Australia, Canada & New Zealand Immigration News - August 2020 Issue #3

Australia, Canada & NZ Immigration News

August 2020 Issue #3

In this issue:

·   Australia’s regional areas facing setbacks in economy and growth 

·   Immigration the way forward for Australia’s recovery from slump during pandemic

·   Canada invites 600 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residency

·   Canada to open borders for international talent from Silicon Valley

·   New Zealand discards ANZSCO as means of assessing skill level of work visa occupations

·    New Zealand to rely on immigrants for new population policy

·   The United Kingdom introduces new pathway for skilled immigrants

·   Other Global News

Australian Immigration

Australia's regional areas facing setbacks in growth from pandemic-enforced border closure

The coronavirus pandemic will hit Australian regions and territories which are heavily reliant on migration to drive population growth the hardest, says the Treasury’s Centre for Population.

According to officials from the Centre for Population, Australia’s imposed travel restrictions and border closures will damage the economy and growth of these regions.

Merrick Peisley, principal adviser of the Centre for Population, told a parliamentary inquiry that a decrease in net overseas migration would lead to Australia’s image as an attractive migration destination diminish, and regions relying on foreign migrants for growth would be severely affected.

The statement comes in the wake of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (ACCI) plea to the Australian government to reopen borders for skilled migrants to enter Australia in order to combat the economic and fiscal setbacks caused by the pandemic.

Immigration the way forward as Australia looks to recover from economic slump 

Experts are citing immigration as the key to lifting Australia’s economy from the recession created by the coronavirus pandemic.

After 26 years of continuous growth, Australia is facing a significant slump in its economy, with as many as 1 million Australians facing unemployment.

Despite such a large number of Australians on the verge of being left without a job, it is overseas migrants who can help Australia’s economy rise from the red zone it is in.

Merrick Peisley, the principal adviser of the Australian Treasury’s Centre for Population, said Australia’s population growth is set to be the lowest in 100 years due to the coronavirus pandemic, especially with travel restrictions and border closures.

Combined with an already ageing population and not enough working-age people to lead Australia’s economic revival, this only means that the recession is set to continue.

This is where immigrants come in. Immigrants can fill the gap left by the demographic cliff currently facing the country.

Immigrants are essential to numerous industries in getting produce to foreign markets. Without their support, these industries could very well come to a standstill.

Moreover, allowing more immigrants to enter Australia and find employment opportunities will lead to more taxes paid, which will generate more income for the government.

Canadian Immigration

Canada invites 600 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residency

In the latest round of the Express Entry draw, the Federal Government of Canada has invited 600 immigration applicants to apply for permanent residency in the country.

Candidates with a provincial nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and a minimum score of 771 in Canada’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) were invited to apply for permanent residency in the country in this round of the draw.

Following the latest round of the Express Entry draw, a record 62,450 immigration candidates have been issued invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residency so far this year. 

The Express Entry manages the pool of immigration candidates for three of Canada’s most significant economic immigration programs – Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Candidates with the highest score in the Express Entry pool are invited to apply for permanent residency in the country by the Federal Government. 

Canada to open borders for international talent from Silicon Valley

Canada has announced it will welcome international talents who find themselves stranded in Silicon Valley due to the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrant workers.

This announcement comes as welcome news to foreign workers south of the Canadian border, who have been left in limbo following US President Donald Trump’s decision to clamp down hard on the H-1B visas – which allow graduate-level immigrants to work for US companies.

The Trump administration has decided to freeze H-1B visas until the end of the year, which further restricts immigration policies and pathways to the United States.

Following such a hard stance by the US, job listings on Canada’s tech sector have started to look much more promising for international talents currently facing hardships in Silicon Valley.

Over the past five years, Toronto added more tech talent to its tech-industry workforce than anywhere else in North America, behind only the Bay Area.

Vancouver and Montreal also make the top ten locations in North America where the tech talent pool has grown the most, further underlining Canada’s rapid growth as a skilled migration destination for international talents.

New Zealand Immigration

New Zealand discards ANZSCO as means of assessing skill level of work visa occupations

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has confirmed that the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) will cease to be used as a means to assess the skill level of occupations eligible for skilled migration to the country.

Instead of assessing the skill level of work visa applications, INZ will now be using a simple salary threshold going forward, which will determine jobs as being ‘high’ or ‘low’ paid.

Occupations with an above-median income (currently $25.50 per hour) will be classified as high paid jobs, while those with an income below the median wage will be addressed as low paid.

Skilled immigrants with work visa applications for low paid occupations will have to present a Skills Match Report (SMR) from New Zealand’s Ministry of Social Development.

Last year, INZ also announced that under this new system, the duration of essential-skills work visas would be determined by the regions where individuals work in, depending on whether the occupations are high or low paid.

As things stand, work visas with above-median wages will be valid for up to three years. These visas will be renewable and free from Labour Market Testing (LMT).

On the other hand, work visas with below-median wages will have a validity of three years, followed by a 12-month stand-down period. These visas will be subject to strong LMT.

New Zealand to rely on immigrants for new population policy

New Zealand is currently facing a danger posed by a population crisis, as a large part of their population is comprised of baby boomers. 

Moreover, an increasing number of women are choosing against having children – or having only one child – especially during the pandemic. 

As a result, the population paradigm of New Zealand has now shifted towards being dominated by the aged, and it is expected that soon, close to a quarter of the population will be over 65. 

To steer the population demographic towards being more youth-oriented, New Zealand has turned to one of the most important elements of its population policy – immigration.

Since 2012, the country has embarked on a period of significant net migration gains; the net migration of New Zealand has increased by up to 70,000 permanent migrants.

Now, with a need for fresh blood to be injected into the population and development projects going full-steam ahead, New Zealand is calling migrants to its shores. 

The willingness and ability of New Zealand to adjust to a new demographic are vital, and opportunities for new arrivals are an added bonus, especially after the grinding halt in operations brought about by the pandemic. 

With the country now benefitting from the skills and diversity of immigrants, it is set to be an even more enticing migration destination than before, with skilled, business and student migration opportunities just over the horizon. 

United Kingdom Immigration

The United Kingdom introduces a new pathway for skilled immigrants

The United Kingdom has announced that a new skilled worker visa will be introduced for foreign workers looking to immigrate to the UK.

This new skilled visa will replace the existing General Category Tier 2 visa and will have no annual cap on entrants.

Moreover, overseas workers can apply for immigration to the UK with this visa without having to wait over a resident labour market test, a decision which will be welcomed by both employers and applicants alike.

To be eligible, applicants must score 70 points in the UK’s points system.

50 of the required 70 points can be covered by factors such as having a job offer from a sponsor in the UK, meeting the skills threshold and proficiency in English.

The remaining 20 points can be obtained based on salary, the occupation being a shortage occupation, and the applicant holding a PhD.

Other Global News

Australia

Australia to manufacture coronavirus vaccine in collaboration with Oxford University

The Federal Government of Australia has announced that it has secured an international agreement to produce a vaccine for the coronavirus, in collaboration with Oxford University.

The potentially world-saving agreement was announced by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who revealed that the deal was reached with British pharmaceutical titan AstraZeneca to supply Australians with the vaccine formulated by researchers at Oxford University.

Speaking about the deal, Prime Minister Morrison said that under this agreement, the vaccine – assuming it clears clinical trials – will be locally manufactured in Australia and made free for all Australians.

Moreover, the Federal Government said that in addition to securing the supply of the vaccine for every Australian, it would also work to ensure countries in South-East Asia have easy access to it as well.

United States

Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris as running mate for Presidential election

Joe Biden has named California senator Kamala Harris as his running mate for the 2020 Presidential election.

The historic decision sees Kamala Harris become the first Black and South Asian American woman to be picked as a running mate in an American Presidential election.

Victory for Joe Biden in the election will mean Ms Harris will become the first female, the first black, and the first Asian-American vice-president.

Explaining his decision to pick Ms Harris as his running mate, Joe Biden described himself as “a bridge” to a new generation of Democratic leaders, and praised Ms Harris for being ‘fearless’ and ‘one of the country’s finest public servants.’

Massive fires in California; Governor asks Australia for help

A vast wildfire has rapidly spread through Californian homes and precious forestry and forced more than 175,000 residents to evacuate.

Over 14,000 firefighters are struggling to keep 585 fires in check as the flames show no signs of slowing, even after burning through nearly one million acres.

It has been confirmed as being the third-largest wildfire in Californian history, prompting the states’ Governor Gavin Newsom to request assistance from Australia and Canada, on top of help arriving from several US states.

US President Donald Trump has declared the wildfires as a major disaster and has released federal aid.

Russia

Russian dissident hospitalised after suspected poisoning

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been taken to the Charite Berlin hospital in the German capital of Berlin after falling gravely ill to suspected poisoning.

The vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin started feeling unwell on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow.

The plane later made an emergency landing in Omsk, Siberia, before an evacuation flight took him to Berlin.

Doctors who treated Navalny at the Siberian hospital he was taken to initially rejected claims of poisoning, saying that no poison was found in his system.

Mr Navalny was a candidate in the 2018 Russian Presidential election before authorities banned his candidacy after he was convicted of embezzlement.

Belarus

Opposition supporters hold mass rally in Minsk despite ban

Opposition supporters in Belarus have continued to protest and hold rallies in the capital city of Minsk after current President Alexander Lukashenko won another term in office.

Despite heavy police presence, tens of thousands of opposition supporters gathered in the central square, calling for the president to resign.

Mr Lukashenko has been president of Belarus for 26 years, and official results showed he won more than 80% of the votes.

Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was forced to flee to neighbouring Lithuania the day after the election and has vowed to “stand till the end” to protest against disrupted elections and subsequent violence.

Fun Facts!

Australia

·         The Australian Alps along Victoria and New South Wales get more snow than the Swiss Alps between June and September, which makes Australia a paradise for skiing enthusiasts!

·         The island of Tasmania, in addition to being renowned for being an ideal spot to experience the great outdoors, also has the cleanest air in the world!

·         90% of the Australian population live on the coast, which makes the Australian lifestyle one-of-a-kind!

Canada

·         Canada has a dedicated landing pad for UFOs! Opened in 1967 in St. Paul, Alberta, then Minister of Defence Paul Hellyer unveiled the welcoming platform for aliens!

·         The Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada is the second-largest national park in the world, and is bigger than countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands and Denmark!

·         Despite being similarly sized to the United States, Canada has only 11% of America’s total population, leaving almost 90% of its area still uninhabited!

New Zealand

·         Due to the curvature of the earth, the North Island city of Gisborne on New Zealand’s East Coast is the first country in the world to see the sunrise!

·         New Zealand’s national anthem ‘God Defend New Zealand’ was not its original one. Initially, New Zealand’s national anthem was ‘God Save the Queen’ – which is also the national anthem of England!

·         New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women voting rights – way back in 1893!

United Kingdom

·         The United Kingdom is home to the town with the longest name in the world – Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlllllandysiliogogogoch, in Wales!

·         Brits love tea – so much so that they drink around 100 million cups of tea every day! This translates to more than 60 billion cups of tea every year!

·         The famous English writer William Shakespeare is credited by Oxford English Dictionary for adding around 3,000 words to the English language! 

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