New Zealand has a patchy record on Muslim immigration

Donald Trump's attack on Islam, particularly his efforts to impose a temporary travel ban from seven (recently changed to six) predominantly Muslim countries, has rightly caused outrage in this country.

Some of the comments seem to suggest though that the events in the United States during these early weeks of the Trump administration are a type of madness unimaginable in New Zealand. We haven't come anywhere close to a "Muslim ban", but this country's past policies in relation to Muslim immigration are by no means beyond reproach. Could populist and xenophobic policies surface in future?

Discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and religion characterised New Zealand's immigration and refugee policy until the late 1980s. The country wanted British immigrants. Small numbers of refugees from the Middle East began arriving in New Zealand from the late 1970s, comprising people of Baha'i and Christian backgrounds.

The admission of Muslim refugees remained controversial. In response to pressure from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to resettle Iranian refugees in 1985, New Zealand said that it wasn't prepared to accept any Iranian refugees other than those of the Baha'i faith. In the mid 1980s, churches and groups (such as Islamic Associations) approached the New Zealand government to accept refugees from Afghanistan.

New Zealand was unwilling to accept more than a very small number largely due to the perception that the refugees, who were "devout" Muslims from rural often nomadic backgrounds, would have difficulty fitting in.

The 1987 Immigration Act reflected a major policy shift. It ushered in the selection of immigrants on the basis of their skills and qualifications rather than their ethnicity and religion. New Zealand's refugee quota of 800 (later reduced to 750) was set up at this time.

The refugees would be accepted because of their need for protection (and sometimes on a regional basis) not on the basis of their religion or ethnicity. Refugees from the Middle East and Africa, who were Muslim, arrived in significant numbers, escaping war, famine and economic collapse which displaced millions of people.

Among the newcomers were Somali refugees who arrived in the early 1990s. Staff at the organisation then charged with settling refugees recalled the debate about their acceptance. There was anxiety about their being Muslim. What if they are fundamentalists? What about female circumcision?

There were concerns about the group of 50 Muslim refugees from Saudi Arabia New Zealand accepted in the mid 1990s after the Gulf War.

According to some people involved in refugee resettlement at that time, the issue was not religious bias against the Muslim faith but ease of settlement in the community. If the cultural differences were too large, the community wouldn't cope. If the community couldn't accept the refugees, their chances of having good settlement outcomes were poor.

Increased security concerns after the terrorist attacks of September 2001 (9/11) impacted on the selection of refugees, with immigration reports on quota composition referring to the need to ensure that cases did not pose a security risk. The high-profile case of Algerian asylum seeker Ahmed Zaoui, a lecturer in Islamic traditions, shows how the new security concerns affected the way New Zealand dealt with asylum seekers.

Zaoui arrived in New Zealand in 2002, seeking political asylum. He was detained and transferred to the maximum security prison at Paremoremo, where he was kept in isolation for 240 days. In 2003, New Zealand declined Zaoui's application for refugee status on the grounds that though he had a well-founded fear of persecution in Algeria, there were "serious reasons" for considering that he had committed terrorist or non-political crimes. Read More: stuff

Missing Chinese tourist found in Taupo

A Chinese tourist who went missing after leaving her Auckland hotel room last week has been found in Taupo, police say. 

Police located 42-year-old Ling Fang Mai at a Taupo address last night.

Mai initially arrived in Auckland last Wednesday as part of a tour group and spent the afternoon visiting the Mt Eden summit before checking into a motel in Parnell around 8pm.

That night, she told her roommate she was going for a walk but never returned. 

It is understood she was in New Zealand on a one month tourist visa.

On Tuesday, Mai contacted a family member in China to say she was OK.

However, detective inspector Aaron Pascoe said police continued to look for her as the circumstances of her disappearance and the single contact with her family did not fully allay concerns for her welfare. 

A team of officers had been making enquiries about her whereabouts since her disappearance and located her at a Taupo address.

A great deal of time and effort went into looking for her, he said. Source: stuff

How to Apply for Australian Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)

Australian Immigration is the most favorite destination for the immigrants of the world. Immigration laws in Australia are quite friendly for the immigrants. If you are planning to apply for Australian immigration then the present time is pretty good for you. The Australian government wants to save its friendly environment from the extremists.

Skilled individuals are warmly welcomed by the Australian government. If you are a Pakistani national and looking for Australian Immigration for Pakistani then you can make your dreams true easily. The first important step in this immigration is the invitation to apply. Once you get an invitation to apply then the all next steps are very easy to follow.

If you are invited to apply for Skilled Nominated Subclass 190 visa then you have to put a deep eye over the 60 days limitation. These 60 days are very crucial because you must file the application along with all the required documents in this specific period. The whole procedure to file your application is online.

The provided data in your application will tell your interest about the category head. The Expression of Interests will disclose your interest for the post you applied. You should submit authentic proof about your skills because it will boost your application among the other applicants. If you failed to file the authentic proofs of your skill then you might lose your immigration chance for Skilled Nominated Visa.

There are three important steps to follow:

1.    Submit Online Application

2.    Documents Checklist

3.    Provide Family Particulars

Submit Online Application

The process to file your application is online. Australia introduced online application system several years ago. You must submit your application under the head of Skill select.  The original application fee must be paid through credit card. If you have dependents and they are above 18 years of age then you must pay the extra fee according to the requirements.

Documents Checklist

All the important and necessary documents must be attached with the online application. These documents show your interest in your preferred skill select head. This head is known as Documents Checklist. You must attach the original or certified copies of the documents as per the directions.  If your documents are not in the English language then you must attach the translated documents. Moreover, this translation must be done by the recognized translator. All documents must be scanned and attached properly. If you think that an additional documents or details are necessary to be uploaded then you must inform to the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Provide Family Particulars

Under this head, you must provide all necessary particulars about your family and dependents; spouse, children, parents, actual partner, and same-sex mates. This is an important requirement in the process of Skilled Nominated Subclass 190 visa and for all other immigrations.

Australian Immigration is at the top of the list of all immigrations. Australia is a multicultural country and full of natural resources. Wildlife and maritime view make it more attractive place to settle.

Tempted To Move Out Of The U.S.? New Zealand Wants To Help You Escape

Right after the presidential election, visits from U.S. citizens to the Immigration New Zealand website soared. Think 56,300 visits in 24 hours versus the usual average of 2,300. And New Zealand Now — a website about living, working, studying and investing in the country — experienced the same spike, with a 192% increase in U.S. visitors. Even Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg joked before the election that she might move to New Zealand if Trump won.

While some Americans might not have been serious about their intent to leave the country, 

The city has launched an initiative called LookSee Wellington. The goal? To recruit 100 talented technology candidates from across the globe, with a focus on the United States. The program arranges meetings with prospective employers who have roles that match a candidate's skills, and flights and accommodations are covered.

But here’s the thing: Whether you work in the tech industry or not, Wellington is a great place to live. Diversity is celebrated, gay marriage is legal and the first female leader was elected more than 20 years ago. If you hold a work visa valid for two years or more, public healthcare is free or low cost. The city also has more restaurants, cafes and bars per capita than New York City. And New Zealand has been called an "incubation nation," a place where innovation thrives and where people can make a real change and have impact.

We interviewed one expat who has already made the move: San Francisco native Alanna Irving (formerly Krause), who is cofounder of both Loomio, an online tool for collaborative decision-making, and Enspiral, a social entrepreneurship network. Here, Alanna tells why she relocated to Wellington — and why you should, too.

Begley Bloom: What inspired you to move to Wellington?

Irving: I traveled and lived in different countries throughout my twenties, just sort of jumping from one opportunity to the next. It was great, but I eventually came to realize that I wanted to make more considered choices, connect to a community more deeply and find meaningful work that wasn't "just a job." When I discovered a thriving community of social entrepreneurs in such a fantastic city, I knew it was a place I could continually learn and grow, personally and professionally. I've been here over six years, and that's still true.

Begley Bloom: How did you find out about Wellington? 

Irving: I originally came to New Zealand on a working holiday visa, with no particular plan to stay long term. At the time, I was just hopping from country to country soaking up experiences. But once I got to Wellington, I pretty much knew I wouldn't want to leave after only one year.

Begley Bloom: Tell me about your companies. When did you start them? What were you doing before?

Irving: My resume before I got here was all over the place. I started a web design company in the U.S., was a translator in Japan, worked in IT in London, studied in Spain and volunteered in India. I didn't know how all these different experiences were going to add up to a career — or if they ever would. When I arrived in Wellington in 2011, I encountered entrepreneurs using the tools of business and software for positive social impact in exciting ways. All my different experiences actually prepared me perfectly to work at the intersection of people, tech, business and impact, so I jumped into Enspiral. It grew from just a few software developers to a network of over 300 people with diverse skills, who want to use their working lives to make the world a better place. A group of us founded Loomio in 2012, when entrepreneurs from Enspiral and activists from the Occupy movement realized we actually needed to solve the same problem: effective decision-making without meetings. We started a worker-owned co-op and built an online tool that's now used by thousands of groups around the world. Read More: forbes

Australian tourists visiting the U.S. 'forced to take in-person INTERVIEWS' before being granted visas under tough new Donald Trump border control laws

Australian tourists may be forced to undergo an interview with U.S. officials under Donald Trump's tough new border control plans.
The president is considering an executive order that would suspend a 90-day tourist visa program that allows visitors to enter the U.S. simply by filling out an online form with biographical information.

This means tourists would have to sit an interview in person before entering the U.S., the Los Angeles reported.
The newspaper cited a draft executive order which would immediately suspend the Visa Interview Waiver Program.

This means 'all individuals seeking a non-immigrant visa, undergo an in-person interview, subject to specific statutory exceptions'.
If this happens, Australians wishing to visit the U.S. on a tourist visa would have to queue for hours at a U.S. consulate, as visitors seeking work visas already do.

They would bring their passport and be asked about their criminal history.
The news comes a day after New South Wales Christian conservative politician Fred Nile revealed he was denied a U.S. visa, to witness President Trump's inauguration, for security reasons. 

President Trump is also considering blocking all refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days and banning people from Muslim terror hot spots, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The draft order temporarily suspends the US refugee program while new vetting procedures are put in place and stops refugees from Syria being admitted indefinitely until a security screening review is completed.

Many of the asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island, who tried to reach Australia, are from Syria and the other targeted terror hot spot countries.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer has confirmed President Trump will announce details of his 'Keeping America Safe' plan later this week.

It could affect Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's deal with former president Barack Obama's administration to have asylum seekers from Nauru and Manus Island sent to the United States.

Powerful members of the Republican-controlled Congress were outraged when it was revealed Turnbull and Obama had struck the agreements without their input.
If Trump torpedoes the refugee deal it will be the second major blow he has delivered to the Australian prime minister this week.

Trump signed an executive order on Monday withdrawing America's involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement with Australia and 10 other Pacific countries.
The Australian government, however, is holding out hope the strong relationship Australia has with the U.S. will keep the refugee deal alive.

'We look forward to working with President Trump, his administration, and in particular Secretary of Homeland Security General John Kelly, on this issue and many others of shared interest in the years ahead,' Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told AAP on Wednesday.

'We will continue to work with our friends in the United States on the arrangement but will not provide a running commentary through the media.'  Source: dailymail

Govt agencies at loggerheads over visa application

Two government agencies are in a legal scrap over an Indian student who claims he did not know his visa application was tainted by fraud.

Navneet Singh was in limbo while he waited to see who would prevail: the Immigration and Protection Tribunal, which granted him an eight month visa; or Immigration New Zealand which said the tribunal exceeded its powers.

Court documents have shown that immigration officials worried that if Mr Singh received the interim visa it would set a bad precedent, contrary to the government's harder-nosed approach to crack down on fraud in the foreign student industry in the last 10 months.

If Immigration won out, it would confirm Mr Singh was liable for deportation.

Mr Singh completed a level five business diploma in April last year, then applied for a second student visa to do level six study.

Meantime, it was revealed that the sponsor - his uncle - and the bank account he declared when applying for his first visa had not been used to pay his tuition or living expenses here, so his application was refused.

He appealed to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal on humanitarian grounds, saying he trusted the education agent in India who submitted the fraudulent bank documents without him knowing.

But the tribunal said he was ultimately responsible for the visa information he provided, and that he did not deny it was wrong.

It rejected his appeal overall on the grounds that his case was not that unusual - for the appeal to succeed there had to be "exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature".

He did not have family here and could readily return to life in India, the tribunal said. He had received the level five business diploma he had studied for, it noted.

However, the tribunal directed that he be given an eight-month visa to let him finish his level six business studies course, which he had already paid for.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Immigration have appealed, arguing the decision was tantamount to the tribunal creating a de facto right of appeal for students.

The next court hearing would be held next month. Source: radionz

Australian Senator Malcolm Roberts 'a bit simple' to call for Kiwi immigration controls, says Labour's Kelvin Davis

An Australian senator's call for immigration controls on Kiwis to be reviewed in response to a UN resolution on Israeli settlements is "absolutely nuts", Labour says.

Kelvin Davis, who as Labour's Corrections spokesman has campaigned against deportations of New Zealand citizens from Australia, said One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts was "a bit simple" whose time in politics is "denying a village somewhere in Australia of its idiot".

"We shouldn't be surprised at One Nation's low IQ politics ... New Zealand at the UN stood up for what they believe is right. One Nation stands for hate and division and brighter people than Malcolm Roberts have decided the way to peace is not to engage in conflict," Davis told Newstalk ZB.

READ MORE:
Aussie political party calls for Kiwis to be punished over UN resolution

New Zealand co-sponsored a resolution in the United Nations Security Council last month criticising Israeli settlements as violating international law and undermining a two-state solution with Palestine.

The resolution was passed 14-0 at the last council meeting of 2016, and New Zealand's last meeting in its two-year term as an elected member of the Security Council. Crucially, the US abstained.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his foreign ministry to temporarily limit ties with the 12 UNSC members that voted in favour of the resolution, being Britain, France, Russia, China, Japan, Ukraine, Angola, Egypt, Uruguay, Spain, Senegal and New Zealand.

Source: nzherald