An Australian federal Government review finds that the country's skilled migration programs are failing in regional Australia, with almost a quarter of foreign workers unemployed and low wages and poor job satisfaction common.
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The European Union's top justice official has stated that highly skilled foreign migrants should be offered Europe-wide "job seekers' permits", which would allow them to look for employment anywhere across the EU.
The permits would be comparable to the "Green Card" schemes that exist in the United States or Canada, giving immigrants the right to work and live in a new country. Unlike a work visa, such Green Cards are not attached to a specific job or employer.
Australia, which is currently undergoing a massive campaign to attract more immigrants, is considering making its English language tests for skilled migrants more difficult, after finding that many immigrants cannot speak the language well enough to get jobs in the shortage sectors. The federal Government has launched the biggest global recruitment drive for skilled migrants since the "Ten Pound Pom" campaign in the 1950s and 1960s, as it tries to attract 20,000 skilled workers from across Europe and Asia.
The US Senate voted in favour of increasing the cap on H-1B visas by 30,000 to 95,000 from next year. The H-1B visa is largely used in the IT industry to employ skilled professionals, and industry leaders have been lobbying for its increase in recent months.
The Senate also voted to increase the number of legal immigrants as part of a broad budget deficit cutting bill that was passed on 3 Nov. by a margin of 52 to 47 votes.
Germany is set to be the first country in the European Union to introduce biometric passports, which will allow airport control devices to detect a small electronic tag concealed inside the passport cover.
The new biometric passport contains a paper-thin computer chip that holds a scan of the passport holder's picture. Developments are also being made for the chip to include fingerprint and iris scans.
German Interior Minister Otto Schily hails the new biometric passport as "a real security bonus."
New Zealand has launched a new website that aims to attract New Zealanders who have moved abroad to move back home, by listing job opportunities, relocation information, plus information on the school system and the arts. The site was launched on 1 Nov.
"New Zealand is a great place to live, work and play. We want to remind expats that New Zealand has an incredible amount to offer," New Zealand Immigration Minister David Cunliffe said.