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From 17 October 2005, all visa applicants in Tanzania wishing to come to the United Kingdom for a period longer than six months will need to provide a certificate confirming that they are free from infectious tuberculosis (TB) with their visa application. Applications without a certificate will be refused and visa fees will not be refunded.
US President George W. Bush sought support for his guest worker plan for foreigners, hoping to persuade conservatives by promising to fight illegal immigration. Bush and his advisers are caught between their business supporters, who believe the economy needs foreign workers, and conservatives whose priority is to get tough on illegal immigration. "As we improve and expand our efforts to secure our borders, we must also recognise that enforcement cannot work unless it is part of a larger comprehensive immigration reform programme," Bush said on 18 Oct.
Immigrants to Canada frequently comment that the country is very peaceful -- especially compared to their home countries. A total of 82 people from 30 countries, from El Salvador to Ethiopia to China, were sworn in as citizens on 17 Oct. in a ceremony that marked the start of Citizenship Week.
"It's a great country to live in," said Aji Awid, 24, who came to Canada three years ago from Lebanon. "You feel the peace here."
Pennymichael Atta-Mensah, 35, who is from Ghana, decided to become a Canadian after attending a peacekeeping course in Nova Scotia as a member of Ghana's military in 1999.
The terrible earthquake in Northern Pakistan on 8 October caused no damage to the British High Commission premises in Pakistan or India. Much of the embassy staff is now working to support the government and people of the affected areas.
From 17 October 2005, it will take longer to process a UK visa when applications are made at Posts that are now carrying out fingerprint checks. Some visa applicants could wait for up to seven days for a decision on their visa application. This is a temporary measure and the Home Office is working with colleagues at the IND to reduce the response time.The Home Office is currently recording biometric data in the form of electronic fingerprint scans from visa applicants applying at its visa sections in Sri Lanka, Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Tanzania and Rwanda.
A populist politician known for his anti-immigration statements has become New Zealand's new Foreign Minister. Winston Peters, who promotes racial profiling of Muslims, will become the public face of New Zealand on the world stage.
New Zealand's wild election ride came to an extraordinary finish this week as Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark pieced together what some call a bizarre minority Government with Mr Peters as Foreign Minister.