Immigration News
Government launches crackdown on ‘criminals’ exploiting visa system
The federal government will crack down on migration agents following a review that found “unscrupulous” agents were rorting the visa system and that Australia’s migration system was being exploited by organised criminals for human trafficking. (5 Oct, ABC News)
The quiet visa change bringing good news to Australia’s skilled workers
A change to conditions of the 482 Temporary Skill Shortage visa announced on the Department of Home Affairs website last month is now trickling through to the migrants who will be allowed to stay in the country. (4 March, SBS News)
‘A lot easier to enrol’: Voter ID laws expanded in a move to help migrants, Indigenous Australians
The federal government is expanding the ways Australians can enrol to vote. The change is aimed at helping Indigenous Australians and newly-arrived migrants. (17 February, SBS News)
New Zealanders’ path to Australian permanent residency eased by ditching income and health checks
Move expected to help clear backlog of about 11,500 applications and could ease process for up to 300,000 Kiwis. (21 December, The Guardian)
'Politicised' Administrative Appeals Tribunal abolished, after attorney-general declares its reputation ruined
One of the most notoriously politicised bodies, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, will be abolished after the attorney-general declared its reputation had been irreversibly damaged. (16 December, ABC News)