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The US Senate will try again within weeks to break the deadlock on immigration reform, the leader of Senate business says. Bill Frist was speaking after huge demonstrations on May 1 illustrated immigrants' demands for more liberal policies.

The French parliament is set to discuss the approval of a new immigration bill which would make it harder for foreigners to work in France .

Public concern looms as the New Zealand government wants to modernize and simplify the legislation to establish a fair and fast decision-making process to protect the country's interests.

There is currently less demand for medical doctors in UK's National Health Service due to an increase of doctors trained locally and cash shortages in the NHS. Estimates show the lack of funds could be as high as one billion pounds.

The European Commission has declared 2006 to be the European Year for Workers' Mobility. The EU's stated position is that the freedom of movement between EU countries is a workers fundamental right.

Currently a seven-year transitional period is in progress. During this time free movement of individuals from eight of the new EU nations may have greater restrictions than the mobility enjoyed by workers from original EU-15 countries. The transition was planned in three phases, the second of which began on the first of May this year.

By declaring 2006 as the European Year for Workers' Mobility, the executive commission for the EU is hoping to encourage expedited easing of host country restrictions. Originally, Ireland, the UK, and Sweden were the only EU Countries with no restrictions. As May first, Finland, Portugal, Greece, and Spain have lifted all restrictions. Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg have now eased their...

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...

Western economies such as Australia, large parts of Europe, Canada and New Zealand are finding that they are attempting to draw from a similar labour pool. In general, competition for highly skilled workers in a variety of industries and professions is increasing.

In particular, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are aggressively recruiting immigrants from around the world to cover shortages in critical skills. Of note, nursing and health care workers, education professionals, engineers, and information technology are in high demand, along with skilled and experienced tradesmen.

New Zealand is currently engaged in the most comprehensive review of their immigration laws in 20 years. The Immigration Act of 1987 has been amended several times over the years, but is now intended to be replaced by legislation that will be drafted this year.

Due to public participation, the citizen comment period was just extended until June 30th of...

U.S. immigration reform continues to be one of the biggest immigration stories at this time. Sparked by Mexican border issue and statistics revealing an estimated 13 million illegal residents in the US , the topic quickly became an election-year issue. While rhetoric and debate is strong right now, there will be far-reaching changes in US immigration law as a result. The intense fight in the US Congress will eventually yield a compromise bill that will be sent to the White House shortly. There are many important changes proposed. It is likely that the number of H-1B visas will be increased. The Senate proposes a new annual cap of 115,000 (increased from the current 66,000) with selected specialists in target skill areas being exempt from the cap. This may result in an estimated increase of up to 20% beyond the final cap decided upon. The current...