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The Minister of Immigration for New Zealand approved changes to the temporary entry policy today. Current and future holders of a New Zealand visa under the "General Work or Specific Purpose or Event" policy may no longer be granted work or student visas.
Five illegal immigrants have been arrested after turning up for work to clean a British Home Office building. They were working for a firm contracted by the UK Immigration and Nationality Directorate's (IND) Becket House, in central London.
A Home Office spokesman said the Nigerian cleaners were arrested on their first day after standard checks.
There was a flurry of activity earlier this month in the Senate and by President Bush over proposals on immigration reform and the president's plan to send thousands of National Guard troops to the Mexican border to help stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States.
The Bush administration sent Congress a request for $1.9 billion to cover the costs of steps he announced Monday night, including the deployment of up to 6,000 troops to states along the Mexican border -- California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Under legislation introduced to Parliament 11 May, 2006, all unauthorized boat arrivals will be processed off-shore. In an announcement, the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Amanda Vanstone stated that this was to ensure that Australia's strong border protection policies would not be undermined.
Australia has a "working holiday maker (WHM)" programme that allows foreign visitors to earn money while temporarily travelling in Australia. Persons qualifying for this type of visa may also study in Australia for a short time.
Under a bill submitted this month, the program will be altered to expand these opportunities. Young people will now be able to stay longer with one employer and study an extra month while they are in Australia, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Amanda Vanstone announced on 09 May, 2006.
As anticipated during the past several days, President Bush gave a prime-time speech on American television to add his administrations opinion to the election year immigration debate in the United States.
Intense debate has been on-going over immigration reform in the US, with many concerned about non-Americans taking jobs in a struggling economy. Approximately 13 million people currently reside illegally in the US, an estimated 11 million of who are from Latin American countries. Often their ethnicity is referred to as Hispanic or Latino, though the actual racial background is somewhat more complex than that.