After taking over the immigration portfolio from Chris Evans in September 2010 from, Chris Bowen has officially resigned from his position as minister for Immigration and Citizenship. Taking on a new position as minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, and Small Business Chris Bowen will no take on an entirely new role within
Australian Government Meets Immigration Targets for 2011/2012
It was recently reported that the Australian Government has met it’s immigration targets for the year 2011 to 2012, which reached a total of 185,000 migrants. India, China and the United Kingdom where the top three sources for immigration, with a joint total of 43.2 per cent. With Australia currently experiencing vast skills shortages, the
The Mining Industry in Australia Opens Doors to Casual Migrants
Chris Bowen, Australia’s minister for Immigration and Citizenship recently announced that the first of many Enterprise Migration Agreements (EMA’s) has been implemented. EMA’s are tailored, project-wide migration agreements specifically designed for large scale resource projects and should aid the skills shortages in the mining industry in Australia. EMA’s are usually negotiated between either the project
Tourism & Hospitality Sectors In Need Of Skilled Workers
Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Immigration & Citizenship and Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP have recently invited public comment on a new Labour Agreement template – which would attract skilled workers from overseas aiming to resolve the skills shortages in the hospitality and tourism sectors. Minister Chris Bowen stated the list of occupations
Australian Visa Application Fees Set To Increase In 2012
The Australian government has recently announced that it will employ a new visa fee system starting on 1st January 2012. The changes will ensure that the applications are no longer subsidised by tax payers. It was said that the current applications fees do not cover the cost to the Commonwealth of processing the applications. In
The Minister For Immigration, Announces Further Locations For Biometrics Collection
The Minister for Immigration & Citizenship has announced further locations for biometrics collection. Visa applicants lodging paper-based visa applications in the following designated locations will be required to provide fingerprints and a photograph as part of their visa application: Syria ( Damascus ) – beginning April 2011 Malaysia ( Kuala Lumpur ) – beginning April