Topical:
On 08 May 2007, Australia's Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews announced an additional 5,000 places to the Skilled Migration Stream, bringing the total 2007-08 quota to 102,500 places. The family stream remained the same at 50,000 from last year, bringing to total Migration Programme quota to 152,800.
Immigration reached record levels last year for the Northern European nation of Norway. In 2006, Statistics Norway (SSB) found that 45,800 immigrants arrived in the country and 22,100 people left, for a total net immigration of 23,700 people - 30% higher than 2005. Considering that it has one of the highest standards of living in the world, it should not be very surprising that people want to relocate to Norway.
In a legislative draft put forward by two members of Russia's parliament, migrants planning to work longer than a year in Russia will be required to pass a Russian language test. Russia is currently dealing with controversy over high levels of immigration, mostly from former Soviet Union countries. Conflicts with migrants from Georgia have specifically been reported on in the last year.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on 04 May 2007 that they have received enough petitions requesting exemptions to fill the quota of 20,000. The exemptions are for "foreign workers who have earned a master's degree or higher from a U.S. institution of higher education."
Normal H-1B petitions not subject to exemptions are capped at 65,000 per fiscal year.
London mayor Ken Livingston has voiced his concern over the retrospective changes to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) visa scheme. He is urging the government of the United Kingdom to reverse the changes that could force thousands of HSMP visa holders to leave the country.
Belgian police held Bassam Naim, Palestinian Youth and Sports Minister, on board his plane 04 May 2007 after the Netherlands withdrew his entry visa for being a senior member of Hamas. The European Union, the United States and Australia all consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization.