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Immigration Minister Chris Bowen is expected to announce a change in Australia's points based system to encourage immigration of highly skilled professionals with good qualifications.
It is hoped that changes to the points based system will encourage foreign students with high level Australian qualifications to seek permanent residence. It seems likely that immigration will become more difficult for those with trade qualifications and experience in lower-skilled occupations.
Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen and Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Jon Stanhope have announced the ACT State Migration Plan, part of an initiative to attract skilled immigrants to the State to try and deal with labor shortages.
The European Union has said that you will soon no longer need a visit visa to visit the EU if you are a national of Bosnia or Albania. It is hoped that this will encourage democratic reforms in the Balkan states. However, the EU warned that visit visa requirements may be reimposed if there are problems with visitors from Bosnia and Albania.
A planned free trade agreement between the European Union and India could lead to increased immigration of Indians to the EU.
The free trade agreement would make it easier for Indian IT workers, engineers, and managers to live and work in the EU in return for greater access for European companies to India's enormous domestic market.
In her first major speech on immigration, UK Home Secretary Theresa May stated that her goal was to bring in more high-value migrants to the UK, such as investors and research scientists, while at the same time encouraging employers to fill vacant jobs with local unemployed workers.
"The government intends to control immigration by focusing on all aspects of the immigration system, not just the points-based system," May said.
The UK Government has decided to abandon its plans to implement an 'earned citizenship' policy which was due to go into effect in July of 2011.
Earned citizenship would require immigrants to apply for 'probationary citizenship' instead of permanent residence (indefinite leave to remain).
Currently, an immigrant living in the UK can apply for permanent residence after about five years, after which they can live in the UK indefinitely.