Immigration news

Australia's population has grown to 21 million in 2007, helped in part by record immigration levels. The country is experiencing the largest immigration influx in decades.

Software giant Microsoft announced that it will open a new Microsoft Canada Development Centre in Vancouver, Canada in response to the challenge of bringing in enough foreign workers into the United States.

Rotimi Adebari made history recently by being elected Ireland's first black mayor to the town of Portlaoise in the County Laois. The 43 year old Nigerian man fled his country in 2000 because of religious persecution.

The United States is in the process of changing the citizenship and naturalization test. The goal is to make the questions reflect more closely information about the U.S. that will actually be useful for new citizens to know.

One of the key issues of U.S. President George W. Bush's presidency dissolved in the United States Senate late last week. 53 of 100 Senators voted against limiting further debate on the immigration reform bill, effectively keeping it from being finalized and voted on.

Portugal has begun its six-month term at the helm of the European Union presidency, effective from 01 July 2007. There are a number of difficult and controversial issues that have been inherited.