Australia and New Zealand Immigration News

A new $6.8bn road contract could attract thousands of overseas workers to Australia.

A job advert has already been posted for an immigration adviser to process 457-visas, suggesting that a large number of overseas nationals will be recruited to help with the Australian road project.

The Australian Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) have said that visa reforms may be necessary in order to attract more Chinese tourists.

The latest figures show that the number of Chinese visitors to Australia has risen by 2.9% since last year. However in the same period the increase in visitors to the US was 23%, and for Canada it was 30%, so it's clear that Australia is now lagging behind.

A new bill has been introduced by Australian Immigration minister Scott Morrison which aims to strengthen the character test system, which has not changed since 1999.

The changes, if approved, would give the government more power to refuse or cancel visas for non-citizens on character grounds. As long as there was reasonable suspicion that a person was involved in criminal activities, that would be sufficient grounds to refuse a visa.

According to a recent report, Fair Work inspectors are now checking the immigration status of employees. An amendment to the Migration Act passed in 2013, makes it an offence for Australian employers to employ a person who does not have work rights in Australia. It is very important that employers carry out the necessary checks to find out whether employees have the right to work in Australia.

Proposed changes to the Subclass 457 Visa in Australia could mean that finding a job there will become easier.

A government-commissioned report has criticised the Temporary Skilled Worker visa program for being too complicated for applicants and employers alike.

The Subclass 457 visa allows employers to recruit overseas workers when there are no suitable Australians or permanent residents to fill the position. Since 2013 with the introduction of labour market testing and other changes it has been more difficult the meet the 457 visa requirements.

A new deal has been agreed in Australia between the Palmer United Party and Federal government to allow refugee families to live on mainland Australia.

A new visa has been created called the Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHAV), which is valid for five years. It allows for the visa holder to be sent to regions of Australia that are experiencing labour shortages and also to remote areas of Australia.