Page 3 - Immigration

India, Taiwan sign migration agreement to strengthen bilateral cooperation

India and Taiwan on Friday signed a migration and mobility agreement that will facilitate the employment of Indian workers in diverse sectors in the self-ruled island, a move that is seen as reflective of the renewed momentum in the cooperation between the two sides. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed at a virtual ceremony by Director General of the India-Taipei Association (ITA) Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav and Baushuan Ger, the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in New Delhi. In order to strengthen the bilateral labour cooperation relations, Taiwan and India have signed an MoU, Taiwan's labour ministry said. Both sides were engaged in discussions over the pact for the last several years. After all the preparatory work is completed, India will be announced as a "new source" country of migrant workers in accordance with the law, the Taiwanese labour ministry said. Taiwan's current source countries for migrant workers are Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippine

The deadly business of restricting immigration

While xenophobia remains a constant in American life, anti-immigrant policies have consequences beyond borders. Two recent books, spanning different periods in history, illustrate this point

506 foreign nationals found staying illegally in Navi Mumbai: Police

The Navi Mumbai police have found 506 foreign nationals, including 411 Nigerians, who were residing illegally in their jurisdiction in the past year, a senior official said on Saturday. These persons had either entered India without proper documentation or overstayed their visas, he said. The police came across these during raids and searches conducted as part of their efforts to crack down on the sale of drugs in the area, said Navi Mumbai police chief Milind Bharambe. Many of the 411 Nigerians were found to be involved in drug-related offences, he said. The police have also initiated action against landlords who sheltered illegal foreigners in their properties. A total of 483 foreigners, identified as staying illegally in Navi Mumbai, have been served notices to leave the country, the official said.

Another Indian student found dead in US, third such case within a week

Another Indian student in the United States named Shreyas Reddy has been found dead in Cincinnati, Ohio, making it the third such case within a week

German State Secy invites Indians to explore opportunities in Germany

Leonie Gebers emphasised the great potential of India and expressed Germany's interest in collaborating across different sectors

Trump praises Texas governor on clash with Biden govt over immigration

Former President Donald Trump lavished praise Saturday on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for not allowing the Biden administration entry to remove razor wire in a popular corridor for migrants illegally entering the US in an escalating feud over immigration. In a speech focused overwhelmingly on border security, Trump said Texas should be given full support in its measures to deter migrants along the US-Mexico border. The state is restricting the US Border Patrol after the Supreme Court cleared the way for these federal agents to cut or remove the sharp metal barrier. When I'm president, instead of trying to send Texas a restraining order, I will send them reinforcements, Trump told a crowd of supporters in Las Vegas, where he rallied on an indoor soccer field in a largely Latino neighbourhood. Instead of fighting border states, I will use every resource tool and authority of the U.S. president to defend the United States of America from this horrible invasion that is taking place right ...

Rishi Sunak's Rwanda migration bill suffers blow in Britain's Parliament

The upper house of Britain's Parliament has urged the Conservative government not to ratify a migration treaty with Rwanda. It's a largely symbolic move, but signals more opposition to come for the stalled and contentious plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to the African nation. The House of Lords voted by 214 to 171 on Monday evening to delay the treaty that paves the way for the deportation plan. The treaty and an accompanying bill are the pillars of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak 's bid to overcome a block on the deportations by the UK Supreme Court. Members of the Lords, who are appointed rather than elected, backed a motion saying Parliament should not ratify the pact until ministers can show Rwanda is safe. John Kerr, a former diplomat who sits in the Lords, said the Rwanda plan was incompatible with our responsibilities under international human rights law. The considerations of international law and national reputation... convince me that it wouldn't be right to

Canadian govt announces two-year cap on number of student visas: Report

For 2024, the federal government aims to approve 3,60,000 undergraduate study permits, reducing the number by 35 per cent from 2023

Gujarat police to coordinate with passengers who returned from France

The Gujarat Police have formed teams to unearth a suspected illegal immigration network involving "agents" and will coordinate with the passengers of a plane that has landed in Mumbai from France, a senior official said. Many passengers of the plane hail from Gujarat, he said. The aircraft, an Airbus A340, carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking. It landed in Mumbai in the wee hours on Tuesday. "The CID crime wants to take action against agents who had promised help to the victims to enter the US and other countries (illegally). We have formed four teams which will get information from the victims regarding promises made to them by these agents," Superintendent of Police, CID (Crime), Sanjay Kharat said. He said most of the passengers on the chartered plane that returned from France were from Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana and Anand districts in Gujarat. "Police will coordinate with the passengers when they reach

Macron defends divisive immigration bill, denies govt's tilt to far right

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that a contentious immigration bill backed by the far right is imperfect and needs some fixes but is what the French wanted," and is not a victory for the far right. The president on a much-listened-to talk show explained and defended the divisive immigration bill that critics claim plays into the hands of Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally group at the National Assembly. It's the fruit of a compromise, Macron said. Critics claim the bill in part mimics the far-right party's long-standing demand for national preference by which the French, not foreigners, must profit from the riches of the land. The bill strengthens France's ability to deport foreigners considered undesirable and makes it tougher for foreigners to take advantage of social welfare, among other measures. Some decried it as a betrayal of French values. It passed the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, with a 349-186 vote late Tuesday

Macron's govt faces heat as France approves divisive immigration bill

French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist government faced an uproar on Wednesday after parliament approved a divisive immigration bill backed by the far right. The bill, meant to strengthen France's ability to deport foreigners considered undesirable, passed the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, with a 349-186 vote late Tuesday. It had been adopted by the Senate. Macron's health minister resigned to show his opposition to the draft legislation, and some left-leaning lawmakers in the centrist alliance decided to abstain or vote against it. Interior Minister Grald Darmanin, who championed the bill, said the government wants greater firmness against foreign offenders. Who here can say that we must allow criminals, people on our land, who attack us, attack our professors, and who attack our police forces and who attack the youth on the cafe terraces, without reacting? he said in a speech at the National Assembly. He singled out the recent school attack where a teach

Talks on border security grind on as Trump invokes Nazi-era blood rhetoric

Negotiators rushed to reach a US border security deal on Sunday that would unlock President Joe Biden's request for billions of dollars worth of military aid for Ukraine and other national security needs before senators leave town for the holiday recess. The Biden administration, which is becoming more deeply involved in the talks, is facing pressure from all sides over any deal. The administration and Senate negotiators had hoped to reach a framework by the weekend, but that's deeply uncertain. The talks come as Donald Trump, the Republican presidential frontrunner in 2024, delivered alarming anti-immigrant remarks about blood purity over the weekend, echoing Nazi slogans of World War II to cheers at a political rally. They're poisoning the blood of our country, Trump said about the record numbers of immigrants coming to the US without immediate legal status. Speaking in the early-voting state of New Hampshire, Trump, drew on words similar to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kempf as the forme

Centre boosts CISF personnel headcount to avoid congestion at airports

Steps up efforts to ensure smooth passenger flow during Christmas and New Year

Dunki explained: What is the donkey flight illegal immigration method?

The Punjabi idiom 'dunki' refers to hopping from place to place before crossing illegally into a nation. Here is a closer look into the method and what it entails

Australia plans to halve migrant intake, impose tougher tests for students

Australia on Monday said it would slash the annual migrant intake from a record high of 510,000 by 50 per cent within two years by imposing tougher tests on overseas students and turning away workers with low skills. The move could affect Indian students who are planning to go to Australia for higher studies. The Indian-born group recorded the largest increase in population in the country since 2012, according to a recent report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The new migration strategy will demand students pass a stronger English-language test and will require them to prove they are genuine students before they enter the country while making it harder for them to stay if they do not find jobs that help fix the nation's skills shortages, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Australia's net migration will be halved within two years in a dramatic move to slash the annual intake from a record high of 510,000 by imposing tougher tests on overseas students and turning away workers

Australian govt to announce its strategy for slowing immigration next week

"The new strategy we'll announce will bring immigration back to sustainable levels," he told reporters Saturday in Sydney

Canada stricts measures for int'l students, financial requirements raised

The changes, set to take effect from January 1, 2024, include a substantial increase in the cost-of-living financial requirement for study permit applicants

UK PM Sunak announces steps to crack down on soaring immigration rate

Sunak described the new measures as the government's 'radical action' to bring down the immigration rate, adding the steps would ensure that immigration benefits the UK

Assam immigration: SC hears pleas to examine validity of Citizenship Act

A five-judge Supreme Court bench on Tuesday commenced hearing on 17 petitions to examine the constitutional validity of section 6A of the Citizenship Act relating to illegal immigrants in Assam. The Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud is hearing submissions advanced by senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for petitioners, in the matter. Besides the CJI, Justices Surya Kant, M M Sundresh, J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra are part of the bench. Divan is presently referring to the historical background of the litigation and the 2014 judgement of the apex court by which the pleas were referred to the larger Constitution bench. Section 6A in the Citizenship Act was inserted as a special provision to deal with the citizenship of people covered by the Assam Accord. The provision provides that those who have come to Assam on or after January 1, 1966 but before March 25, 1971 from specified territories, including Bangladesh, as per the Citizenship Act amended in 1985,

Assam illegal immigrants: SC to examine Citizenship Act's validity on Dec 5

The Supreme Court is scheduled to commence hearing on December 5 to examine the constitutional validity of section 6A of the Citizenship Act relating to illegal immigrants in Assam. Section 6A in the Citizenship Act was inserted as a special provision to deal with the citizenship of people covered by the Assam Accord. The provision provides that those who have come to Assam on or after January 1, 1966 but before March 25, 1971 from specified territories, including Bangladesh, as per the Citizenship Act amended in 1985, and since then are residents of Assam must register themselves under section 18 for citizenship. As a result, the provision fixes March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date for granting citizenship to Bangladeshi migrants in Assam. As per the cause list uploaded on the apex court website, a five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justices Surya Kant, M M Sundresh, J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra would take up the matter for hearing on ...