Immigration news

Japan's plans to fingerprint foreigners at immigration checkpoints, aimed to prevent terrorism.

Stricter checks at immigration, including the compulsory photographing and fingerprinting of foreigners on arrival, are laid down in a revised immigration bill the Justice Ministry will present to parliament in the next few months, Isao Negishi of the ministry's Immigration Bureau said in an interview.

The revised law would allow Japan to deport any arriving foreigner it considers to be a terrorist, Negishi said.

Illegal immigration protests organized across the US drew small numbers, and some were outnumbered and out-shouted by those who support immigrant rights.

The so-called Stop the Invasion protests Saturday were organized in 19 states, demanding the government to increase border security and penalize employers who hire illegal workers.

Diplomats from Mexico and Central America on Jan. 9 demanded guest worker programs and the legalization of undocumented migrants in the United States, while criticizing a U.S. proposal for tougher border enforcement.

Meeting in Mexico's capital, the regional officials pledged to do more to fight migrant trafficking, but indirectly condemned a U.S. bill that would make illegal entry a felony and extend border walls.

"Migrants, regardless of their migratory status, should not be treated like criminals," they said.

The Immigration Office of the Hungarian Interior Ministry has begun work on a strategy on the social integration of immigrants and refugees in Hungary, a senior official said yesterday.

The ministry plans to work jointly with other ministries, local councils and NGOs on this topical issue which has become a priority in the EU, Zsuzsanna Végh said. Major problems include language, jobs and training, Végh said.

Foreigners desperate to get New Zealand residency are opting for fake marriages, with Department of Labour investigators successfully prosecuting about half a dozen cases each year.

In New Zealand it is not illegal to exchange money for marriage but it is an offence to provide misleading information to immigration officers.

Officers must be satisfied a marriage is "genuine" and the relationship has been "stable" for 12 months or more before they will grant residency to foreigners on the basis of their relationship.

With cheaper office rents than Mumbai (Bombay) and cheaper accountants than London, Australia could reverse the trend of jobs flooding offshore.

Australia is in a strong position to benefit from the "third wave" of international outsourcing at the highly skilled analytical end, a report commissioned by the Federal Government has found.

The past two decades have seen local jobs shift to Asia, beginning with IT outsourcing and followed by back-office processing - but Australia is about to tell the world what it has to offer for its high-level front office support roles.