Topical:
In June, the New Zealand Government announced that the investor age limit would be lowered 30 years from 85 to 54, the amount of investment required would double to $2 million and the money would have to be invested with the Government.
Business New Zealand, the country's largest advocacy group for enterprises, had predicted that changes to the investor category immigration rules would drive investors away. They say that their fear has now been confirmed by Labour Department statistics.
Canada is likely to introduce major changes to its immigration policy, including plans to take in as many as 300,000 new immigrants annually within the next five years. The multiyear plan, which was to be presented to parliament late on 31 Oct., still needs cabinet approval.
Canada is on track to accept 245,000 immigrants this year, the high end of last year's target.
There are as many as several hundred au pairs (nannies) working in families in Finland, and the Finnish tax authorities regard them as illegal labour. The problem is that Finland has not ratified the European Agreement on Au Pairs by the European Council, which stipulates that au pairs do not have to pay taxes.
New immigration rules that come into force on 1 Nov. will let Australian employers recruit apprentices from overseas. Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone says the changes will benefit employers who cannot find apprentice builders, electricians and plumbers in Australia.
Several new categories of visas will be available, including one which will allow foreign students to undertake vocational study while completing a trade apprenticeship in a rural area.
The Scotsman.com reports that a recent report says Scotland's high-profile drive to attract migrants to Scotland is threatening to spark racial problems because agencies are failing to help new arrivals integrate into society. The information was printed in a new report by the Commission for Racial Equality.
Scotland's First Minister Jack McConnell initiated the Fresh Talent program, which is designed to attract skilled foreign workers to Scotland.
The Christian Science Monitor reports that a small but growing number of Mexicans are choosing to immigrate to Canada, which is putting out the welcome mat.