Globe-trotting Australian, New Zealand, British and Canadian nationals have launched a major lobby aimed at eliminating immigration controls between the four Commonwealth countries.

The online petition started by 27-year old James Skinner from the UK has gathered tremendous international support with the group now claiming to have some 70,000 supporters.

Calling themselves, The Commonwealth Freedom of Movement Organisation, the group proposes that the four countries have a similar agreements like the European Union and the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement between Australia and New Zealand. The group is telling their supporters to contact their local parliamentarians and media sources to push for freedom of movement between the four countries.

According to a report on the CBC, the group says the four nations are being considered because of their “shared language, government and common law legal system and similar cultural values.”

"We are virtually the same people," CFMO director James Skinner told CBC News, referring to the four countries. "The only thing that divides us is the cover of our passports.”

"We've had that Commonwealth tie for generations and decades in the past, we've stuck together through thick and thin. [We] share the same head of state, the same native language, the same respect for the common law," Skinner told the CBC.

A guide to navigating the Australian financial services and migration landscape

This bilingual (Mandarin and English) booklet is compiled by Stacey Martin (NAB Private Wealth), Liana Allan (Founder - Migration Alliance), Paul Bailey (NAB Migrant Banking), David Thomas (Think Global), Alison Wood (Pitcher Partners) and other key members of Expat Advisors Community.  

The booklet provides a comprehensive guide to assist Significant Investor Visa (SIV) applicants on their journey from applying for the visa, investing in Australia, and ultimately relocating to enjoy Australia’s enviable lifestyle.

Click here to download: Smooth-Road-to-Travel-China-to-Australia-_-updated-February-2015.pdf

Canberra is the capital of the Australian Capital Territory, and the city offers plenty to those who are thinking about moving there from abroad. In addition to employment opportunities, Canberra gives residents the ability to explore public gardens, museums, green spaces, restaurants and an active nightlife. Here are the factors that you should consider when immigrating to Australia.

The Best Areas in Canberra

Canberra is a great place to call home for families and single professionals alike. There are many suburbs from which to choose, and the best option for you depends on your lifestyle. Yarralumla is often ranked as the best suburb in Canberra due to its friendly residents and ample opportunities to work and play. Kambah is the largest suburb and draws people who enjoy diversity and lots of green space.

Finding a Place to Live

The head of the government-ordered ‘major research and scoping project into a quality framework for education agencies’ says that ‘the $16 billion international education industry is far more regulated than most’ and ‘Australia already has the mechanisms in place to ensure overall quality assurance in a highly regulated industry.’

Taking issue with ABCs Four Corners investigation, “Degrees of Deception” which revealed fraud by major education brokers in China, Phil Honeywood, executive director of the International Education Association of Australia has risen to the defence of education brokers asserting that the ABCs report and views of the ICAC are wrong and unbalanced.

“It is complete nonsense to suggest that such agents are unregulated.” Mr Honeywood wrote in an opinion piece published in The Australian, today.

“In China, for example, all education agents must be officially licensed and pay a bond to the government of two million renminbi ($420,000). If any Chinese student claims they received wrong or negligent advice from their agent, it is highly possible for that agent to lose both their licence and their bond.

“Equally, if any Australian university becomes aware of fraudulent practices by one of their agents, there are strong imperatives for them to cancel their agency agreement” states Mr Honeywood.

The article goes no further to say, why then these measures have not already been taken; why the government has ordered a major review of the education brokering industry; and why the fraud uncovered by ABCs hidden cameras in some of China’s biggest education brokers looked like routine practice.