Australia and New Zealand Immigration News

Dow Chemical CEO Andew Liveris says that Australia's manufacturing sector needs more highly skilled migrants; There will need to be changes to the Australian immigration rules to enable more skilled immigrants to stay in the country.

At a job summit on 6 October 2011, Liveris warned that Australia must avoid the fate of the US, where highly skilled migrants are returning home due to burdensome visa rules.

Western Australia's Chamber of Minerals and Energy (CME) has stated that more skilled migration is needed to provide the skilled labour required in the resources sector.

Increased investment is driving demand for foreign workers. It is expected that just in Western Australia alone you will seen investments of about AUD $300 billion.

CME CEO Reg Howard-Smith said that recent research suggests that Western Australia will require between 30,000 and 34,000 new workers in the next year to year and a half.

Australian immigration minister Chris Evans and the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Chris Bowen, have announced a number of measures to make Australia's international education sector more competitive.

The new measures are a response to a report Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program 2011, authored by the Honorable Michael Knight AO.

Immigration to New Zealand rose for the first time in six months in August 2011, which suggest that the New Zealand economy is on the up.

Permanent arrivals exceeded departures by 200 in August, according to Statistics New Zealand. In the year ending on 31 August, arrivals topped departures by 2,257, the lowest level since the 12 months ending in October 2001 about ten years ago.

On 17 September, Australia celebrated Citizenship Day; More than 4,000 people from 115 countries became Australian citizens at approximately 120 ceremonies across the Country.

"This year is a particularly special occasion, marking the 10th anniversary of Australian Citizenship Day, which is a great opportunity for people to reflect on the importance of the common bond of citizenship," said Immigration Minister Chris Bowen in a statement.

Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) will host Skills Australia Needs information sessions on 6 October in Berlin, Germany and on 8 and 9 October in Athens, Greece.

"The information sessions will provide an opportunity for skilled workers in Germany and Greece to hear about skilled visa options and possible sponsorship and employment opportunities in Australia," a DIAC spokesman said.