Australia and New Zealand Immigration News

The Australian government will spend $38.5 million on services to help immigrants and refugees settle into their communities.

Starting on 1 July 2011, a total of 179 new projects delivered through 148 organizations will be funded under the Settlement Grants Program (SGP). The aim of the SGP is to help migrants become more self-reliant and acquire "crucial skills" to help them contribute to the Australian economy.

If you are a tradesperson or a non-degree holder thinking of applying for immigration to Australia, you should apply before the 1 July 2011 changes to Australian immigration law.

On 1 July 2011, changes to the Australian skilled immigration points system will make it much more difficult for tradespeople and those without degrees to score enough points to be eligible. The new Australian immigration points test will also favour people with good English.

According to David Holly, Australian Consul-General for South India, the Australian government hopes to attract more skilled Indian workers to deal with a shortfall of labour through changes in its skilled immigration scheme.

There continues to be rapid growth in the Australian economy; Many Australian firms are looking abroad for skilled workers, particularly workers for the resources industry (such as mining).

The Australian government has announced three new English language test options for student visa applicants which will help alleviate the current shortage of available testing places.

Australian immigration minister Chris Bowen and the Minister for Resources, Energy and Tourism, Martin Ferguson have publicly railed against a proposed amendment by Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison that would make passing the character test for obtaining a visa significantly more difficult.

"Mr Morrison's lack of forethought is astounding – he has failed to consider the most basic impacts of such a proposal," Bowen said in a statement.

New Zealand, whose economy depends heavily on skilled immigrants, is experiencing a slump in newcomers following the recent earthquake and the global financial crisis of a few years ago, according to new statistics released by the government.