The federal government is considering changing the skilled migration program to allow more Chinese workers into Australia in a major concession aimed at clinching a free-trade deal with China, reports The Saturday Paper. Read more: http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2014/3/17/china/govt-mulls-allowing-more-chinese-workers-report

Newly arrived migrants and refugees overwhelmingly find Australia a welcoming place that is relatively free from racism, a new survey has found. Getting stable work and seeing their children educated and prosper are the priorities for new arrivals; and lifestyle…

Asylum seekers in Melbourne are volunteering in droves as they try to find ways to make a contribution, occupy themselves and connect with local communities. An audit of asylum seeker clients of settlement agency AMES has found more than 400…

Newly arrived migrants and refugees overwhelmingly find Australia a welcoming place that is relatively free from racism, a new survey has found. Getting stable work and seeing their children educated and prosper are the priorities for new arrivals; and lifestyle…

Turkish migrant Ayse Ipek and Ivona Mitev from Macedonia have a few things in common. They both came to Australia to be with their husbands, they both are studying English at AMES and want to go on to university and…

ABC TV News recently featured an item about the settlement of Karen refugees in Nhill, in western Victoria. AMES and Deloitte are currently preparing a joint report that considers the economic benefits of the Karen settlement in Nhill. The report…

THOUSANDS of people have turned out in capital cities across Australia to protest against the Abbott Government’s policies on climate change, asylum seekers, marriage equality, education funding, indigenous rights and more. The grassroots March in March movement, which claimed to…

WHEN Faiza Khursheed moved to Ballarat in 2010 and studied a Master of Commerce at the then University of Ballarat, she hoped to be an accountant. Ms Khursheed had worked in the accounts department at a school in Pakistan and…

SUNRAYSIA’S diverse culture has a history of its own and is one that will be celebrated as part of Cultural Diversity Week, starting today. Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council chief executive Dean Wickham said the history of multiculturalism in Sunraysia…

With the help of AMES case workers, a group of talented Iranian musicians have formed an exciting new band called New Persia.The formation of the musical ensemble stemmed from Case Manager Rita Leuzzi’s curiosity when she noticed a client in…

The British Government has been accused of suppressing research showing that the effect of immigration on jobs is much smaller than its recent claims. To justify its policy of limiting immigration to “tens of thousands” by 2015, the Conservative government…

Australians are increasingly embracing multiculturalism and recognising the importance and value of migration, according to the Migration Council of Australia (MCA). The council’s statement comes with the release of the shortlist of finalists in the 2014 Migration and Settlement Awards.…