A new single visa will be in place for travellers to Australia and New Zealand for the 2015 Cricket World Cup. The event which is expected to involve14 countries playing a total of 50 matches which will just about be equally split between Australia and New Zealand will be held between 26 January and 5 April 2015.

Tourism bodies claim that have had to lobby for this arrangement and finally managed to get a deal where only eligible Australian visa holders are allowed automatic entry into New Zealand for a 3 month period.New Zealand visa holders do not have the same right. They will have to apply for an Australian visa using the usual channels.

Some key points of caution for current Australian visa holders is that if you hold an Australian visa that is not included in this arrangement you will need to apply separately for a New Zealand visa. See: New Zealand's entry requirements.

Another important consideration is that your Australian visa must, allow re-entry to Australia after your trip to New Zealand. Thus single-entry and some bridging visa holders must get relevant re-entry approval prior to departure from or re-entry into Australia.

Australian visa holders also should take note that while New Zealand will grant a visa for up to 3-months for the event, the visa will not have similar rights as their current Australian visa.

The signing of a reciprocal work and holiday visa arrangement between Australia and Spain will give young people from both countries a unique opportunity to experience the vibrancy of each other's culture, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon Scott Morrison and Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said in a media release.

The arrangement, signed at Parliament House yesterday, means young people from Australia and Spain will have the opportunity to experience short-term work and study arrangements in each other's country.

Minister Morrison said the agreement will facilitate cultural exchange between the two countries, both in terms of the once–in–a–lifetime experience for the individuals involved, and in terms of the insights they will bring back to their home countries.

'The reciprocal work and holiday visa arrangement fosters people–to–people links between the two countries, bolstering our already close and positive relationship,' Minister Morrison said.

Minister Cash said the agreement will enable up to 500 young adults from Spain and 500 young adults from Australia to enjoy a holiday in each other's country, during which they may engage in short-term work and study.

'This agreement is a testament to the constructive relationship between Spain and Australia, to the benefit of young adults seeking a unique cultural experience,' Minister Cash said.

Although there has been a plunge in the demand for sc457 visa workers with grants down by 25% from last year,  there remain some 108,870 people with 457 visas in Australia as of June 30 this year, up slightly on the same time last year, according to a new Immigration Department report.

A report in the Herald Sun estimates that 'at least one million such migrants have work rights, including 457 visa holders'. However, the report conveniently does not elaborate this point any further. Their figures would probably include students on limited work rights who actually contribute some $15 billion dollars to the economy by choosing to spend their education dollars in Australia over the UK and US. They in fact create work in the Australian economy.

The report also notes that across Australia about 52,000 people got 457 visas in 2013-14, with cook being the number one job (2720 visas), followed by cafe or restaurant manager (2070), computer programmer (1900), marketing specialist (1470), university lecturer (1290) and GP (1270).

In Victoria, there were 960 cooks approved, 560 programmers, 430 cafe or restaurant managers, 370 lecturers and 350 IT business analysts, said the department’s Subclass 457 Quarterly Report.

If the estimated ten million wealthy Chinese wanting to move into Australia for a ‘clean environment and better education for their children’ get their wish then Australia’s demographics will change permanently. According to a report in The Herald Sun, a parliamentary committee reviewing foreign investment in Australian real estate has been told that there has been a surge in real estate investments by overseas Chinese.

Melbourne has come into focus for these rich Chinese desiring the ‘Aussie lifestyle’ with ‘crowds buying in Melbourne’s most exclusive suburbs’ according to experts quoted in the Herald Sun.

“Suburbs close to private schools and the CBD were the most popular, with Toorak, Brighton, Hawthorn, Albert Park, Middle Park and Deepdene in high demand. And 36,000 new apartments bought by foreign investors are currently being built — more than half of them in Melbourne and some of them wholly bought by foreigners,” notes the report.

The trend has resulted in a parliamentary inquiry investigating foreign ownership of residential properties. The concern is that wealthy foreigners, particularly from China, are buying homes in Melbourne and Sydney and pricing out locals.

First National Real Estate’s Stewart Bunn told the committee that as many as a quarter of all home buyers in the top end of the Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland markets are mainland Chinese.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has finalised guidelines for Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA) which will stimulate local economies providing more business and job opportunities for Australians in areas experiencing labour and skills shortages, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said in a media release.

The DAMA proposal, commenced under the former Labor government as regional migration agreements, has been developed after extensive negotiations with state and territory governments and other stakeholders including labour unions.

“It is important to be clear that these agreements require employers to pay workers at least the same wage as Australian workers. Where employers within the agreement area are unable to recruit Australian workers, DAMAs can support them to supplement their workforce with skilled overseas workers.

“If businesses cannot access labour then they cannot create more jobs for Australians. Targeted skilled migration under the DAMA guidelines will provide incentives to grow businesses and local economies for the benefit of Australians” says the Minister.

DAMAs are designed to ensure employers recruit Australians as a first priority and prioritise initiatives and strategies to facilitate the recruitment and retention of Australian workers.