”. “The agreement between India…

In a year marred by the lingering impact of the pandemic, the student ombudsman told universities in England and Wales to pay a record amount of compensation to disaffected students.  Data released by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) shows that it instructed universities to pay a record £1.3 million in compensation, a 27% rise on 2020’s figure of £742,132.  The largest single payout to a student recommended by the OIA last year totalled £68,000. Sixty-three students received more than £5,000 each. The ombudsman received 2,763 complaints, a 6% rise from last year, setting a new…

According to Canadian media reports the Government of British Columbia has commenced legal action to seize assets from immigration consultant Vipan Datta, his wife, Ritu, consultant Kuldeep Kaur and her husband, Harnek Singh Pannu, because they have been used in “unlawful activities.” The BC Government alleges that Datta and Kaur are “the operating minds” behind three companies – Far East Consultants, CEC Immigration Services, and Canadian Education and Career Services (CECS). Web content published by CECS states that it provides “student recruitment for Canadian colleges and universities.” The asset forfeiture action follows a 2018 investigation by the Canada Border Services…

Short on time? Here are the highlights: New rules around dual and joint degrees will make it easier for Indian students to go on exchange to foreign institutions to receive course credits and receive degrees bearing the names of the Indian and foreign institution The new regulations are meant to usher in a new era of foreign partnerships and to attract foreign students to study in India Institutions must meet high eligibility standards in order to participate and those institutions will no longer need the approval of India’s regulatory body the UGC to pursue foreign university partnerships Indian students are…