Immigration to Australia

The United Nations has urged Washington to immediately halt its controversial practice of separating asylum-seeking Central American immigrant children from their parents at the southern border.

The EU warned on May 16 that asylum seeker arrivals from Turkey have surged this year and called on member countries to act urgently on pledges of support for the bloc's border force.

The United Nations called on Australia on Tuesday to take responsibility for around 800 refugees and asylum seekers stranded in a detention center on Papua New Guinea where it said many lack medical and mental health care, according to Reuters. 

The United Nations refugee agency called for calm on Thursday after receiving reports of force being used to remove refugees and asylum-seekers from a center closed three weeks ago on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, reported Reuters. 

The situation on the islands of the eastern Aegean has reached a critical point again in regard to the refugee crisis, as the number of people arriving on their shores from the coast of Turkey have spiked over the past few months, worsening conditions at already overcrowded and understaffed facilities, and testing the islanders' waning patience even further.

The UN's refugee agency has urged Australia to avert a "humanitarian emergency" over the closure of its detention centre in Papua New Guinea, reported BBC. 

Australia holds refugees and asylum seekers arriving by boat on PNG's Manus Island and the Pacific nation of Nauru.

Australia will accept several dozen Central American refugees within the next few months, two sources familiar with the process told Reuters, the first transfers under a controversial refugee swap arrangement agreed with the United States.

The U.N. refugee agency accused Australia yesterday of reneging on an agreement to settle some vulnerable asylum seekers held in controversial offshore detention centres, but Canberra said no such agreement existed.

A lot of Greeks who are thinking of trying their professional luck in Australia often find it difficult to receive concrete information as to what specific skills are required in order to be eligible for consideration. The Australian government is extremely strict in applying its laws regarding immigration and the whole process is based on a point system by releasing occupation lists.

Australia on May 21 gave 7,500 boatpeople until October to file a claim proving they are genuine refugees or be kicked out, declaring the "game is up" for illegal arrivals ripping off taxpayers.