The Brazil Trade Bureau shows that the number of visitor visas issued to Australians has increased 16% since 2003. Visa applications are up 38%, with 16,000 visas issued to Australians in 2008 compared to just 7,690 in 2003.

Australians apply for visas for South American adventures, like Machu Picchu

Travel industry experts attribute the South America travel frenzy to cheaper flights, which have led to more promotion of flight routes and greater competition amongst airlines. It’s possible to fly between Sydney and Argentina or Chile for just over $1200, and to Brazil or Peru for around $1400.

Claudia Manwarring of Brazil’s Trade Bureau says: “We know for a fact that extra flights and extra packages with new destinations within Brazil have been contributing to this increase.

“These products would not have come into the market if there was no demand. Our perception is that the current traveller is looking for something different.”

South America holds plenty of ‘different’ activities and destinations within its borders, but it’s also a springboard for another very different leisure pursuit: Antarctica cruises, which depart from Argentina. Increased South American travel is a lucky by-product of rising demand for the cruises.

Visa requirements vary in South American countries based on travellers’ destination, country of origin, and reason for visiting. Brazil is known for having more stringent requirements for foreign travellers compared to surrounding countries. UK passport holders do not currently require visas to travel in Brazil, however, nationals of the US and Australia must obtain tourist visas.

Graduates from University of Cape town may move to Australia

The number of Australian immigrants from South Africa rose by 10% on last year. But the Australian Embassy in Pretoria is aware of the impact that ‘cherry picking’ out the most skilled workers can have on a developing country.

For this reason, the embassy is not advertising Australian immigration in South Africa with the same vigour it does in other counties. It’s a conscious attempt to in an not exacerbate the problem.

But the ‘brain drain’ of skilled South African labour to Australia continues because a basic principle of Australian immigration is to not discriminate.

The Pretoria-based Australia embassy says: “”We do not discriminate on the grounds of country, colour or creed… People from all countries have the same right and opportunity to live and work in Australia”.

Entry requirements into Australia include being under 45-years old and having a skill or qualification that is on their Critical List of skill shortages.

No one can directly buy their way into Australia either. 

Yet this still often results in the underclasses being stranded in the ghetto, because only the wealthier can afford a good education.

This problem sounds serious, but the number of South African immigrants remains small in comparison to those making the move to Australia from other countries.

The South African born population makes up just 0.5% of the Australian population, a country were 25% of all residents were born outside Australia.

Despite a 10% rise from last year, the number of South Africans applying for an Australia visa is still significantly lower than the highs of 2003.

Snoop Dogg had to fight for his Australian visa

As you may have read in the news, US rap artist Ja Rule who was forced to cancel one of his shows in Sydney after Australian immigration officials delayed the processing of his visa application.

Poor Ja Rule. He’s had to hastily re-schedule his tour and new waits to have a fresh visa application granted.

But he’s not the only rap star to have felt the full force of the Australian Immigration Department.

In March 2009, Californian-born, Grammy Award winning rapper Coolio, was arrested at Los Angeles airport for possessiion of illegal drug substances. He had to cancel two gigs in Brisbane and Melbourne as a result.

Arguably the mother of all immigration-versus-rap star feuds came when Snoop Dogg attempted to enter Australia in 2007.

The ex-gang member and former jailbird was not allowed to enter the country after Australian Immigration officials judged against him on grounds of character. The rap star has a string of convictions, ranging from drug offences to possession of firearms.

Snoop went on to miss his scheduled appearance at the MTV Australian Video Music Awards and his ban remained in place for several other attempts at visiting the country.

Snoop’s ban was not lifted by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (ADIC) until the following year. The ADIC said: “In making this decision, the department weighed his criminal convictions agsinst his previous behaviour while in Australia, recent conduct – including charity work – and any likely risk to the Australian community… We took into account all relevant factors and, on balance, the department decided to grant the visa.”

The tribulations of rapper’s travels in Australia continued, when, in 2008, JoJo, from R&B outfit K-Ci and JoJofainted, on stage during a live set in Sydney. To be fair, he did manage to get his Australian visa without any bother.

Australian Immigration may be one of the strictest in the world, but it still doesn’t explain all the bad luck that has followed the rap stars itrying to get into the country.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Join the latest Global Visas 'hot' debate

With strikes set to take place across Britain by UK immigration officials, travellers are looking at a holiday season that may descend into farce.  Are British Border bureaucrats the bugbear of travellers and UK visa seekers worldwide or do worse exist?

Who are the ultimate global offenders of immigration regulations gone mad?

Tell us your nightmare stories and join the debate to discover which country has the worst immigration staff.

Truth about Australia visas is out there

The Truth is out there. Just not always on news sites on the internet.

I’ve just spent the morning separating fact from fiction; sacred truth from scaremongering.

It all started when our editorial team picked up on a breaking story published on a number of global news sources today.

These articles were all claiming that ‘over 40,000′ foreign students currently based in Australia and holding a valid Australian visa, could find themselves unable to stay in the country following recent visa policy changes.

They even had a scary quote from leading migration expert, Dr. Bob Birrell of Monash University, Melbourne to stand up the headlines.

“The changes will make it much more difficult for those students to obtain permanent residency,” Birrell was supposedly on record as a harbringer of doom for Australian international students all over their adopted country.

But it’s time to tell it like it REALLY is. Applying for a visa is a complex, expensive and emotional process as it is, without adding misinformation into the mix. Please trust Global Visas with the following facts about new Australian visa rules:

Yes – there are changes to the Critical List, a priority processing list for certain professions.

Yes – certain vocational occupations like plumbing, welding and carpentry have been taken off the Critical List.

Yes - these vocational trades are still in demand in certain Australian states and territories which supersede the revamped Critical List.

Yes – vocational trades still qualify for permanent residency, but do note: once the target amount of Australian work visas is reached, no new Permanent Residency permits will be issued until the following year.

No – overseas students seeking a permanent Australia visa after graduating will not be deported and can still aply for permanent work visas.

Yes – policy changes will only affect processing times for Permanent Residency Australian visas.

So, do not let the policy changes stop a move to Australia. Even more relevantly, the changes certainly don’t mean you’ll have to leave the country or cut short your stay. And if you are an international student currently holding a valid visa and looking to live and work in Australia – ignore the balderdash and go for it!

A work visa can boost your brainpower

Don’t just take Global Visas’ word for it that living and working abroad is better for your mental health. A research project has proved there is actually a proven link between improved creativity and living abroad.

The study was conducted by two psychologists, William Maddux of INSEAD, a business school in Fontainebleau, France, and Adam Galinsky, of the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago. Their findings were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and a brief overview of their work is summarised below, in an article featured on the Economist.com website:

Maddux and Galinksky conducted two experiments to test their theory. The first, asked 155 American business students and 55 foreign ones studying in America with a test used by psychologists as a measure of creativity.

To check that they had not merely discovered that creative people are more likely to choose to live abroad, Dr Maddux and Dr Galinsky identified and measured personality traits, such as openness to new experiences, that are known to predict creativity. They then used statistical controls to filter out such factors. Even after that had been done, the statistical relationship between living abroad and creativity remained, indicating that it is something from the experience of living in foreign parts that helps foster creativity.

Given a candle, some matches and a box of drawing pins, the students were asked to attach the candle to a cardboard wall so that no wax would drip on the floor when the candle was lit. (The solution is to use the box as a candleholder and fix it to the wall with the pins.) They found 60% of students who were either living abroad or had spent some time doing so, solved the problem, whereas only 42% of those who had not lived abroad did so.

A follow-up study with 72 Americans and 36 foreigners explored their creative negotiating skills. Pairs of students were asked to play the role of a seller of a petrol station who then needed to get a job and a buyer who would need to hire staff to run the business. The two were likely to reach an impasse because the buyer had been told he could not afford what the seller was told was his minimum price. Nevertheless, where both negotiators had lived abroad 70% struck a deal in which the seller was offered a management job at the petrol station in return for a lower asking price. When neither of the negotiators had lived abroad, none was able to reach a deal.

Given the importance of creativity to working practices and individual self-development and the relevance of multicultural experience in our increasingly globalised world, such research is of insignificance for anyone who makes the effort to obtain a work visa and live abroad, or for employers who recruit from an international pool of workers.

The weather
The Australian summer falls from December to February and is dry and very hot. Australians typically wear factor 30+ sunscreen as skin cancer is common. However, the weather is a fantastic plus-point to settling in Australia and is a great excuse to make the most of the beaches and water sports, available to everyone living near the coast.

Water safety
It is essential to take note of water safety flags when visiting an Australian beach. A red and yellow flag indicates that the beach is being patrolled and it is safe to swim.

Electricity
Australian immigrants may need to replace some of their electrical goods with devices that can be used with the Australian 230V 50Hz electricity supply. People moving from abroad can use a plug adapter, but again, they may want to replace plugs for long-term use.

Trading hours and holidays
Trading hours are much like elsewhere, in that they begin at 9am and end at 5pm, although shops in larger towns and cities may stay open until around 9pm. Supermarkets generally stay open until 9pm from Monday to Friday. Christmas, New Years and Easter Holidays are as per most Western countries, but there is also Australia Day on 26th January and ANZAC Day on 25th April. There are also several State holidays. School holidays also differ in each State, but all have four terms with the main Summer holiday running from mid to late December through to around 26th January.

Crime
Crime in Australia’s cities is comparable to that in any city of the world and as such, newcomers need to bear in mind that they should keep their bags safe and attended at all times to avoid being targeting by pick-pockets.

Tipping
Tipping is not compulsory in Australia and people tend to only tip when service is very good. However, a 10% good and service tax is added restaurant bills.

Emergency numbers
The number of the emergency services in Australia is 000, which is free to call.

For more information about Australia immigration and your Australian visa requirements, let Global Visas be your one stop immigration advice and solution finder.

Life's a beach for Australian visa holders

Worried industry leaders in Australia are lobbying the Federal Government to expand its Australia visa programme, warning that the state will struggle to meet its two million population target and future skills demand without changes to Australian immigration policies.

With an estimated 20,000 new jobs needed to be created to retain status quo, it is a strange paradox that Australia finds itself also suffering the effects of increasing unemployment figures.

More jobs but more people out of work. How can it be so?

The reason is that many Australians do not want to take jobs in sectors like the hospitality industry. Such jobs are viewed as menial, low paid and low status.

For overseas workers who move to Australia on an Australian visa, the opportunity to work in hospitality and move to Australia is viewed as more attractive.

Industry heads see the future of sustaining growth in industries such as hospitality lies in recruiting from a largely immigrant workforce. And this, many argue, calls for reforms in Australia visa regulations to allow immigrants an easier path into the country and to find work in Australia.

With more jobs available and potentially less bureaucracy to obtain your work visa in Australia, this can only be good news for anyone seriously considering Australian immigration.

1.  Patience is paramount in the visa process.
We all know someone who thinks the rules don’t apply to them.  But Immigration laws apply to everyone equally and the process takes time. In only very exceptional cases, fast tracking visas is possible,  but in most cases, the visa process must run its set course. Make sure you plan well head, allowing plenty of time for the visa(s) to be granted.

2.  Don’t book a flight until the visa has been issued.
This may sound like obvious advice, but even the most straightforward cases can be delayed.  Recently we had a client who booked a flight thinking the case visa would be issued in ample time. Unfortunately the employee’s passport was expiring within six months and this prevented a visa being granted.  The visa would have taken 24 hours to secure. His passport took six weeks to renew.

3.  Visa restrictions last longer than you think
Every visa comes with rules and conditions that must be adhered to. And that means even after your employee has arrived in ther host country. Your company must continue to track and manage their visa status any changes to their role, leave your employment, or extend their stay beyond their visa expiry date, then such changes must be reported to the relevant authorities and the visa amended. A visa only ceases to be an issue after your employee has returned back to their home country.

4.  Be prepared for others’ mistakes
It is not uncommon for a government employee to misread a form and then reject a perfectly acceptable case, or for a busy line manager to forget to sign a box.  Don’t panic! Immigration decisions made in error are common and there are procedures to correct them.  Managers in host countries often do not recognise the importance of just one form but with a close eye these things can be picked up early enough not to affect the case.

5.  Keep it simple
Your business maybe rocket science or even dealing with complex brain surgery. But that should not make securing your work permit any more difficult.  Immigration laws are the same regardless of what your company does.  The law is blind to certain details even if they are critical to your business.  When dealing with visas, keep it simple and only focus on the laws and what they are asking for to administer that law.  Ensure  your explanations on visa applications meet the requirement of the Immigration law only.  Offering explanations of how complex your business is will only confuse the officer charged with dealing with the case.  Stay focused on the rules.

6.  Protect your brand
Governments the world over need to show they are no pushover when it comes to enforcing Immigration law. Do not allow your brand to become that ’six o clock news’ example.  Always aim to ensure your staff remain compliant with the Immigration law at all times in all countries.  Immigration audits which show up any negative issues can have an adverse impact on a business’s reputation and should be avoided.  Even if you make a mistake but tried your best that will go a long way in your favour.

7.  Use a reputable Immigration consultancy
Make sure any immigration consultancy you use is up to the job. Do they have registered offices? Do their staff have the experience and, most importantly, are they qualified to address Immigration issues for the host country that you require?  In many regions across the world local “immigration advisors” operate with no supervision or control.  Their limited resources and knowledge can lead to difficulties and should be avoided.  Aim to secure the services of a company that is able to assist pre-departure and has offices in the host country.

8. Understand dependents
Dependents of employees often want to study or work in the host country.  Usually it’s a straightforward process to make the necessary arrangements or to explain why they are unable to do so if restrictions apply. Whatever the outcome, dependents are as important to the main applicant as his or her own visa.  The visa process may change depending on when the dependents apply for their visa.  Polygamous marriages are banned in many countries but acceptable in others, as are gay marriages and the maximum age a child can be a dependent.  Make sure you take into account all the issues before confirming a secondment the expat declines later due to family reasons.

9.  Localised staff can bring you benefits
Many on expat benefits find it hard to give them up, but a company can make big savings if they localise their expats quickly.  If a person elects to stay in a host country, you should be ready to arrange residency and even citizenship in that country.  It will mark the end of expatriate status and localise the employee in a supportive way.

10.  If in any doubt, ask
Immigration law tends to be one of the most complex areas of any country’s legislation.  Our team are always happy to answer our clients’ questions and we would prefer they confirmed facts rather than assumed them.  Our reputation is attached to the success of our clients international mobility programs and we want to get it right 100% of the time.  Whatever your question, we want to hear about them because you are important and so is your business

For all your work visa needs, let Global Visas be your one stop immigration advice and solution finder.

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islandreefjob.com

Tourism Queensland’s dream job to be caretaker of Hamilton Island, a remote, sun drenched atoll on the Great Barrier Reef, has been whittled down to 50 candidates from 22 countries.

The marketing campaign seduced 34,800 applicants that want to work in Australia for $150,000 a year job, in a multi-million dollar villa (for free), with all travel expenses paid.

The job itself includes producing videos for the web, keeping a blog and updating the photo diary for the whole of Hamilton Island (five square kilometres).

The catch?

So it sounds too good to be true and for some it could be, for others it might get better. The job only lasts for 6 months. Sure you get a great salary, a stunning location and you can even bring a friend or your family along with you but six months sounds like a very short time. Some people I’ve spoken to say it would take them 6 months to get to know their job and into a routine. By the time this fortunate individual gets into their job it will be time for them to go home.

I haven’t studied the finalists, if you want you can view them here and even leave a vote, I just hope they pick someone intelligent, knows how to engage their audience and doesn’t behave like a Big Brother participant.

Did you apply?

Canada leads the way with 7 successful entrants, followed by the US (6), Australia (6) and UK (4).

Finalists from eighteen other countries including Ireland, India, China, Japan, France, Russia and the Netherlands will also battle it out for the chance to fly to the island and pitch to relocate to Australia for six months. The lucky finalist can bring a friend or family and is expected to start work on 1 July 2009.

The cunning advertising campaign has brought unprecedented worldwide exposure to Tourism Queensland, highlighting the natural beauty the territory offers but giving little hope to the many thousands of job applicants wanting to move to Australia with only one job to fill.

Real opportunities

For more realistic opportunities for you to live and work in Australia, with the added benefit of Australian citizenship after four years, forward your CV to Global Visas today or complete our online assessment form on this page.

Global Visas has exciting opportunities for qualified:

• Managers and administrators
• Computing professionals
• Engineers
• Medical practitioners

You may qualify if you:

• are under 45
• speak English
• have recent paid employment of 12 months in the last 24

Forward your CV to jobsaustralia@globalvisas.com