Australian Immigration Daily News

The New Zealand Minister for Immigration has announced that New Zealand will accept TOEFL iBT^® test scores to meet the English language requirements for skilled migration visas from 21 November 2016. 

This follows a review of English language requirements for a range of permanent skilled migration visas with stricter requirements around language proficiency being introduced. 

This INZ initiative provides greater choice of English proficiency measures for applicants both onshore and offshore. 

The following email has just been received from the DIBP:

Good morning

Have the results of last week's election in the US got you down?

Are you one of the millions of people who helped to crash Canada's immigration website after the results came through? But do you hate the idea of living with the freezing cold, snow and ice, a summer that lasts for half an hour in a good year and the risk of being eaten by a polar bear?

Here's a better idea: Consider migrating to Australia!!!

What is the likely outcome if your client is HIV positive and the client, applies for a visa for which no “health waiver” is available?

That would be the case if the visa sought is subject to PIC 4005, for which no waiver is available, instead of PIC 4007, from which a waiver is available?

Both PIC 4005 and PIC 4007 provide that the applicant must be free from a disease or condition for which the provision of health care or community services would be likely to result in significant cost to the Australian community in the areas of health care and community services, or prejudice the access of Australian citizens or permanent residents to health care of community services, regardless of whether the health care or community services will be used by the visa applicant.  The waiver of PIC 4007 is available if it can be shown that the cost of the health care or community services that will be needed by the applicant will not be “undue”.

Stories in the media over the weekend reported that the Turnbull Government has reached an agreement with the United States to resettle the approximately 1800 people who are currently being held at "off-shore processing centres" on Nauru and Manus Island to the United States.

The outlines of this agreement can be found, among other places, in this story in the Sydney Morning Herald.

According to the SMH article, the people who are being held on Manus Island and Nauru will be given the opportunity to go to the United States or to "repatriate". Otherwise, they will be given the option of a 20-year visa to remain on Nauru.