Australia and New Zealand Immigration News

New research by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) shows that migrant employment figures increased for newcomers after living 18 months in Australia.

The Australian Parliament passed the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Testing) Bill 2007 on 12 September 2007.

New Zealand has signed off on transitional arrangements ahead of implementation of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. The move came after consultation between the Department of Labour, and industry stakeholders and labor unions.

Australia and China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to try and prevent overseas Chinese workers from being charged exorbitant fees by unscrupulous recruitment agencies operating in China.

A New Zealand immigration agent has been found guilty in Auckland District Court of forging numerous documents to fraudulently bring clients into New Zealand.

On 01 September 2007, changes to Australia's General Skilled Migration (GSM) program went into effect.