Immigration newsletter 17 May 2006

Announced 09 May as a Budget Media Release, the Working Holiday Makers (WHM) program will offer new temporary work and study opportunities. 

Under the current program, people may stay for twelve months and work for three months with any single employer, although they may work for other employers. From July this year this will now be extended to allow work for the same employer for up to six months. WHM holders will also be allowed to study in Australia for four months instead of the current three months. Working holiday makers employed for three months in the primary skill industries may apply to renew their WHM visa for a second year. This allows Australian employers to retain trained staff for longer periods of time to recoup their investment. 

The Australian Government is also making it easier for students to work in Australia. Foreign students graduating from Australian universities with a tertiary degree will be able to apply immediately for a 18-month work visa. Some foreign students graduating from non Australian Universities in targeted high-value skill areas will also be able to work in Australia on a temporary visa.

Under further legislation introduced to the Australian Parliament on 11 May, 2006, all unauthorized boat arrivals will be processed off-shore. The Government will attempt to change the Migration Act through the Migration Amendment Bill of 2006. It is designed to eliminate the distinction between unauthorised boat arrivals at any offshore location and those who actually reach the mainland 

Unauthorized boat arrivals have been discouraged and reduced by enforcement in recent years. The government considers this an opportunity to welcome legitimate refugees from camps throughout the world, many of whom have been waiting for years for resettlement. At the same time, this bill is viewed as helping to discourage human smuggling in the region. 

Off-shore processing centres in a country outside Australia will be used to evaluate any claims regarding refugee protection status. People found to be refugees will remain offshore for resettlement to a third country.

Border control continues to be a hot topic in the United States and, with a speech by President Bush on Monday night, it is now top news in the U.S. 

The Congress has indicated that it wished to pass several immigration reform initiatives in the next few weeks. The reasoning and the details of these reforms are complex, but the issue is seen as a popular subject for the impending elections. 

Bush rejected calls for amnesty of illegal immigrants, while calling for both a temporary guest worker program and a "path toward citizenship" for eligible undocumented workers who "pay their dues" for illegal entry. 

Much more controversial is the strengthening of the U.S.-Mexican border. Proposed are the use of 6,000 National Guard troops and the construction of about 850 miles of wall to try to seal the 2000 mile border. Use of the military for domestic purposes and the expense of the proposals are stirring intense debate.

In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke on Friday, May 12, detailing a commitment by the Canadian federal government to make it easier for parents to obtain Canadian citizenship for children adopted from overseas. 

Legislation was introduced on Monday 15 May to amend the Citizenship Act, expediting the citizenship of foreign-born children adopted by Canadian citizens. 

The Permanent Residence Fee was reduced earlier this year from $975 to $490 Canadian dollars and applies to immigrants granted permanent resident status under all social, humanitarian and economic classes on or after May 3, 2006.

Several hundred million dollars in additional settlement assistance for new immigrants is budgeted over the next two years. It will address assessment and recognition of foreign credentials and is to support various social services targeted for recent immigrants.

The over-all goal is to attract skilled workers and provide training required to enhance adjustment to a new country. The successful Provincial Nomination Program, in place since 1998, has continued to enjoy support and revision up through May this year to expedite work and student visas. 

At the beginning of May, related activity to encourage immigration to Canada now allows foreign students attending Canadian universities to apply for a work permit in addition to their student visas. Allowing students to work off-campus is seen as a way to assist students in paying for their studies, while encouraging them to acclimate to the Canadian culture and participate in the Canadian economy after graduation.