Over 180,000 students from different countries look forward for an Australian Education.
(no pictures)They flock the country with an expectancy to get the best education from a reputed first-class education provider. Each with armed plans to pursue internationally acclaimed courses in a progressive, dynamic and conducive learning environment. Aside from being a nice place to get a first class education, it is a great place to live. The place has a reputation of being one of the most amiable countries in the world, which is at the same time, safe, fresh, clean and has a low crime rate. Australian lifestyle is also one of the best in the world. prawled cities are rated as the most sought after places to live. Looking at the cost of living, research found that the country appears with cities Melbourne and Sydney to be numbers 15th and 36th of the most expensive cities to live. London is ranked 3rd while new York is in number 22. The economy is strong with low employment rate. This implies that international students who wish to work won't be having problems landing for one. Most Australian educational institutions give liberty to students to do independent learning. The approach is more flexible honing up the character of being responsible in meeting the necessary requirements demanded by the course. For some students who fail to meet the deadline of submissions, they won't be bothered being chase after for late requirements. The method of learning is a mixture of tutorial, laboratory and practical sessions. This method has lesser contact hours and invites an avenue for a more self-directed task. Students will be trained to work independently with minimal supervision. However, for tutorial discussion, they experience a more active and vocal interaction. The casual and relaxed attitude of studying does not imply playing hooky and being irresponsible. The method is purposely to develop a well trained independent learner. Inside the rooms, students call their teachers and lecturers not by titles instead by their first names. Since Australians look after themselves as an “egalitarian nation”, it means everybody is in equal footing. No one is treated with a special attention. International students having trouble during the transition period have lots of ways to seek help. Universities and educational institutions have international student offices where counselors can help directly in learning to cope. Seminars and special lectures are help to help improve conversational English as well as other related academic subject areas. To avail an application to study in Australia, it can be made directly to the school the student intends to study or through and agent or counselor in the student's country. Every institution has its own unique set of requirements for application depending on the courses of study. Education adviser can assist with enrollment and visa application. List of the sets of requirements can be obtained from Education Centers or the Australian Embassy. The process of application should begin about twelve months before the intended enrollment. Students who are waiting for results from final examinations are given provisional acceptance which is base on the student's past scholastic performance. These details should be supplied when applying for admission to an institution: A detailed account of previous study in full, attached with copies of qualifications already awarded. An evidence of an English language proficiency. (that is, appropriate IELTS score or as accepted by the institution) An evidence of sufficient funds to cover all costs in line with the period of study The application forms and supporting documents are given to either a local agent or directly to school. Once the application is accepted, the enrolling institution will send a letter offering a place in the chosen field and requesting a partial payment of the tuition fee and health insurance. Once these are settled, the school will issue a Confirmation of Enrollment (eCoE). This evidence the qualification for applying for a student visa. Myrthle Robillos - National Visas --- http://www.nationalvisas.com.au http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/blog http://australiavisas.blogspot.com/

Contributed by: amerie

The Edge of Having a Visa Advantage Service
(no pictures)More and more people flock Australia to visit its famous natural beauty and some to stay for good. Alongside every attempt to step on Australian territory are strict compliance to standard requirements.

Contributed by: amerie

Minimum salary increase for skilled workers
(no pictures)The minimum salary level (MSL) for occupations that are eligible for the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) has increased by 3.8 per cent from August 1. The MSL increase for the ENS follows the recent announcement by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, of a similar increase to the MSL for the subclass 457 visa program. The ENS is a common pathway to permanent residence for skilled workers who are working in Australia on a temporary basis, such as 457 visa holders. The MSL changes will ensure the program closely aligns with the 457 program and helps to maintain the integrity of Australia’s skilled migration programs. The standard MSL will increase to $43 440, while the MSL for ICT professionals will increase to $59 477. These increases will only apply to positions that are nominated under the ENS from August 1. Existing ENS visa holders, as well as employer nominations for positions lodged before August 1, will not be affected by the MSL increase. Source: http://australiavisas.blogspot.com/2008/08/minimum-salary-increase-for-skilled.html Visa for Australia and Australia Visa Application made easy! Australian Working Visa made possible to easily have one! Visit Australia Immigration at http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/parent/parentvisas.htm --- http://www.nationalvisas.com.au http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/blog

Contributed by: amerie

North Pole & Total Solar Eclipse

From July 20 to August 3, 2008 over 250 passengers, staff and crew sailed on the Russian Icebreaker, 50 Years of Victory, to reach the North Pole and then to Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya to witness a total eclipse of the sun.

Contributed by: aussie

More Kiwis than Brits move to Oz
(no pictures)The number of New Zealanders crossing the Tasman increased by nearly 5000 in the past year, outstripping the United Kingdom as the largest source of permanent migrants to Australia. Department of Immigration statistics released today show 23,906 New Zealanders migrated to Australia in the 2006-07 financial year, up from 19,033 the previous year. The number of UK migrants remained steady at 23,223 in 2006-07, having topped New Zealand for the previous three years. Numbers of New Zealanders migrating to Australia annually has almost doubled in the past four years, with just 12,366 Kiwis crossing the Tasman in 2002-03. The biggest trans-Tasman drain happened in 2000-01 when 26,106 New Zealanders migrated to Australia, before a pronounced dip in the next two years in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the United States. A study of more than 300 New Zealand migrants this year by PhD graduate Dr Alison Green, of Queensland's Bond University, cited economic benefits, a better climate, wanting a change, and a sense of adventure as factors in their move. But while Kiwis generally said they were "highly satisfied" with their new lives in Australia, they retained a strong sense of loyalty, Dr Green's study found. "They largely consider Kiwi culture to be distinctly different from Aussie culture, are fiercely patriotic, and often view New Zealand as better," she said. In releasing the statistics from a report documenting settler arrivals between 1996 and 2007, Australian Federal Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Kevin Andrews, said New Zealand and the UK accounted 33.6 percent of all settler arrivals in the past year. The report said the next largest source countries were India (13,496 settlers, up from 11,286 the previous year), China (12,009, up from 10,581) and the Philippines (5561, up from 4871). - stuff.co.nz Visa for Australia and Australia Visa Application made easy! Australian Working Visa made possible to easily have one! Visit Australia Immigration at http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/parent/parentvisas.htm --- http://www.nationalvisas.com.au http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/blog

Contributed by: amerie

Helsinki and Tallinn

I spent a total of seven days in Helsinki each side of my Arctic trip and this included a day trip to Tallinn in Estonia.

Contributed by: aussie

Aussies find love in global market
(no pictures)TENS of thousands of Aussies are finding love overseas each year and bringing their partners home, new figures show. The Immigration Department issued about 40,000 spouse visas last year, up 7000 on 2004-05. The size of the intake is staggering when it is noted that the total number of marriages conducted in Australia annually is little more than 100,000. The top source country for spouses in 2006-07 was Britain with 5085 visas, down by about 400 on the previous year. Next were China (4124) and India (3095), which recorded big increases on the numbers in 2004-05, according to data obtained by the Herald Sun. The spouse intake, which rose by 4000 during the last year, comprises about 80 per cent of family migration. Like so many others, Indian migrant Arun Bopaiah, 32, returned to his homeland two years ago and married Divya. Mr Bopaiah, a technician who lives in Keysborough, said it was important to find a partner from India. "I'm born and brought up in India. I had no one here," he said. "My parents live in India. It's good to have all the families together when you get married. That's the reason we go back to India." Mr Bopaiah said his wife, an electronic engineer, came to Australia in January and now works in research and development. A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said the increase in partner visas was driven by demand from young, skilled professionals who found love while they were travelling or working overseas. "This is perhaps a result of the affordability of airfares and in the increased opportunities to work in regional offices overseas," she said. "We know that many of the spouses/partners are also skilled." But Monash University demographer Bob Birrell said this explanation mainly applied to spouses from countries like Britain. Dr Birrell said most of the growth in partner visas came from developed nations where the urge to migrate was strong. "There is enormous pressure to get out of countries like China and India," he said. "Young people of marriagable age are going back to their country of origin and getting the pick of the crop." The total migrant intake for 2007-08 is expected to reach 166,000, the highest figure since the huge migration waves of the late 1960s. It will include 102,500 skilled arrivals, 50,000 family reunion and 13,000 humanitarian. - John Masanauskas, Herald Sun Visa for Australia and Australia Visa Application made easy! Australian Working Visa made possible to easily have one! Visit Australia Immigration at http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/parent/parentvisas.htm --- http://www.nationalvisas.com.au http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/blog

Contributed by: amerie

16,000 Indians seek to make Australia home
(no pictures)As many as 15,865 Indians sought permanent residence in Australia under the skilled migration programme in 2006-2007, making them the second largest group in the category after Britons. The figure seems to belie fears that freed terror suspect Muhammad Haneef's case would deter prospective Indians from making Australia their home. Partha Mukherjee, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, came to Australia three years ago with his wife under the skilled migrant programme. He says, "I had power, position and wealth in Mumbai, but chose to migrate to Sydney for the quality of life this country offers. I wanted a balanced work and family life." Mukherjee works as an engineering consultant and teaches international business at the university. However, his three children are doing their schooling and college in India. He says, "I feel if you really want to achieve high, India and the United States offer more opportunities for success." India ranks second amongst the top five countries of origin for skilled stream entrants. Britain leads the way with 24,800 skilled migrants coming Down Under, followed by India (15,865), China (14,688), South Africa (4,293) and Malaysia (3,838). Despite steady economic growth for the last decade or so, Australia is facing a serious skills shortage with the ageing workforce retiring in greater numbers. The top occupation for skilled stream entrants is accountancy (10,688), followed by computing professionals (4,044) and registered nurses (2,088). Other top professions included mechanical engineers, civil engineers, marketing specialists and general managers. A growing number of people also want to bring their spouses back to Australia and form a family and live here. A total of 50,079 family stream visas were granted for the year, representing 33 percent of the total migration programme. For instance, Mamta, 29, came to Australia last year on a spouse visa, which she got six months after getting married. Her husband, an electrical engineer, had come to Sydney four years ago under the skilled migrant programme. India ranks third with 3,634 migrants coming here under the family stream. Britain once again leads with 6,540 family stream entrants followed by China (6,037), Philippines (3,098) and Vietnam (3,040). Joe Hockey, the federal minister for employment and workplace relations noted, "The inclusion of architects and quantity surveyors among Migration Occupations in the Demand List (MODL) will be welcomed by employers, particularly those in the resources and construction industries. "Changes to the MODL will also benefit Australia's international competitiveness as a provider of high quality aircraft maintenance and servicing." The MODL includes 38 managerial and professional occupations, one associate professional occupation, 10 computing specializations and 46 trade occupations. Occupations and specializations identified on the MODL gain extra points for people applying for a points-tested General Skilled Migration visa. The average age of skilled stream entrants (primary) is 31 years. Out of a total of 148,200 permanent visas granted during 2006-07, 97,920 were permanent skilled visas, representing 66 percent of the total migration programme. Australia is competing for skilled workers with other developed countries in Europe, the US, Canada and New Zealand. Visa for Australia and Australia Visa Application made easy! Australian Working Visa made possible to easily have one! Visit Australia Immigration at http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/parent/parentvisas.htm --- http://www.nationalvisas.com.au http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/blog

Contributed by: amerie

Capping of Contributory Parent category visas
(no pictures)The Department of Immigration and Citizenship today announced the capping of a series of Contributory Parent visa categories in light of continued high demand for these visas. Caps are determined by the minister and used to ensure that the planning levels for various components of the migration program are not exceeded. The numbers for particular subclasses were determined by the relative demand for each visa subclass as a proportion of the total planning level. Once a specified visa class cap is reached, no more visas can be granted for the remainder of the migration program year, which in this case is the end of June 2008. It is important to note the capping power does not affect visa grants for applicants who have previously been granted a temporaryContributory Parent visa and who are now applicants for the corresponding permanent Contributory Parent visa. The total planning level for Contributory Parent visas for 2007-08 is 3500. The visa subclasses and the new caps are as follows: Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) (Class UU(T)) (Subclass 884): 29 Contributory Aged Parent (Class DG (P)) (Subclass 864): 300 Contributory Parent (Temporary) (Class UT (T)) (Subclass 173): 650 Offshore Subclass 143 – Contributory Parent (Class CA (P)): 2521 Source - http://www.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2008/d08036.htm Visa for Australia and Australia Visa Application made easy! Australian Working Visa made possible to easily have one! Visit Australia Immigration at http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/parent/parentvisas.htm --- http://www.nationalvisas.com.au http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/blog

Contributed by: amerie

My fun-filled time in USA

Earthquakes,The Flu, fun, drama, cold, meeting lovely people....what more can I say.... It was great.

Contributed by: dede