Editor's Blog

An evidence-based review of the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) for sc457 workers is underway, according to a recent statement from the office of the Minister of Immigration and Border Protection.

The last sc457 review recommended that the TSMIT is frozen at $53,900. In October, as part of the compromise to allow the passage of China-Australia Free Trade Agreement the Coalition government agreed to a review of the TSMIT. At that time, the opposition demanded an increase in the TSMIT to $57000.

Various industry bodies described the demand as unreasonable. Immigration Department figures obtained by The Australian show that, of the 13,239 visas granted under the 457 category to the end of September, 3581 fell below the proposed $57,000 threshold, equivalent to 27 per cent or over a quarter of all visas granted. Of those, 581 or 4.4 per cent of the 457 visas granted were right on the current threshold of $53,900, notes The Australian.

Was it the Christmas spirit or unrelenting media pressure and public backlash that led the Immigration Minister to reverse a decision not to grant a visitor visa to the mother of a Pakistani student dying of cancer in Melbourne?

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton yesterday allowed the mother of Hassan Asif to be with her 25-year old son in Australia in, what doctors say are likely to be, the last few days of his life.

The high commission in Islamabad last week refused Mr Asif's mother and brother's application to visit Australia on the grounds they were a flight a risk and would not return home. The decision was made despite the officers being aware that the young Melbourne student was suffering from terminal skin cancer. Mr Dutton, first stood by the decision saying it could cost the Australian public millions if the visitors did not return home after the visit.

In a trade-off with the unions for wage increases totalling 6% over 2 years, the department of immigration is seeking to axe at least 680 positions, according to a report on the ABC.

The proposed job cuts amount to about 5 percent of the total workforce according to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU). It says this will put the staff “already struggling to deal with rapidly growing international passenger and freight numbers’ under tremendous pressure.

"This attempt to slash nearly 700 jobs is outrageous and shows just how ridiculous the Government's funding of Immigration and Border Protection is if the department has to cut this many jobs just to get closer to maintaining existing pay," national secretary Nadine Flood said.

Indian police have arrested at least 5 people and charged them with various offenses relating to defrauding hundreds of people by promising them visas to Australia and New Zealand, according to media reports from India.

Police have seized some 400 passports held by Royal Education Consultants in Jalandhar, a city in the northwest of Punjab, India. The passports belonged to people from various districts across Punjab and Chandigarh who paid thousands of dollars on the promise of receiving ‘work permits’ and student visas for Australia and New Zealand.

Media reports estimate the fraud committed by the firm could amount to ‘crores of rupees’ (a ‘crore’ which is 10,000,000 rupees is equivalent to about AU$210,000.)

The United Nations has named the countries with the gold standard, for quality of life in its United Nations Human Development Index report.

Out of the 188 countries ranked by the annual study, Norway and Australia, have once again emerged as the gold standards for measuring quality of life.

Taking into account life-expectancy, education and standard of living, Australia has maintained its spot as the best in the world for three years now, after Norway. Australia, with a population almost five times the top ranked European city, was ahead on life-expectancy and education but lost points for income levels and the comparatively lower level of participation by women in the workforce.