Immigration newsletter 19 Sep 2007

The Australian Citizenship Amendment Bill of 2007 passed in the Australian Parliament last week. From 01 October, people seeking Australian citizenship are required to take a test, which includes a basic grasp of English and a knowledge of Australian culture and history. 20 questions are randomly chosen from a possible 200, and there is no limit to the number of times that the test can be taken before passing it. Special arrangements will be made for those with low levels of literacy and other special needs.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship has published research showing that immigrants who have been in Australia for longer than 18 months experience lower unemployment rates and higher wages. The survey also shows a correlation between higher English language test scores and better employment. 

Skilled immigrants have an employment rate of 97% after 18 months, and family-stream immigrants have 94% employment. The median wage for Australia is AUD $47,000. Migrants living in regional and low-growth areas have 99% employment rates and salaries over AUD $50,000.

Australia and Canada have formalized a longstanding Working Holiday visa agreement with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on 10 September in Canberra. The program allows thousands of young Australians and Canadians to work while taking an extended holiday in each others' country. 

Australians can stay in Canada and work for up to two years under the agreement. Quotas for the visa are no longer in effect. Canadians can get a one year Working Holiday Maker for Australia, which can be extended for a second year if they complete three months of seasonal work during their first year. 

Canada last week announced a test project to expand the Off-Campus Work Permit program. Intended to be introduced in all provinces eventually, it allows students from select private educational institutions to obtain off-campus work permits while in the country under a student visa. Previous to this program, students could only work on-campus at the institution they were attending. 

The first province announced is Alberta, where the program will be available only for those programs and institutions that offer degrees recognized or authorized in Alberta. Previously, only international students attending public universities could apply.

Immigrants living in Canada for less than five years have had the most difficulty integrating into the labor market, according to the most recent Labour Force Survey study from Statistics Canada. However, the study showed that the longer immigrants stay in Canada, the better they fared in the labor market. 

The national unemployment rate for recent immigrants was 11.5% in 2006, which dropped to 7.9% for immigrants who had been in-country for longer than 5 years. Different areas of Canada had varying unemployment rates for recent immigrants. Alberta, for example, had an unemployment rate of 5.8% for immigrants during 2006.

The European Commission is calling for Canada to lift travel visa requirements for all of the new member states that joined in 2004 and 2007. The EU is asking that at least one of the eight East European Member States have its visa requirements removed this year, and that all remaining EU nations have their visa requirements eliminated by the first half of 2008. 

The Canadian government insists that its decisions are based upon the assessment of each country's circumstances and not upon reciprocity. Canadians enjoy full visa-waiver rights to the entire European Union. Cross-border travel between the United States and Canada is also a very important consideration for which countries are allowed visa waivers into Canada.

The European Union's Justice Commissioner, Franco Frattini, told immigration ministers for the EU at a conference in Portugal that the EU should "stop erecting barriers" and "build legal and safe pathways" for immigrants from Asia and Africa to come and work on the continent. 

He said that 85% of unskilled labor goes to the EU and only 5% to the United States, but that 55% of skilled labor goes to the U.S. while only 5% of skilled immigrants come to the EU. He is calling to "reverse these figures with a new vision." He is challenging the EU to create policies that will allow millions of extra workers of all abilities to fill labor shortages and strengthen the EU economy.