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An increase in immigration leads to economic growth in Europe -- not to job losses, as popularly feared -- according to a report published 13 May. The study into the effect of immigration on wages and employment in Europe concludes that new workers are absorbed and jobs are created.
France, which says it has between 200,000 and 400,000 illegal immigrants, on May 11 announced tough new measures to end the flow of illegal immigrants. These measures include rules to stop arranged marriages and the use of biometric visas.
France is just the latest European country to increase efforts to stop illegal immigration, adopting policies that favor the regularization of skilled foreign workers.
Some states are threatening to challenge and even disobey new orders from the US Congress to bring in uniform procedures for obtaining driver's licenses throughout the US which would mean verifying the citizenship or legal status of people applying for a drivers license.
There is concern among some states that they'll have to pay a lot of money to implement the new rules and that getting a driver's license will become a bigger headache for average people.
The United States Congress on 10 May approved major changes to its immigration law, creating a special E-3 visa for Australian citizens only. There will be 10,500 such visas available, allowing Australians to live and work in America for up to two years.
Spain has granted amnesty to 700,000 illegal immigrants, the Guardian reports. The Spanish Government hopes this will help to end exploitation of those working secretly in the black economy.
Illegal workers and their employers were given a three-month period to apply for Spanish residence and work permits. The Socialist Government claimed that 80 to 90 percent of the country's illegal workers had taken advantage of the opportunity.
Canadian human resources specialists are eager to bring German skilled workers to Canada. They say that many skilled German workers are also interested in migrating to Canada.
According to personnel director Dan Newell, many are looking for a new life in Canada. He recently visited Germany on an eight-day fact-finding trip to recruit skilled workers. He says he found that labour from other parts of Europe is putting skilled German workers out of work.