The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) are making changes to the General Skilled Migration (GSM) programme. The announcement of the amendments was made in May of this year but the changes will come into effect on the 1^st January 2010.

A skills assessment must now be undertaken before applying for a GSM visa.  If a trade occupation is being nominated, a Job Ready Test will also be required. Furthermore, trade occupation applicants will have to have 12 months work experience in the relevant trade in the past 2 years in addition to the previous requirement of holding relevant qualifications. The Job Ready Test will be implemented by Trades Recognition Australia (TRA). The purpose of the test is to assess the ability of the applicant to perform their job effectively when in Australia. The Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Regulations have posted a notice on their website that more details about the Job Ready Test will be available in the New Year.

The changes apply to offshore visa subclasses 175,176 and 475 and onshore subclasses 885, 886 and 487. The visa subclasses 485 and 887 are not affected. More information can be found the DIAC website (www.immi.gov.au).

In a worldwide survey, Wolverhampton in England has been voted the 5^th worst city to live in by a Lonely Planet guide. The list is based on feedback from readers of the Lonely Planet website. It is an updated version of the original ‘least favourite destinations’ list, also published on the Lonely Planet website. This list was based on the cities that were least likely to be saved as favourites by readers of the Lonely Planet website.

In response to this, local politicians have defended the city, stating that it is a lovely place to live with many tourist attractions.

The other cities in the list included Detroit, Accra, Seoul, Los Angeles, San Salvador, Chennai, Arusha, and Chetumal.

British expats living in Almeria, Spain are faced with the prospect of losing their homes. Shocked residents were told that  their properties had been constructed illegally and therefore will have to be destroyed.  The correct building licences were not issued before construction took place, the homeowners however, had no knowledge of this. Demolition notices were issued to the residents just before Christmas. Unless a human rights appeal is successful, 12 British couples will be forced to leave their homes.

According to recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), there has been a marked increase in the number of international students applying to study in Australia and in particular, South Australia. The number of international students in South Australia almost doubled between 2002 and 2008. This is the largest comparative increase of all of the Australian states. This has led to an increase in education export income for the Australian economy.

Due to the economic benefits of international students, the government of South Australia have announced a plan to capitalise on this development. The South Australia Strategic Plan (2007) objective is to double its share of international students in Australia by 2014.

The majority of international students in South Australia come from Asia, in particular China and India. Australia is also a popular destination for many Brazilian students.  International students are defined as those living in the country on a student visa and paying full university or college fees.

Recent statistics from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Ireland have revealed that the number of Australian visas awarded to Irish emigrants has increased by 25% over the past year. In the past, Britain and the US had been the traditional destinations for Irish emigrants but it seems as though the trend is now changing. This is most likely due to the fact that Australia has not been affected as greatly by the global recession as Britain and the US and therefore is a more attractive country to those searching for employment.

There has also been a significant increase in the number of Canadian visas issued to Irish citizens. Canada is now the second most popular choice for Irish migrants moving overseas. The cause of this movement could also be lower unemployment rates in Canada than in Ireland. The Canadian unemployment rate currently stands at 8.5% compared to 12.5% in Ireland (November 2009).

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) have announced the launch of a new service which will allow temporary residents to apply to extend their visas on the internet. The new online service means that the application procedure will be a lot easier and faster than before.

Minister Kenney, Canada’s Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, said: ‘extending our online services to more temporary residents will significantly facilitate the application process by providing faster, more accessible and efficient services’.

Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel has announced a suspension of services for its car shuttle facility due to ‘severe technical problems’. Eurotunnel also claim that the terminal is at saturation point due to the recent bad weather causing people to delay travel plans over the weekend. The news will cause inconvenience to many passengers and transport operators.

There have been reports this week that many bankers in the UK are considering moving to Jersey to avoid the Treasury’s new Supertax on bank bonuses. Alistair Darling announced the new tax in his Pre-Budget Report, stating that bonuses over £25,000 will be taxed at 50%.

The British Banker’s Association has expressed concerns that London could lose its status as a financial centre if many bankers and brokers do relocate because of the Supertax. Currently, the Supertax does not include brokers but there are fears that this will change in the near future. The investment broker Tullett Prebon announced that many of its staff are considering a move overseas because of the new tax.   

Jersey is appearing to be experiencing an increased interest from people in the UK wishing to relocate there. Jersey has long appealed to many wealthy professionals as an offshore tax haven but the new Supertax on banker’s awards could now make it even more attractive to many City high flyers.

New statistics announced by Australia’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) have revealed that the majority of skilled migrants arriving in Australia settle in New South Wales and Victoria.  Around 55% of new arrivals with a skilled migration visa settle in one of these two states.

British Airways cabin crew have voted to strike over the Christmas period. Trade union Unite, the union representing BA cabin crew, announced yesterday that the strike ballot closed in favour of industrial action. The 12 day strike is due to begin on the 22^nd December and finish on the 2^nd January. Although the strike has been confirmed, Unite have announced that they are still open to negotiations. It seems unlikely however that BA will reverse decisions made earlier this year over job cuts and contract changes.

The strike action has arisen due to two major issues: the number of cabin crew per flight has been reduced leading to redundancies and salaries have been frozen for two years. The changes were introduced by BA in order to take urgent measures to reduce costs in response to their dire financial results for the first half of this year.

BA have issued a statement expressing that passengers travelling during this time are able to change their flight to another BA flight departing in the next 12 months. They have also declared that they will inform customers of any flight schedule changes.

It has been estimated that over 1 million passengers could be affected by the series of strikes. The decision could affect many expats around the world who are planning to return home for Christmas or who have family and friends planning a journey to join them at home for the festive period.