The Indian government, from time to time, has demanded appropriate answers from their Australian counterparts over the issue of racial attacks happening in the land of Kangaroos. Now, Indian High Commissioner to Australia Sujatha Singh has expressed her concerns for the parents who send their children to study in Australia.

Sujatha has warned that the attacks would have long-term consequences until and unless some strict measures are not taken! On her visit to the Oz land, she said that the recent spate of attacks, especially the ones happening around Melbourne are alarming and it is vital for everyone to know that Indians are filled with rage and anger over the whole issue of what is going on in Australia.

She said that the main issue is the increase in the number of attacks that are disproportionately influencing Indians in a major way. She went on ask various questions whether Indians are really safe in Australia and also, why Indians always end up being the victims if these attacks? Are the culprits given appropriate punishment?

India now demands stern action against whatever has happening with Indians in Oz, in recent times. Sujatha Singh also cross-examined the Aussie Government whether the situation would better out or worsen further!

In her quest of finding answers, she met Victorian premier John Brumby and talked about the measures taken by the Oz government to improve the law and order for overseas students.

Earlier, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith confirmed that some attacks might have a hint of racism cuddled in them!

Alan Johnson was recently addressed by Immigration officer Lisa Lea, who is a part of his own border staff, an incident that left the former red-faced! Lisa called his immigration policies a “waste of time” and quizzed him for the new system crafted for dealing with prospective non-EU students. She also questioned him on the lax and easygoing UK’s border controls.

Mr. Johnson was obviously left embarrassed after Lisa told him that it is required to reintroduce interviews for non-EU student applicants in order to slow down the rate of bogus applicants.

Lisa called the whole procedure “waste of time” and explained how much time is drained in the filling of tedious paperwork by the Border Agency Staff. She also questioned as to why the staff does not interview prospective students as a part of current Immigration policies?

The simplest way, according to her, to know whether a particular applicant is economic migrant or not, is to simply have an interview with him - a procedure that doesn’t happen any more! She also said that paper-based applications are not ample to judge the applicants, and has further lead to a huge hike in the arrivals in the recent times.

Mr. Johnson defended his Immigration policies by saying that the old one WAS NOT FOOLPROOF!

Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesman Chris Huhne said that Lisa’s comment prove that the whole system is not working in a proper manner, and is a proof of Government’s mismanagement!

Hindus in UK are now free to carry out cremation practice in traditional Hindu ways – if they wish to – following a judgment that went in favor of Baba Davender Ghai, a Hindu-origin spiritual leader.

The latest decision overturned the earlier decision made by the High Court stating that Hindu Cremation practices are “dirty and smelly.” The recent decision taken by Lord Neuberger, the most senior judge in the UK, pointed out that Ghai’s demand of having a Hindu-style funeral can be accommodated within the cremation legislation.

His statement “I am over the moon” confirmed his happiness and spoke all about his inner state! He assured that the decision did not mean that from now onwards Hindus have the right to perform cremation ceremonies anytime, anywhere, nor do he wants that! He just wants that the current crematoria should acknowledge the Hindu sentiments and requirements. He also confirmed that Lord Davenport, has offered him a piece of land, which would enable Hindus to perform cremation practice.

Ghai came to UK in 1958. He said that he has spent his entire life by the Hindu scriptures and now he craves to die by them. He said that the decision has poured a new life in an old man’s dreams! He assured that he just wants to clarify the laws rather than disobeying or disrespecting them!

Reports say that the old man has been involved in campaigning for cremation to be performed in Hindu style for so many years. The court has now accepted that his funeral pyre must be performed within an enclosed structure.

In a case of human trafficking, Judge Richard Bray has blamed UK’s Immigration controls after charging Vietnamese siblings for trafficking almost 100 illegal immigrants into UK. The Judge passed his judgment and sentenced Hanh Van Vu, 40, for 11 years of jail as his half sister (also his wife) was jailed for two years.

Reports say that Hanh married his sister, Duc Thi Vu, in order to stay in the UK as both have been sentenced deportation for gaining UK citizenship by wrong methods.

The Judge said that he has done his part of the duty and leave the rest for the Home Officers. He went on to term the UK Immigration controls as “pitiful” and disclosed his apprehensions at the lax immigration rules which allow anyone to enter the premises without any identification.

In fact, the judge was shocked that despite not having a proper documentation, illegal immigrants find it a cakewalk to enter the UK and are let onto the streets without facing any stringent checks or scrutiny.

Duc Thi Vu had lived in Britain under a fake name for 19 years. Hanh Van Vu married her and gained entry into the UK on an illegal basis. He also smuggled a titanic quantity of 100 undocumented immigrants and set them to work only to get “modern form of slavery” in return.

The American Bar System has finally knocked the Congress to revamp the present system for immigration. The alternative should have new and independent courts for the cases pertaining to immigration. This move came about after much pleas and requests from the immigration attorneys and judges. According to the immigration lawyers, the courts in the United States is stumbling upon the weights of the pending cases which tends to rise in its numbers at all times.

During a semiannual meeting in Florida, the lawyers’ organization agreed as part of the vote on a recommendation for a completely independent system of court which is similar to the tax deciding federal courts. The main reason behind such a vote is the constant rise in the number of cases dealing with illegal immigration. The condition of the courts was discussed extensively in a report which was brought out recently.

It has to be noted here that the immigration courts in questions are not at all similar to what it is presumed to be. These courts are not under the federal judiciary and instead are a subsidy of the Department of Justice. The judges conducting are not the actual judges here. They are the employees of the attorney general.

Since 2006, the issue of legalizing all the illegal immigrants has been much talked about. In the meanwhile, the issue of courts has been out of focus. These courts have now become clogged with the entire backlog to such an extent that only an explosion would give it some space to breathe.

According to the 2008 Bar Association Report, around 378,582 immigrants were detained by the officials of the Homeland Security. Off these, more than 358,000 were deported back to their home country. The case was similar last year as well with a total of two hundred and thirty one judges conducted more than 300,000 cases which is thrice the usual load of work for a federal district judge. It is but obvious that these judges are being tested beyond their patience which would simply leave them frustrated and overworked.

Additionally, the asylum cases have made the situation even more complex. The main reason is the fear of violence in the minds of the immigrants after they go back. To this respect, the report stated that there is an increase in the number of immigrants waiting for their turn to come about for a hearing. This has led to the increase in the number of appeals for the decisions made.

All in all, actual immigration reforms are yet to be seen being executed by the Obama administration.

Amends have been brought about in the Australian Immigration policies. The main endeavor behind this is to cater to those jobs which are comparatively higher skilled than others. These occupations include technical professionals such as engineers, doctors and nurses.

According to the Australian Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, those jobs that are currently in need of skills and recruits that are not available in the country would be catered to first. Others such as cooks and hairdressers are in abundant as of now. He said that when this government was formed newly, the hairdressers were being given priority compared to doctors and nurses. This does not hold any significance today.

Mr. Evans also elaborated that around twenty thousand applications have been rejected by the ministry. These applications are those that were filed before September2007. The application fee charged by these applicants would be refunded.

The applications filed after 1st September’2007 and pending for decision as on 8th February’2010 will continue to be processed as per the MODL and CSL lists applicable to such application on the date of filing.

He stressed that the country is not interested in building its unemployed force which is already in good numbers. Instead, those who have the relevant skills to fill in the gap in the shortage areas would be preferred.

Additionally, those students who were studying in Australia had the opportunity to apply for permanent residency may not have the privilege from now on if they do not have the relevant skills on the job list.

The minister also said that students under certain specific categories of visas may be permitted to stay for another eighteen months after they finish their studies. During this period, they would have to find a job for themselves as well as a sponsor. If they find such an employer/sponsor, they may apply for PR or otherwise leave the country.

These changes have brought in mixed responses from the private education industry in Australia which is expected to suffer due to these amends. With these, the attacks on the Indian students are another issue for concern. Keeping these in light, only time can tell what impact these amends would have on the current Australian economy.

With the US immigration system still lacking the necessary amends, it poses the biggest challenge for the Obama administration and the Congress. The issue also has a significant role to play in the coming mid – term elections. This is according to a recent study conducted on the Latino voting patterns.

The report published by America’s voice projects a positive response to the new policies for immigration. According to it, the revised policies are the key aspect for the Latino voters. The slack in revamping these laws would greatly impact as far as forty congressional races, especially in those localities which have a good number of Latinos. These also involve Senate reelection bids for the Harry Reid who is the Majority Leader and others.

Reforms in immigration could be considered as being a form of test or exam specifically in the communities of the Latin. This is as per the president of the Service Employees International Union - Eliseo Medina, regarding the study in a conference call. According to Medina, this is both a policy as well as an issue about getting respect.

The report mentions that there has been a growth of fifty four percent in the number of registered Latino voters between the years 2000 and 2008. This increase has been seen post the presidential campaign in 2008 by Obama and the Democrats which promised revamped laws of immigration. Additionally, seventy five percent of votes were received from the Latinos in 2008.

However, the reforms are yet to come about must to the frustration of the Latinos. There have been protests for not taking appropriate measures and the slack in pushing for reforms and passing an effective bill on immigration.

All in all, there has been a notion with the Republicans are promoting an anti – immigration policy, much to the dismay of the immigrants.

The adjudicators in the UK Parliament feel that the UK Border Agency is not able to handle the intensive number of applications that are coming in and processing them on time. According to a recent report, this lack of management is leading to extensive use of the funds generated from the public. It is also posing threats to the confidence that has been placed on the current immigration system.

According to the report which has been brought out by the ombudsman in the parliament, the Border Agency has to work extensively to ensure that it’s appropriate functioning. The report has been brought out after an independent investigation and has instances where there have been complaints with reference to the governmental agencies. Off these, there are four hundred and seventy eight accusations against the Border Agency itself. These were found out since last June and around thirty three complaints were investigated then by the ombudsman’s office. Ninety seven percent of these were found to have originated from the Border Agency itself.

As per Ann Abraham, one of the ombudsmen, only clearing the backlog is not just enough. More needs to be done in this regard for which a constant effort has to be made to achieve the desired results. Additionally, the standards have to be raised accordingly and avoid the present situation of backlogs in the future. The main reason behind this is the impact of such a situation would cost very badly for both the system as well as the applicants. More so, the faith in this system would be lost if it continues.

With this, the fairness in all the decisions made regarding immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers would also be questioned. This is because those applicants whose cases have been rejected after a long delay would be difficult to be deported. During their stay while awaiting a decision, their roots might have been grounded so deep that it would be difficult for them to be removed. In other words, the circumstances might change which would permit them to live in the United Kingdom.

On the other hand, when the UK Border Agency was approached with these complaints, it was well – acknowledged. With this, it also mentioned that a slow and steady progress is happening on the backlog cases. Around 235,000 cases have been resolved till now.

All in all, what remains to be seen is that the current situation is not aggravated further; instead progress is on the cards.

Some of the most crucial decisions of one’s life come about when it is least expected. It is when you are all relaxed and have forgotten about the rest of the world or your future for that matter. Such an occasion could be best described on a vacation.

You visit a new destination and realize that it is the place that you would want to spend the rest of your life. If you have had such an experience, it is best thing that has ever happened to you. This is because one part of your decision to immigrate has become much easier. You know where to settle down and more so, you have already seen the place.

For instance, you went to Australia on a vacation and you loved the place so much that you want to reside in that country permanently. After you have made your mind on migrating to Australia, the next obvious thing to do is how to go about immigration. More so, whether you are eligible or not for the same.

Here are a few aspects which can help with the same.

What kind of a visa would you require? This basically depends on your purpose of visit. Australia is a great place to set a business or to work and so on. It is of high importance to apply and obtain the correct visa before actually boarding your flight. You would not want to be deported the moment you land in Australia.

If you are visiting as a tourist, you would need to avail a tourist visa. This is known as an ETA Short Stay Tourist visa or a Long Stay Tourist visa. If you intend to travel on business and work purposes, then you need to apply for the Business visas. The visa to be availed depends on your duration of stay in Australia.

How to Apply? It is easier to apply online via the ETA or the Electronic Travel Authority visa. This visa is basically for those individuals whose duration of stay in Australia would not exceed beyond three months. With this visa, no other form of documentation would be required. Your passport would be given a number which is digital in nature. This number is specific to your application.

On the other hand, if you intend to live permanently in Australia, you need to apply under the Skilled Migrant category. Professionals are selected based on the requirements in a specific professional or occupational domain. Those intending to study can apply for the study visa.

Do you need a visa to go to Australia? Citizens of specific countries do not require a passport to visit Australia. These include the citizens of New Zealand or if you are just stopping by in Australia for not more than eight hours. Also, you should have a valid flight ticket and not departing from the transit lounge.

Australia was just one example. It is almost similar with many other countries where you have to apply for the right visa program before you can actually board your plane. To know more, it is best to contact an immigration and visa expert who could further help you with the same.

Making someone overstayed his visa and being categorized as an illegal immigrant is the height of carelessness and irresponsiveness. Such was the situation faced by a Bangladesh worker in Korea, thanks to the delay caused by a provincial immigration office.

On Wednesday, December 16, 2009, Korea’s National Human Rights Commission has asked the immigration office to reinstate the legal status of the Bangladesh worker. The immigration office failed to extend the worker’s visa on time. According to the Commission, the person applied to change his visa type long back, but when he visited the office to confirm the approval he found that his status was already illegal.

The National Human Rights Commission which the person had filed a complaint with found the immigration office guilty of the mishap and thus urging the latter to reinstate the immigrant’s status, without imposing any disadvantage on the person in the future.

To avoid such hassles, it is always advised to hire the services of a proficient Immigration and Visa expert and go for a smooth application process.