The following information has been received from BSMQ:

The Commonwealth Government has advised that nominations for the Significant Investor Visa (SIV) will be suspended from 24 April 2015 until 30 June 2015.

This means that state and territory governments, including Queensland, cannot make any nominations during this period.

If you wish to apply to the Queensland Government for a Significant Investor Visa under the current criteria and receive your nomination before 24 April, the following timeframes will apply:

• Lodge an Expression of Interest via SkillSelect by 17 April 2015;
   
• You will then be sent an email from BSMQ requesting further information, which will be required to be returned by 21 April 2015.

We ask that you send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. when you have lodged your Expression of Interest in SkillSelect.

For more information about the temporary suspension visit the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

Agents and applicants should urgently check the postal address on any acknowledgement/grant/refusal letter.

An agent member of MA lodged a student visa app online on Friday and the address on the back of the letter and grant letter was the applicant's previous address. The electronic application form shows the correct residential address.

This has implications for refusal letters being sent to the wrong address.

The U.S. Department of State has requested that Migration Alliance distribute this opportunity via it's networks:

"We are currently accepting applications for Consular Adjudicator LNA - Spanish positions.

Read the vacancy announcement for more information, and to start the online application process. Please note that the deadline to submit completed applications is April 28, 2015.

Consular Adjudicator LNAs serve on the front lines of a U.S. Embassy or Consulate and are critical to America’s national security. CA LNAs conduct one-on-one interviews and review supporting documentation to determine if a foreign national meets the requirements for entry into the United States. Requires exceptional English grammar and fluency in Spanish.

All potential applicants are strongly urged to read the entire vacancy announcement to ensure that they meet all of the requirements for this position before applying.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens and at least 20 years old to apply. They must be at least 21 years of age to be appointed. Applicants must also be available for worldwide service, and be able to obtain all required security, medical and suitability clearances.

Visit our forums if you have any questions, or to search for topics of interest. The forums can be found under Connect on the careers.state.gov website. You can also search our FAQs for more information.

We appreciate your interest in the U.S. Department of State.

U.S. citizenship is required. An equal opportunity employer. "

If you were to rank how well Australia is trusted/received/liked in the world according to the number of countries that allows Australian passport holders to enter without a visa, then Australia is not the most favoured nation but however doing quite well compared to most others, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Ranked a joint number 9 with the Czech Republic and Hungary the Australian passport sits behind some 24 countries on the Arton Capital’s ‘Passport Index‘.

The index was developed on an interactive website which “collects, displays and ranks the passports of the world.” Using data from the International Air Transportation Agency (IATA) as well as individual travellers, the site’s creators crunched the numbers and determined a passports’ Visa Free Score, or the number of countries that allow its holder to enter without a visa. The higher the Visa Free Score, the higher the “Passport Power Rank.”

“Visa requirements are an interesting but overlooked indicator of international relations. Most countries require non-nationals to get visas before they enter their borders, but the requirements can differ a lot,” notes the report.

“Countries that are allies often offer each others’ citizens a quick visa on arrival. For countries that are not so friendly, a visitor may have to provide entry and exit information, a letter of invitation, and even list all of the clubs they belonged to in high school — as well as paying a hefty fee.”

The top 2 nations were the US and UK whose passports are the most widely accepted in the world with 147 nations opening their doors to travellers visa-free. Tied for second place are France, Germany, and South Korea, with 145 countries.