Australia and New Zealand Immigration News

New Zealand's population rose by 7,900 in 2012/13 because of net immigration, the latest government figures show. In 2011/12, the population fell slightly due to migration. The government expects the net immigration figure to rise to 16,000 in the year to September 2013 and to 30,000 in mid-2014.

Australia's former immigration ministers Chris Bowen and Brendan O'Connor have been criticised for decisions to grant visas to a Pakistani asylum seeker, Fawad Ahmed, and to change the law so that Mr Ahmed's citizenship could be granted more quickly.

Mr Ahmed entered Australia and claimed asylum in 2010. He said he had been threatened by the Taliban and feared for his life. He was granted Australian citizenship in July 2013 despite the fact that the Department of Immigration and Border Protection had advised that his asylum claim did not appear to be justified.

Three English cricket writers were forced to leave Australia before the end of England's disastrous cricket tour because their visas had expired. The men, John Etheridge of The Sun, Paul Newman of The Daily Mail and Dean Wilson of The Mirror had 90-day, non-renewable visas which expired when the tour still had several days left to run.

New Zealand's most read newspaper, The New Zealand Herald, has called on the government to dramatically increase the level of immigration to help the economy. In an editorial comment piece, the paper says that, unless the country increases the rate of immigration substantially now, it may prove harder to attract immigrants seeking economic opportunity in New Zealand in future.

New Zealand generally holds a census once every five years. It was due to hold a census in 2011 when the Christchurch earthquake occurred. The census was delayed by two years until 2013.

Indonesia is investigating claims from asylum seekers that Australian border guards intercepted boats sailing from Indonesian waters attempting to reach Australian territory; they then forced the boats to return to Indonesian waters by force.

There are reports that Australian vessels fired into the air above the heads of asylum seekers to 'encourage them' to turn back. This would be contrary to the 1951 Refugee Convention, of which Australia is a signatory.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is to reassess hundreds of Family Stream visa applications after an investigation into the criteria used by staff to make their decisions.

Doubts about the correctness of the decisions first began to arise in 2013 after 14 people whose applications for visas had been rejected complained to the New Zealand Immigration Ombudsman. The 14 decisions were all made by staff at INZ offices in Mumbai and New Delhi.