Media

'First, the government is cutting the permanent migration program by a cumulative 120,000 places over four years. The new cap is 160,000 per annum, down from the cap of 190,000. The average intake over the last five years has been 183,000... Second, the government is introducing strong incentives for new international students to choose locations outside of the big capital cities'.

'Australia's Tamil Refugee Council say detention is playing on the health of a family facing deportation to Sri Lanka'.

'An Aussie family was left in limbo after a father and son were trapped in the US waiting on a visa so they could return home'.

'Regional housing markets are surging in some areas as the effects of the Sydney and Melbourne booms trickle down to those outside the major cities'.

'Aged care providers are now able to hire overseas workers with specialised skills that will support older Australians from multicultural backgrounds'

'Tonga's entry into the Scheme will provide more Tongan workers access to skills development opportunities, while also helping fill labour shortages in rural and regional Australia'

'Regional employers and skilled migrants wanting to live and work in regional areas will be given access to priority processing on visa applications'

'An Australian passport is not evidence of a person’s citizenship,” said the department, which noted passports were issued to non-citizens prior to a law change in 2005'

'Criminal syndicates are using counterfeiting networks in Malaysia to smuggle people into Australia, exploiting a relaxed visa agreement between the countries'.

'Today marks Australian Citizenship Day, a time to recognise the value and significance of Australian citizenship and celebrate the contribution of all Australians to our great nation'.