According to the Statistics department, the population of Singapore is now more than 5 million. About a third of this population consists of those people who are of foreign origin. As of now, the total population of the nation is 5.08 million which was recorded in June end. The information was revealed during a statement made by the department.

From the above figure, about 3.23 million people are local citizens and another 540,000 are permanent residents. These permanent residents are of foreign origin residing in Singapore. Another 1.3 million people are professionals and workers from overseas who are residing in Singapore along with their dependents. This caters to about thirty six percent of foreigners amongst the entire population in the nation.

In 2010, the growth rate of the population was about 1.8%. This projects a decrease in the total number of permanent residents as well as workers of foreign origin coming into the nation. At the same time, there was an increase of about 1.5% in the number of permanent residents. This was however reduced where compared to the growth rate between 2005 and 2009 where in the rate was about 6%.

On the other hand, there was a slight downfall when it came to non-residents and those residing on professional employment passes and short-term work permits. The growth rate slowed to rest at 4.1%. This rate was as high as 19% in 2008 and about 15% in 2007.

Due to the lack of skilled population, the government of the nation had let in foreign migrants into the nation. This number increased constantly between 2004 and 2007 during the boom in the economy.

However, the economic downturn in 2008, a fresh thought was given by the nation’s government on its open-door policy. This also came about after the local citizens started complaining about foreigners competing when it came to jobs, medical care as well as housing.

Despite being rated very high in global surveys when it came to the quality of life, recently there have been symptoms of urban stress in the nation and so on.

With immigration cap being set in by the UK government for immigrants coming from the non-EU nations, another turn of events has taken place now. This time, it’s the cut on Aussies walking into Britain. This has come about after a release which stated new figures projecting an increase in the total immigration to UK.

Prior to elections, a promise was made by the Conservative Party a few months back there would be a cap on the total immigration and would be brought down to less than 100,000 in a single year. This would be done by lowering the total number of economic immigrants from nations such as Australia and so on which are not a part of the European Union.

However, the recent figures projected that the net immigration saw a rise when compared to last year. There was an increase from 163,000 to 196,000 which clearly shows that there would soon be a steep cut in immigration.

Already, the government of David Cameron has implemented an interim cut of 5% on the total number of skilled migrants who are being granted a visa. These include those people who are not the citizens of the European Union nations. At the same time, the employers are being consulted with regarding how to go about implementing long term cuts which would be executed next year.

The Australian firms which are functioning in London intend to join the British companies to participate in the process of consultation which would take place in the coming weeks. They believe that the British government should not make it tough for the foreign employees to come to Britain or to hire foreign skilled migrants.

The main reason behind this sudden rise in the number of immigrants has been the constant influx of foreign migrants to study where as less Britons were leaving the nation. This number dropped to 36,000 last year from 90,000 in 2008. So, the only way to bring about a balance is to cut down on net immigration. At the same time, being a member of the EU means that the EU citizens have to be permitted free access into the nation at all times. This leaves the nation with no choice but to cut down on the immigration from the non-EU nations.

It is being planned by the New Zealand government to grant interim visas to all those foreigners who have been living in the nation on residential permits which have expired. This way they could continue to reside in the nation while they could submit new applications and are being considered in the meantime. As per the present rules, those immigrants living in the nation on either work permits or residential permits; these permits tend to expire automatically as soon as visa expires.

According to Jonathan Coleman, the Immigration Minister for New Zealand, this visa been brought about as a part of the New Immigration legislation. This would be implemented for the applicants to obtain from November in this year itself. He also said that a new program for sponsorship which would enable the various governmental departments as well as the organizations to sponsor foreign migrants under the rules of the Talent and Visitor policies. This would also cater to the needs of the sponsorship as well as those of the stakeholders.

This would be a huge alleviation for all the foreign migrants residing in the country of New Zealand. This is because this would enable them to work on a temporary basis after their visa has expired. In the process, a new application could be filed. This would make it much easier for these migrants.

The Mayoral Campaign in Toronto has taken a new turn with the main candidates voicing their indignation towards the remarks made by Rob Ford regarding immigration. All those condemning the statements made by Ford included Rocco Rossi, George Smitherman, Sarah Thompson and Joe Pantalone who where present at the City Hall.

According to the polls, Ford is ahead in the race for the replacement of Mayor David Miller. He said that the city might not able to cater to more immigrants in the next ten years. As of now, it is difficult with even 2.5 million people in the city. It is more essential to cater to those people before bringing in more. He also highlighted towards the long queues for public housing and he even supposed if it could increase to 200,000.

He also says that his opponents are merely twisting his words. As per him it is important to deal with the initial 2.5 million first. It is but obvious that the rest cannot be afforded right now. At the same time, he also said that he supports immigration. And that his words are being skewed.

On the other hand, Ford has not at any point mentioned about cutting on immigration or not welcoming foreign migrants to Toronto. However, it does not seem that his opponents are satisfied.

As per the official plan estimates for the city of Toronto, the population is expected to rise by another million in the next decade. This would mainly include migrants.

According to the figures of the International Passenger Movement, rate of immigration to Australia has fallen greatly. The annual trend is around 174,000 by the middle of this year. This number is only a bit more than the half of what was earlier recorded peak rate was in 2008.

These statistics have been brought out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). It projected that there were 605,140 long term arrivals which consisted of Australian residents coming back after residing overseas for more than 12 months. Others include foreign migrants coming to the nation as permanent residents or for a residence of more than a year.

In the last one year, it was also noticed that the long-term departures were about 362,050. These consisted of people who were residents and have left the nation to live overseas for more than a year. This also includes temporary visitors. Data for 2009 shows that the movement of passengers was exaggerated for net immigration to Australia by more than 2000 a month. Also, when it comes to the figures pertaining to travel, they tend to changed and are not adjusted on a seasonal basis. So, only estimations could be made.

Details regarding the above figures and its estimations were also reported by the ABS. Above all, the figures seem to adhere that the growth in population which was used for the estimations in the recent labor forces is strong comparatively. This has led to a growth in jobs which are again exaggerated by quite a margin.

It has been urged by the Group Managing Director of Coca-Cola in Australia to make the rules pertaining to immigration less stringent. According to him, the nation gains from permitting foreign migrants to live, work or study in Australia. The visa requirements should be a bit relaxed which would permit the Australian companies to train the foreign professionals in the nation.

Mr. Terry Davis said that the nation would hate to lose out on the opinion of being an open state which accepts and embraces all cultures and is an open society. As per him, the migrants from Greece and Italy who immigrated to Australia half a century ago have been an asset to the nation. He said these words during a lunch at the Australian Institute of Company Directors while he spoke to the journalists post lunch.

At the same time, while answering the question pertaining to the number of visas to be issued, he feels that the level of immigration is a different debate altogether. This would rely upon many different considerations in terms of the nation and the inflow of people at a given time.

Mr. Davis also voiced out to support more number of international students to come and study in Australia. As per him, he would want to hire the best and the brightest from the universities in Australia irrespective of where these students came from.

Above all, it can be easily said that despite the rules being changed, there is at least one from the corporate world in Australia who believes that immigration is important for the development of the nation.

Australia is one of the prosperous nations in the world and one of the destinations where in immigrants are invited to contribute to its economy. In order to apply for immigration to Australia, an applicant must belong to a profession that is mentioned in the ANZSCO list. This list has those jobs which are short of skills from the local labor. And so, the nation invites foreign migrants to come and work.

The ANZSCO list consists of two sub lists known as the Schedule 3 and Schedule 4. Those occupations which are listed in Schedule 3 have to be applied for under the General Skilled Migrant category where as those in Schedule 4 have to be applied for via the Sponsored (State Nomination/Blood Relation) or under Regional Programs. The occupation of Taxation Accountant falls in both the above mentioned lists.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• The professional is expected to assist in developing policies for accounts and budgets.
• He has to evaluate costs pertaining to operations as well as the income of the organization and its expenditure.
• He has to introduce as well as maintain systems of accounting and cater to advice pertaining to selection and implementation of accounting systems which are computer based.
• He has to maintain the internal control systems as well.
• He has to intermediate between the financial institutions and the brokers so as to cater to arrangements pertaining to funds management.
• He has to conduct investigations pertaining to finances, make reports, advice on issues like sale and purchase of business, capital financing, mergers, insolvency and taxation etc.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree or higher education.
• In some cases, both qualification as well as relevant experience is required to qualify for the same.
• On the job training might be required in specific cases.

Write to us at ajay@abhinav.com if you are intending to immigrate to seek better opportunities for work and life.

Two Indians were arrested for working in an Indian restaurant in Scotland illegally. The two Indian nationals have been pressed with charges. These people would be deported soon. A raid was conducted which led to the discovery of these two Indians. This raid took place in Paisley at a restaurant named Ajuba.

A fine of twenty thousand pounds has been charged on the restaurant owner for allowing people to work without a work permit. The two arrested Indian citizens were aged 25 and 34 years. They did not have the permission to work in the United Kingdom.

According to the Regional Director of the UK Border Agency in Scotland and Northern Ireland, Phil Taylor, foreign migrants are permitted to work in areas where there is a shortage of the necessary skills. At the same time, if immigrants are found to be ignoring the laws, the UK government would find and deport them from the nation.

According to the owner of the Ajuba restaurant, Gurarmit Singh, the younger of the two men arrested was employed on a trial basis and was to bring his documents where as the other Indian was not employed by the restaurant. He also said that he cannot afford 20,000 pounds as fine. It is a fresh business for him where in things are not going on as per the plans.

With more people permanently settling outside their home countries in search of better facilities and job opportunities, any change in the immigration law can either increase or decrease their prospects of foreign settlement. And they will always be curious to know the reasons behind any modifications in the law.

To give a brief background, Chris Evans, the Minister for Australian Immigration compared the Skilled Migrant Program to a scheme extremely useful for the economy of the country. This program has helped Australia in its economic development to a large extent. Migrants from foreign countries come with fresh and innovative ideas, enthusiastic in their spirits to work and progress in their life. They come to Australia from their homeland to make a mark in their field.

Recent changes made in the Skilled Immigration Program have been incorporated to give it a new form to make the best use of it. These changes were recently implemented to remain focused on the goal that is to attract those applicants whose skills are required for the nation. With the implementation of new changes, the preference is now given to those applicants who fall on the Critical Skills List. Previously, visa application was assessed on the basis of the Migration Occupation Demand List (MODL) which used to make it easier for the applicants to enter Australia.

This was creating a problem for the Australian employees, as more than half of the Australian doctors, dentists and pharmacists were foreign migrants and this led to the shortages of employees in other professions creating an imbalance. The new law really worked as the number of employees in the nursing field and other general categories after the abolition of MODL increased by 50% in comparison to the previous year when the Critical Skills List was not introduced.

The elimination of the MODL was due to its inability to serve the right purpose for which it was meant for. The applicants who qualified under the MODL were given extra points and this used to tempt most of the foreigners to opt for mainly for those professions which come under the MODL. Through this, they could obtain the permanent residency visa of Australia. Many overseas students were opting for only those courses through which they could enter into such professions which again can come under MODL.

These changes have been incorporated keeping the nation’s interests in view and to maintain the balance between the various fields. But the general scenario shows that migrants from different countries are still pursuing those professions through which they can acquire permanent residency in Australia. The reasons could be many such as better job opportunities, higher standards of living which comes with comfort and luxury that they couldn’t afford in their home countries.

Canada is expected to fall short of skilled workforce with major part of its population aging. As per the Conference Board of Canada, there would be a shortage of the human resources in the coming years starting 2015 to 2030 when the number of retirements would increase. According to the Board, an increase in the rate of immigration could be a possible answer to this problem. As per the data in 2008, the current rate of immigration involves permitting around 250,000 people per year. This number is being planned to be extended by another 100,000 to make it 350,000 intakes annually.

Despite increasing the number of immigrants walking into the country, the aging trend cannot be reversed. However, a balance would be maintained catering to the skill and labor shortages. This would ensure a stable growth of population during the above mentioned period of forecast.

It is being presumed by the Conference Board that the rate of 350,000 immigrants each year till 2030 are being considered as positive and would be the answer to all their problems. Although, the resources are not enough to build a growth pattern for the economy that is required to support the relevant social programs.

Despite inviting more immigrants to live and work in Canada, there would be challenges from other nations as well which would further increase the competition to target foreign migrants.

According to a spokesperson from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the government of Canada is planning on a number between 240,000 and 265,000 immigrants annually. This range can easily be considered as one amongst the highest for the industrialized nations. More so, there is no target available catering to long-term immigration. However, the immigration program has been evolving regularly over a period of time with the changing trends in economic goals.