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| 2009 |
October |
RAPID GROWTH IN POPULATION - A
RECENT report, by the Australian Treasury Department, on Australia's
predicted population growth created a mixed reaction from the public
and political figures. The report forecast that increasing migration
and fertility rates will push Australia's population to 35 million by
2049 - around seven million more than previous estimates released just
two years ago. more...
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September |
6,000 NEW JOBS FOR NORTH WA - THE
largest resource project in Australia's history took one more step
towards becoming a reality with Chinese PetroChina signing a AU$50
billion deal to buy 2.25 million tonnes of liquified natural gas a year
from the Gorgon gas field off the North Western Australian coast. more...
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August |
A BETTER WAY TO MIGRATE - I
AM often asked what is the best avenue to look at for a permanent visa
under the present economic climate. The best visa in my opinion, is via
the State and Territory sponsored option. more...
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July |
PROGRAMME IN CRISIS - THE
present direction that the migration programme architects are taking
appears to be leading a crisis that could take years to resolve. That
is my considered opinion having been closely involved in the migration
profession for over nineteen years. more...
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June |
VISA NUMBERS CUT IN BUDGET - WHEN
the Government of the day hands down the Federal Budget it generally
includes details of the forthcoming years Migration Programme, and this
years' Budget announcement has been no different. more...
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May |
TIME TO PLAN FOR BIG MOVE - THE
most important message for those interested in migrating to Australia
is that the door is still open. Over the last few months we have seen
the migration programme change in respect to size, and those
occupations that were in high demand. more...
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April |
SKILLED VISA NUMBERS CUT - LAST
month I foreshadowed that there would be a reduction to the intake of
skilled visa applications in the next programme year; my prediction has
come to fruition earlier than expected. With the Minister for
Immigration, Senator Chris Evans announcing that this year's programme
of 133,500 would be cut to 115,000, this equates to a cut of 14 per
cent in ther permanent skilled programme for 2008-09. more...
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March |
HESITATION MAY COST YOU VISA - THERE
are signs that the global economic crisis is beginning to hit
Australia, particularly in the resources sector. But ther overall
effect at the present timeis nowhere near as extreme as it is in the
UK. more...
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February |
PERTH IS TOP FOR MIGRANTS - WHILE
you are trying to keep warm in the middle of your winter months and
wandering what it would be like living under Australian skies, over
23,000 of your fellow Brits devided to take the plunge last year and
actually moved Down Under. more...
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January |
BIG CHANGES FOR SKILLED - THE
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, has
announced that the existing skilled migration programme will change
with effect from January 1, 2009. more...
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| 2008 |
December |
MIGRANT INTAKE HAS PEAKED - DEPARTMENT
of Immigration figures for the last month show a decline in the number
of employers seeking to become sponsors for overseas workers under the
457 temporary skilled workers programme. more...
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November |
AUS TO FACE TRADE CRISIS - IF
WE listen to the economic experts around the world, we are presently in
an ever-deepening recession. There is no question that there is
evidence of that in different countries where credit has dried up and
unemployment is rising. more...
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October |
STILL A NEED FOR MIGRANTS - ONE
would have to be a very brave forecaster to predict the current
economic future for Australia, or any other country, at the present
time when events are occurring so fast. more...
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September |
GUEST WORKER SCHEME TEST - THE
much talked about 'Guest Worker' scheme has been unveiled by the
Australian Government to a mixed reception by the various interest
groups. A similar programme has operated in New Zealand for some years. more...
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August |
MAJOR CHANGES TO SKILLS VISA - THE
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), Senator Chris Evans,
has given the strongest indication to date that there is to be a major
change to the present skilled visa pathways to Australia. more...
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July |
PATHWAY D MAY RETURN - THE
Controversial pathway D, which deals with the trade assessment of those
with on-the-job training looks set to return on August 1, according to
a recent statement by the Migration Institute of Australia. more...
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June |
REVIEW FOR MIGRATION - THE
budget handed down by the Australian Government on May 13 included a
significant increase in numbers for both the skilled and family
migration programme. more...
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May |
SPONSORSHIP IS POPULAR OPTION - THE
number of employer sponsored visas issued to overseas skilled migrants
is at an all time high. The skills shortage in Australia is so severe
in particular occupations that employers have no other option than
trying to find qualified staff overseas. more...
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April |
BOOM TIMES CONTINUE - THERE does not appear to be any end in sight to the economic boom that has been enjoyed by Australia in the last five years. more...
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March |
MORE PLACES FOR SKILLS PROGRAMME - SENATOR
Chris Evans, Australia's Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, has
announced an immediate increase to the skilled migration stream of 6000
places for this programme year ending in June 2008. more...
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February |
NEW MINISTER HAS A LOT OF WORK TO DO - AUSTRALIA'S
New Immigration Minister, Senator Chris Evans, has a few big issues to
deal with during his first few months of office. more...
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January |
VISA SHOCK FOR SOME - AFTER
the changes that came in for the Skilled Visa categories last September
and the sudden changes to on-the-job trade assessments, the Department
of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) have announced another move that
will mean those who were awaiting the final stages of processing, have
been told that they will be unable to move to the visa grant stage. more...
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| 2007 |
December |
CHANGES HURT UK AND AUS - THE
changes made to Australia's migration programme in recent months have
led to a real slowdown in the supply of badly needed trade skills. more...
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November |
ELECTION CHANGES - AUSTRALIANS
will go to the voting polls on November 24 to elect a new Government.
The Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard formally sought approval of the
Governor-General to dissolve the parliament on Sunday, October 14, just
short of his three year term of office. more...
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October
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WORK EXPERIENCE NOT ENOUGH - IN
A move that came completely unannounced, the body that assess the
skills of the majority of overseas tradespeople advised that they no
longer accept applications from those that relied on on-the-job
training for the majority of their experience. more...
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September |
MORE JOBS NOW ON MODL LIST - THE
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and the Minister for
Employment and Workplace Relations made a join announcement in early
August in which more occupations were added to the Migration
Occupations in Demand List (MODL). more...
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August |
NO LOGIC IN SKILL CHANGES - AUSTRALIA
is in the midst of one of the worst post-war skill shortages, with
unemployment levels at their lowest during the same period. more...
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July |
GET READY FOR ENGLISH TEST - THE
changes announced for the new skills visas to Australia that come into
effect on September 1 this year will result in many UK visa seekers
being required to sit an English test regardless of the fact that
English is their native language. more...
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June |
NEW SKILL SUBCLASSES - FROM
September 1 of this year, there will be a new category of visa for
those wishing to migrate to australia under the skilled migration
stream. more...
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May |
CHANGES FOR SKILLS VISA - CHANGES
have been made to the Migration Regulations to allow for the assessment
of overseas skills for purposes of making an application for a visa
under the skills stream to be made in a applicants home country. more...
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April |
REVIEW FOR SKILLED MIGRATION - THE
former Minister for the now Department of Immigration and Citiezenship,
had announced in mid 2006 that the present General Skilled Migration
programme would be reviewed with some significant changes possible for
2007. more...
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March
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RECORD SKILL INTAKE - A
NEW edition of the Department of Immigration's annual publication
Population Flows: Immigration Aspects shows the Australian Government's
2005-06 Migration Programme has the highest skill stream intake on
record. more...
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February |
AUSTRALIA IS STILL A TOP CHOICE - AUSTRALIA
has retained its reputation as a destination of choice for migrants,
with settler arrival numbers continuing to rise. more...
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January |
NEW TEST TO BECOME A CITIZEN - HELPING
migrants to integrate and maximise the opportunities available to them
in Australia is the focus of the new Australian Citizenship test. more...
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| 2006 |
December |
JOBLESS AT 30-YEAR LOW - AUSTRALIA'S
unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since 1976. The latest
labour force figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that
while seasonally adjusted employment fell by 32,100 over the month of
October, the decline was not unexpected, given the exceptionally strong
consecutive monthly increases totalling 253,700 over the previous eight
months. more...
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November |
HEALTH MAIN TEMP SKILLED EMPLOYER - THE health sector has become Australia's main user of temporary skilled migrants - those holding the 457 visa. more...
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October |
MORE JOBS NOW ON MODL LIST - NINE
new professions have been added to the Migration Occupations in Demand
List (MODL) as part of the Australian Government's commitment to
ensuring the Migration Programme meets the skills needs of business and
industry. more...
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September |
MIGRATION PROGRAMME A SUCCESS - AUSTRALIAN
businesses have been able to identify and attract much needed skills
with greater success under the Government's Migration Programme in
2005-06. more...
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August |
POLICY CHANGES ANNOUNCED - A
NEW Skilled Designated Area Sponsored Visa (SDAS) is now available and
previously announced changes for temporary entrants and working holiday
makers have also swung into action. more...
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July |
NEW WEBSITE FOR SKILLED - MATCHMAKING
on the internet has reached another level, with skilled migrants only a
mouse click away from being ready to work for an Australian employer. more...
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June |
SKILL
STREAMS TO STAY AT SAME LEVEL - ON
THE back of a record jump in migration of 20,000 extra places in the
Skill Stream this programme year, the Australian Government will
maintain the Skill Stream at that increased level through 2006-07. more...
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May |
URGENT NEED FOR SKILLED TRADESMEN
- ALL types of skilled tradesmen are urgently needed throughout
Australia and especially in booming Queensland. And most shortages are
expected to last for at least the next 10 years. more...
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April |
HOPE FOR SAME SEX PARTNERS - SAME
sex partners of skilled migrants and students will soon be recognised
by Australia for immigration purposes. "Australian citizens and
permanent residents can currently sponsor same sex partners into
Australia," Minister for Immigration, Amanda Vanstone, has said. more...
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March |
REVIEW OF SKILLED MIGRATION - MEASURES to cut the number of less-skilled technology workers entering Australia are being considered. more...
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February |
IT'S BOOM TIME FOR TEMP JOBS -
TEMPORARY visas that have allowed more than 28,000 skilled workers to
enter Australia over the past five months are vital to the economy and
let employers "try before they buy", Minister for Immigration, Senator
Amanda Vanstone said. more...
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January |
TOUGHER RULES FOR WORK-
THE Federal Government's new laws rewriting the ground rules for
Australian workplaces will take effect early this year after the Senate
passed the most far-reaching changes in a century the Work Choices
legislation. more...
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| 2005 |
December |
MIGRANTS GET WORK FASTER - NEW migrants are entering the Australian labour force faster and in greater numbers than earlier migrants. more...
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November |
RECORD SKILLED MIGRANTS
- A RECORD number of skilled migrants settled in Ausrtralia during
2004-2005, according to the Minister for Immigration, Senator Amanda
Vanstone. more...
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October |
BRITISH MIGRANTS TOP LIST
- MIGRANTS from the UK and Ireland again made up the largest single
source of settlers to Australia, with 13 per cent of total migrants
arriving in the 2002/03 financial year. more...
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September |
SKILLED
MIGRANTS NEEDED - A HIGH-POWERED multi-million
dollar campaign to attract 20,000 skilled migrants will
be held world-wide by the Australian Government. more...
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August |
EASIER
NOW TO EMIGRATE - POTENTIAL migrants will now find
it easier to emigrate, especially if they have the necessary
skills and are prepared to settle and work in a rural area
of Australia. more...
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July |
MIGRANT
SKILLS REVIEW - MIGRANTS may find that their overseas
trade skills qualifications and licences are more easily recognised
in the future after a powerful Parliamentary committee has
reported on the issue. more...
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June |
TAX
CUTS ALL ROUND - MILLIONS of working Australians will
benefit from income tax cuts announced in last month's Federal
Budget, which will pump some $22 billion into the economy. This
is in addition to tax cuts totalling $15 billion last year.
more...
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May |
HUGE
BOOST FOR SKILLED MIGRANTS - SOARING job vacancies
have forced the Australian Government to boost its skilled migrant
intake to a huge 97,500 in the coming 12 months. This will give
an extra 20,000 skilled places. more...
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April |
MIGRATION
SET TO INCREASE - THE AUSTRALIAN Government is confidently
expected to boost the country's immigration intake, especially
of skilled workers, by around 20,000 workers when the new year's
figures to start in July, are released shortly. more...
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March |
CALL
FOR MORE SKILLED MIGRANTS - THE FEDERAL Government
is coming under increasing pressure from various industry groups
and employers to increase the number of skilled migrants it
allows into the country, in the coming 12 months. more...
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February |
BRITISH
MIGRANTS TOP LIST - EMIGRANTS from Britain again topped
the list of nationalities moving to settle in Australia. But
many of them shied away from living in Sydney, which had its
lowest intake of migrants in 20 years. more...
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January |
JOBS
IN DEMAND BOOSTED - MORE professional and trades jobs
have been added to the Department of Immigration's vital Migration
Occupations in Demand List. If your occupation is on this list
and you are offered a job in Australia or if you apply to emigrate
while working at one of these occupations then you can earn
more points towards the pass mark. more...
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| 2004 |
December |
MIGRATION
TO STAY STRONG - AUSTRALIA'S economy is booming along,
with a record 27 low year unemployment figure and a major
shortage of skilled workers in virtually every area of the
country and in every trade and profession. And high migration
levels are not making much impact. more...
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November |
TOUGHER TO SETTLE IN SYDNEY - MAJOR
changes to the migration regulations mean that it is now harder
for potential migrants to settle in the Sydney area, plus the
major New South Wales cities of Newcastle, Woollongong and Gosford.
more...
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October |
MIGRATION
TO STAY STEADY - IMMIGRATION into Australia is expected
to remain steady, at least until next June, no matter which
party wins this month's Federal general election, set down for
October 9. Federal Parliaments are elected for three year terms
in Australia. more...
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September |
PUSH
TO BOOST REGIONS -
THE Australian Government has set aside almost $30 million in
a bid to attract skilled professionals and business people to
the country's major regional area. more...
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August |
AUSTRALIA
ATTRACTS THE SKILLS - AUSTRALIA continues to enjoy
a substantial 'brain gain' from migration, with a new report
showing that the nation's intake of skilled and professional
migrants increased significantly in 2002-03. more...
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July |
MIGRATION
TO REGIONS NOW EASIER - IT IS now easier to obtain
a migration visa for Australia if you are prepared to settle
in a region under a new programme which came into effect on
July 1, which covers virtually the whole of the country. more...
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June |
REGIONAL
VISA FOR SKILLED - A NEW visa to encourage skilled
potential migrants to settle in regional Australia is to be
launched on July 1. It will be a temporary entry visa and be
initially for three years. more...
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May |
SKILLED
MIGRANT BOOST - AUSTRALIA'S skilled migration programme
will be increased by 6000 places in the 12 months from July,
with most of the new migrants directed to regional areas. more...
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April |
NEW
VISA FOR THE REGIONS - THE Australian Government is
introducing a new visa for skilled migrants who are prepared
to live and work in regional Australia. more...
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March |
EASIER
NOW TO SPONSOR -
CHANGES to government migration policy have now made it easier
for people in Australia to sponsor a person under a short stay
business visitor visa. more...
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February |
SKILLED,
RETIREES BOOSTED - SKILLED migrants and retirees have
been given a new deal by the Federal Government, which will
make it easier for them to live in Australia - provided they
are prepared to settle outside Sydney/New South Wales and in
regional areas. more...
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January |
NURSES
TOP DEMAND LIST - NURSES top the list of skilled people
who are in demand in Australia, according to the latest Federal
Government list of occupations in demand. more...
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| 2003 |
December |
TOUGHER RULES FOR VISITORS - IT WILL be harder
than ever for visitors to get into Australia during this holiday
period, with tighter security at airports, on aircraft and
with Immigration and Customs officers more alert at Australia's
main airports. more...
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November |
BUSINESS MIGRANTS NEEDED - AUSTRALIA'S booming
economy has meant that business migrants and most types of workers,
especially health workers and teachers, are in high demand in
all parts of the country. more...
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October |
TOUGHER BUSINESS VISA - Sponsors to pay for
detention - AUSTRALIA has introduced tough new measures to enhance
the integrity of the temporary entry programmes to attract skilled
people, with the sponsor legally liable to pay for the cost
of finding and detaining unlawful visa holders. more...
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September |
TEACHERS,
NURSES NEEDED - THE OUTSIDE world may be in turmoil
but Australia's economy continues to bubble along and shows
no sign of stopping for at least two years, according to most
experts and forecasters. more...
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August |
MIGRANTS
BOOST ECONOMY - THE NUMBER of Skilled migrant visas
issued in a programme year reached an all time high in 2002-03,
when a new record of 66,050 Skill Stream visas were issued in
2002-03. The visas form 61 per cent of the 108,070 total Migration
Programme outcome. more...
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July |
SKILLED
WORKER SHORTAGE - AUSTRALIA may have to increase its
migration intake considerably if it is to overcome a huge shortage
of workers in the next few years, with warnings that it will
run out of skilled workers. more...
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June |
SKILLED MIGRANTS NEEDED - AUSTRALIA'S new immigration
programme is targeting skilled migrants, under 45 years of age,
and changes will take effect from July 1. more...
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May |
SKILLED, FAMILIES WINNERS - A RECORD number
of places for skilled migrants and more places for family members
are the highlights of Australia's new migration intake programme
for the coming 12 months. more...
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April |
MIGRATION
BOOSTS ECONOMY - AN OECD report describing Australia
as a migration country par excellence endorses the government's
approach to migration and border integrity, the Minister for
Immigration, Mr Philip Ruddock said. more...
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March |
FOUR YEAR VISA FOR BUSINESS - BUSINESS migrants
will now be granted a provisional visa for four years in most
cases under new legislation, with two-stage processing. more...
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February |
NEW-LOOK
BUSINESS SCHEME - MAJOR changes have been announced
to the business migration programme, which will mean there will
be only one permanent visa for business applicants. more...
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January |
BOOST
FOR DOCTORS - YOUNG medical students now have a major
incentive to continue their studies at an Australian university
- the Federal Government is offering jobs to overseas-born student
doctors, who are in the country. more...
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