Posts Tagged as ‘Permanent residency’

October 10, 2009

Why do Indians want permanent residency in Australia?

More than 75,000 Indian students were undertaking courses in Australia last year, the second largest number of foreigners in Australian colleges and universities.
Why are they coming here from India?
Geoff Maslen at Crikey says:
“Almost 60% of India’s 1.15 billion people are under the age of 25 yet there are only places for 7% of college-age students in [...]

October 9, 2009

Backpackers: yet another category of exploited migrants

Are backpackers marginalised migrants?
I stretching things too far?
In 2007-08 the number of working holiday-makers young people increased by nearly 14.5% from 2006–07 to 2007–08 (DIAC). The report for 2008-09 will be released at the end of this month. Despite the global economic crisis, it is expected that the number of young people entering Australia on [...]

October 5, 2009

Pass the IELTS? Do not learn English if you want a visa

Why do so many international students have problems with the level of English language they need for their studies?
Why do so many people on skilled visas not get jobs in Australia, even though they are highly qualified?
Because it is possible to pass the IELTS at a high level with barely a word of English.
International students [...]

September 3, 2009

In India Gillard bears gifts, Crean wags a finger; in Australia Indian students march

Thousands of overseas students marched in Sydney and Melbourne yesterday, watched by by-standers, riot police and an international television audience.
Indian and Chinese media followed the marches across Australia, airing the grievances international students have over safety, accommodation, visas, shonky institutions and travel concessions. Denial of equal rights brings students to the streets
Meanwhile, Julia Gillard is [...]

August 31, 2009

Senator Evans wants to market Australia to migrants

Senator Evans says Australia needs a rational immigration debate, beyond the hysteria about the few hundred boat people who arrive each year.
”The annual figure this year [for skilled permanent migration] was, say, 115,000, but more than 500,000 came into the country. They came in as students, temporary workers, working holidaymakers … but the public still [...]

August 29, 2009

Union asks for ban on foreign students in trade jobs

The Australian Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) is concerned that international student students will work for very little or for nothing to get the experience that they need to apply for permanent residency. Calls for review of Australian visa holders work rights
The Union wants the Federal Government to examine the effect visiting students [...]

August 27, 2009

Students to march for foreign student rights

Thousands of foreign and local students in Australia are planning to march in Sydney next month in protest, claiming that the Australian Government fails to protect students against fraudulent Australian Immigration companies (see Rapacious agents chase international students)
and faults in the education system.
The students will march on the 2 September from the University of Sydney and [...]

August 20, 2009

Immigration makes new rules for ‘colleges’ and reviews treatment of disability

Julia Gillard yesterday flagged legislative changes forcing all 1300 registered colleges and universities to re-register under tighter guidelines.
The Aussie possie has been concerned about the so-called colleges offering ‘education’ to international students as a path to permanent residency. Holy cash cows tell of rorts of foreign students.
To re-register under the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and [...]

August 11, 2009

Australia on trial in first Southeast Asian Court of Women

The first Southeast Asian Court of Women on HIV and Human Trafficking is being held in Bali. More than 20 Southeast Asian women have narrated their personal stories of exploitation and abuse.
I have been concerned about the 457 visa because, whatever controls the government may put in place, the worker is still beholden to the [...]

August 3, 2009

Chinese slave labour in Australia

Chinese migrant workers employed by Perth construction firm Kentwood on 457 visas were paid less than $3 an hour. They sometimes worked 11 hours a day, seven days a week. Chinese migrants work in ’slave labour’ conditions
The individual amounts paid ranged from $7502 to $12,405 for between 9 and 14 months’ work.
The Fair Work Ombudsman [...]