Australia and New Zealand Immigration News

More people are leaving Australia to pursue opportunities overseas, despite a surge in the number migrating down under.

2007 will be another bumper year for IT job hunters in Wellington, New Zealand, with recruiters all predicting strong demand for IT skills.

The skill shortage will continue to hit employers, especially in roles such as business analysts, Java developers and test analysts, recruiters say. Project managers and .Net skills will also be in demand.

In a reshuffling of Australian parliament, Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone didn't make the cut. Her former department will also receive a name change.

According to Prime Minister John Howard, Vanstone is "a very colourful person who has worked very hard in a very committed fashion in various portfolios that she's held. She's made a wonderful contribution to government."

Migrants coming to Australia will be required to take a citizenship test when applying to live in the country. A staple for preparing for this test is a booklet titled 'A Guide to Australian Life', based on a similar UK booklet.

New Zealand's Department of Labour has released a report, "Migration Trends 2005/06," detailing immigration statistics from the previous year. The report is produced annually to provide information about trends in temporary and permanent migration to New Zealand.

Stefan Nystrom, a 33 year old man who lived most of his life in Australia was deported recently to Sweden, where his mother was spending a holiday when he was born. He spent less than the first month of his life there.