Immigration newsletter 20 Apr 2005

The past week has seen several countries take steps to improve their ability to attract the best and brightest immigrants to their workforce.

Canada has been the most recent. On 18 April, the Canadian government announced measures aimed at attracting more international students to their workforce. The first initiative will allow university students to work off-campus while studying, so that they can experience the Canadian labor market. The second will allow students to work for two years, rather than one year, upon graduation.

At the same time, Australia has opened its doors to more skilled migrants. The country hopes to attract an additional 20,000 in 2005-06. Also in Australia, starting in November 2005 Working Holiday Makers will be allowed to work for up to two years.

Meanwhile, we continue to monitor the immigration issue in the UK in light of the upcoming elections, which could have a great impact on would-be future migrants. Most recently, we bring you a comparison of candidate parties' views and proposals on migration.