In a ranking of 140 cities around the world, Melbourne was given a score of 97.5 per cent. Other Australian cities in the top 10 include Sydney, which ranked sixth best – up from seventh  in the previous survey – while Perth and Adelaide ranked unchanged with a joint eighth slot.

Brisbane lagged other Australian cities with a ranking of 21st, behind cities such as Toronto (4th), Helsinki (7th), Paris (16th) and Tokyo (18th).

“Australia, with a low population density and relatively low crime rates, continues to supply some of the world’s most liveable cities,” said Jon Copestake, editor for the EIU survey.

Vancouver’s score slipped to third after a lower rating for infrastructure, placing it below Vienna in Austria. It’s the first time since 2002 that the Canadian city hasn’t occupied or shared the top slot for liveability.

It seems residents have to pay for what they get, though, with another recent EIU report ranking Sydney as the sixth-most expensive city in the world, with Melbourne coming at No. 7. The survey assessed the cost of living in both cities to be about 40 per cent higher than in New York, mostly because of steep housing costs in Australia.

Residents of Perth boasted the strongest purchasing power in Australia, aided by the fattest pay packets in the land. Even so, the cost of living in Perth and Brisbane – the 13th and 14th most-expensive locations – came in at about 25 per cent higher than New York.

On the skids

Not surprisingly, the debt-ridden eurozone countries ranked poorly in the EIU liveability rankings. Greece’s capital Athens dropped from 62 to 67th. That ranking put it below Uruguay’s capital Montevideo.

Similarly, the sliding liveability across much of the Middle East with its so-called Arab Spring-inspired civil unrest will come as little surprise.

The Libyan capital Tripoli, which has fallen under the control of rebel fighters in recent days, dived to 135th – and presumably would be even lower if the EIU conducted the survey now.

Perhaps more jarring will be the relatively low-rankings given for cities well-known to Australian travellers.

Hong Kong was ranked at 31st, San Francisco came in at 51st, as did Singapore, with both narrowly pipping London at 53rd and New York at 56th.

Elsewhere in the Asian region, the giant Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai came in at 72nd and 79th, respectively, while India’s commercial hub of Mumbai languished at 116th, just above Jakarta, Indonesia, at 119th.

Hardship haunts

The worst places to live among the 140 locations surveyed by EIU were Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh’s Dhaka and Zimbabwe’s Harare.

In a statement accompanying today’s release, the EIU said the survey’s original brief had been to supply guidelines to human resources departments worldwide as to when to grant hardship allowances as part of expatriate relocation packages.

“It has since evolved as a broad benchmarking tool used by city councils, organisations or corporate entities looking to test locations against one another,” it said in a statement.

Cities are scored on political and social stability, crime rates and access to quality health care. It also measures the diversity and standard of cultural events and the natural environment; education (school and university); and the standard of infrastructure, including public transport.

According to the EIU, every city is assigned a rating of relative comfort for over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education; and infrastructure. Each factor in a city is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable.

The scores range from 1 to 100, where 1 is considered intolerable and 100 is considered ideal. To provide points of reference, the score is also given for each category relative to New York and an overall position in the ranking of 140 cities is provided.

Article Source: http://www.smh.com.au/business/melbourne-judged-worlds-most-liveable-city-20110830-1jjaq.html

Among other statistics, the report shows that  of the 56,834 former student visa holders who transferred to other visas in the first half of 2010-11, almost 30% continued their studies in Australia and were granted another student visa!
According to the report, student visa applications fell by 18.9% between 2008-09 and 2009-10, but since it’s still not less than the number of application in 2007-2008, we think this is just a temporary change.
One of the main reasons for this decline has coincided with the global financial crisis, which influenced the whole world. Other reasons are coincided with ongoing college closures creating uncertainty about the stability of Australian education providers, the welfare of international students studying in Australia,  the rising value of the Australian dollar and the recent changes in the visa processing to improve the integrity of the student visa program (Well, don’t you think it’s a good time to try the free visa assessment?)
There have also been changes to the skilled migration program which have effectively decoupled the student visa program from permanent residence.
We were also very glad (but not surprised) to know that applications that are complete are generally processed faster than incomplete applications. So, again, we suggest you not to take any unnecessary risks of wasting time, it’s to important to neglect it.

If you want to read the full statistical report you can find it here.

In Australia, migration agents must be registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority.

As an official immigration agency (see the badge on our synch1 homepage), Synch1 is bound by a Code of Conduct and are required to have an in-depth knowledge of Australian migration law and procedure and meet high professional and ethical standards.

The departmental spokesoman said: “…migration agents must be registered to ensure they have the requisite qualifications and undertake professional development to maintain their knowledge of migration law and procedure”.

As an immigration candidate, we urge you not to take shortcuts that might put your chances at risks. The visa process is to delicate to be treated poorly, so start your visa journey on the right foot, only with official and registered agency.

The northern Territory, although not popular as the National front, attracts mostly immigrants from the UK and Philippines as well as other countries such as China and New-Zealand.

In order to solve labour needs in rural areas and stretch the australian economy, Australian government makes a lot of efforts in expanding immigration areas beside the main cities to a special eligibility places which needs certain skilled and professional labour. All this efforts are according to a well crafted migration program.

You can download and read all immigration statistics here.

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia, celebrated annually on 26 January. If you want to migrate to Australia, it is wise to know some facts that will probably help you getting around and make the right impression while celebrating in the nearest pub. So, here are some facts for you:

1. Australia Day celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney cove in 1788 when the land was claimed for Great Britain under the rule of King George III.
2. formal proclamation of the colony and of Arthur Phillip’s governorship was read out, even though the holiday is celebrated on January 26.
3. The tradition of having Australia Day as a national holiday on 26 January is a recent one. All of the Australian states and territories didn’t start using that name until 1935, and it wasn’t until 1994 that they began to celebrate Australia Day consistently as a public holiday on January 26.
4. The first official Australia Day celebration was in 1818 when the governor organized celebrations that included a 30 gun salute and a dinner at Government House followed by a ball.
5. New South Wales was the first state to declare Australia Day as a public holiday in 1838, the fiftieth anniversary of the landing at Sydney Cove, but it was called “Anniversary Day” until the mid 1940’s.
6. Great Britain didn’t stop sending convicts to Australia until the 1860s and the reason was the rising costs of keeping the system going.
7. The HMS Supply was the first ship of the First Fleet to land in Botany Bay. It was both the oldest and smallest of ships in the fleet, built in 1759 an armed trader.
8. The approximate number of convicts sent to Australia was 160,500, of whom 24,700 were women!

And do not forget to stay updated with the official Australia day website!

In Australia people have many freedoms but are still required to follow the law. Australians have a number of fundamental freedoms including free speech, joining groups, holding meetings, worshipping whomever they choose, and moving around in the country without restrictions. Everyone is free and equal and is expected to treat each other with dignity and respect. Discrimination isn’t allowed, and Australians don’t use violence, intimidation, or humiliation to settle conflict.

As long as the words don’t cause harm, aren’t false, and don’t prevent others from doing so, Australians can say whatever they want about the government or a social issue. Australia has a secular government, meaning that it doesn’t have an official religion. Religious laws (such as those about divorce) aren’t recognized by the government, and only laws from Parliament apply. Australians are free to gather together and protest any organization, including the government, as long as no one is hurt and nothing is damaged. Everyone in Australia is expected to follow the law, but at the same time all Australians are protected by the law. This means that even people with power, such as government officials and police, are not “above the law.”

All Australians are equal under the law, meaning no one should be treated differently because of their race, ethnicity, or country of origin; their age, gender, marital status, or disability; or their religious or political beliefs. What someone achieves should be a product of their talents, work, and efforts rather than how they were born or because they’re a favorite. Australians are proud of their peaceful society. Change comes from democracy rather than violence. They also have compassion for those in need and do things for the public good.

Many Australians help their community during their daily lives, whether by caring for the environment, working together in times of need, or volunteering to help others.

All of these values have been talked about and supported by Australians for many years, and have helped the many different types of people live together successfully. Australia’s cultural diversity strengthens its society, and the people of that society are asked to commit to its values, laws, and people in return.

Being the famous sub-continent and sound economic country, Australia ensures marvelous opportunities to the skilled working professionals to utilize their skills and professional experience along with enjoying the benefits of working in Australia. Even the skilled migrants from different other countries of the world find migrating to Australia as a significant means to earn more money and experience being in a sound economic nation, Australia.

Currently two forms of immigration are popular among the Australian migrants; one is skilled migration and another is family migration. People wishing to migrate to Australia on the professional basis apply for skilled migration and comes under the main stream of migration options these days. As per the immigration records revealed by Department of Immigration and Citizenship in Australia, around 60% of the applications received for the skilled migration. Family migration is another option most immigrants select to become an Australian migrant on the basis of the sponsorship they get from their spouse or any of their family members residing in Australia as a citizen and permanent resident.

Process of getting immigration in Australia is though a bit tough, but it can become easy and convenient for you if you are aware of all the rules and procedures about how to go through the immigration process.

The first step remains making an application. First you need to apply for the visa through an application form. Nowadays, with the evolution of online migration agents, you can apply for the Australian Visa and Immigration through an online application form that is simple and easy to fill.

Point Test comprises an important part in the entire process of immigration in Australia and all immigration aspirants for whatever visa they apply are needed to pass the point test program to reach up to the desired level of points to secure an Australian visa and immigration. The point test investigates about the general, personal and professional information about the applicants and after their verification, the decision regarding the approval or disapproval of the visa is made.

The skilled migrants may also need to go through the skills assessment formalities to prove that they are eligible for the visa option they have applied along with possessing the required skills and abilities on the basis of which they are wishing to work in Australia through skilled worker visa. Australian Government approves immigration in Australia only for the occupations listed in the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) of the country under their respective criteria.

Department of Immigration and Citizenship also make time to time alterations in the laws and regulations concerning Australian Visa and Immigration. Hence, one should always be assure of being up-to-date with all the regulations and laws related to immigration in Australia before finally starting with the migration process.

Immigration in Australia is getting immense popularity among the individuals from entire world as, different visa options provide opportunity to travel, study, work and live with the family and partner in Australia. Even, after the successful accomplishment of the visa term, permanent residency in Australia is also offered to the migrants.

The amazing beauty and sound economic scenario of Australia encourages numerous people from different countries to become immigrant to Australia. The employment opportunities for the immigrants are though the outcome of shortfall of the labor requirements in the country; still, people wish to move to Australia for better job prospects, education environment, opportunities to travel and live with their family.

Department of Immigration and Citizenship in Australia regulates and controls all the deals related to Australian visa and immigration. Australian Government authorizes DIAC as authoritative body behind the approval or disapproval of the applications for visas to Australia. According to the Migration Program Statistics and Australia Immigration Records revealed by DIAC, in year 2005-06, 142 930 migrants, in 2008-09, 171 320 migrants from different countries of the world settled in Australia for their different purposes, including the majority of the skill visa applicants as compared to all other visa categories and sub-categories. Previous year’s Australia Immigration Records guided the department to plan out around 168 700 for the prevailing year 2009-10.

Records also depict that the year 2008-09 was the most significant time for Australia with aspects of migration. In the year 2008-09, 171 320 migrants settled in Australia as immigrants on the basis of different visa and immigration options, which accounts the highest number of migrants approved to settle in Australia in the entire decade. The stats include 114 780 of migrants under skilled visa category, whereas 56 370 applicants migrated under the family visa category in the same year. It is also a known fact that among all visa categories, Special Eligibility sections that has been formed for the people with special eligibilities to migrate to Australia, accounts very less quota as well as get applications for the same.

Australia Immigration Records play a significant role for the government of Australia as well as migrants planning to enter in to the country as per their preferred visa category.

These records and statistics suggests the government about planning for immigration quota for different categories on the basis of approvals given previously, economic environment, possibilities of migration this year and several other considerable facts. Similarly, the specific set of quota for all categories help the immigration aspirant to check out their possibility for the visa approval. They also remain aware of the immigrants approved in a particular year to check out whether the country’s government think of getting the migrants encourages its economic value and status.

Australia Immigration Records clearly defines that the government has set upon a big quota for the individuals who are skilled professionals to fulfill the requirements of skilled workers in Australia. Hence, people wishing to migrate for business or working purpose apply more as compared to any other visa category. This also realizes that the country is quite interested in increasing its economic position in the world and so welcoming migrants from all countries to enter, live and work in Australia for the time they want.

The amazing destination for visiting, staying, studying and performing business; Australia has become a sound nation having variety of opportunities for the individuals. Then why doesn’t one dream of being an Australian migrant?

Australia secures sixth position among the largest nations in the world after Russia, Canada, China, USA and Brazil. However, the population of Australia is relatively small as compared to that of these nations. It is the nation’s pride to govern a continent along with outlying islands as the only country in the world. It is blessed with enormous beauty and grace of nature and its land is surrounded with blue-green water. The temperature may go high at some place, usually in the interiors and the country gets advantages of maritime influence as well.

This might be the reason why people turn towards Australia to travel and enjoy their vacation and stay in the country with their family and friends. Hence, the interest of individuals to immigrating to Australia through travel visa might also be increasing due to this.

Australia is a developed country and in recent years, it has been emerged as one of the most outstanding economies of the world. Australian government admits that the country is enjoying low inflation, high growth and low rate of interest in the economy that is extremely vibrant as compared to that of the past. Australia encompasses a fixed labor market, a potential government sector and a highly competitive business sector.

Living standards in Australia have also improved significantly with the rising abundance of physical resources in the country encouraging opportunities of immigration for Australia.

Since nineteenth century, the standard of living has increased in Australia due to comparatively large investments in the field of education, training, transport, health and social infrastructural sectors.

Since last decade, the workforce in Australia resulted significant improvements; hence, there seen a surge in productivity. Due to the continuous development in the country’s economy, it has got a significant reputation among all other economies of the world. Culturally, the country involves a diverse society including people as well as settlers from different other countries of the world.

Australian government welcomes migrants from the entire world to enter into the country for meeting their desired objectives along with boosting Australian Economy. Initially the immigration for Australia started in 1945 when around 6 million people migrated to Australia from 200 countries as settlers. The modern Australia involves a major contribution of the Australian immigrants to get its shape. People entered into the country as migrants comprise almost a quarter of the total population of the country.

Department of immigration and Citizenship in Australia reserves all the rights to provide permission to the migration applicants to enter into the country. The policies and procedures to immigration for Australia are a bit complex, but not at all discriminatory and all the applicants of immigration for Australia are needed to fulfill certain criteria to get their visa approved.

Australia Immigration Office requires a proper procedural application from every visa and immigration aspirant for selecting the deserving visa applicant. If you are interested in getting an Australian visa and immigration for your preferred purpose, either temporarily or permanently; a visa application is the foremost requirement to make your lawful entry to Australia through appropriate visa and immigration program.

If you are already an Australian migrant and your visa term is getting expired after some time, you can immediately apply for another visa before the existing visa expires and so, another application should be made to make your lawful entry in Australia continue for more time.

Additionally, you would need to clear the assessment formalities and provide all the documental evidences during the visa and immigration application procedure to get your visa approved by the Australia Immigration Office.
Australia Immigration Office prescribes different visa categories and sub-categories to benefit migrants with entering into the country having their preferred visa category.

These visa options are associated with certain laws, rules and procedures to process visa application completely before the approval granted. If one meets all the desired qualification for the relevant category of visa, he or she would definitely be granted that visa by the government for his desired purpose.

The immigration companies also facilitate the customers with easy online visa application and act of their behalf for immigration process. They charge certain amount of fees from their customers for the services they provide. Migration companies also provide the online assessment services to their customers so that they can investigate and measure their potentials to become an Australian immigrant. These assessment forms and tests involve the criteria set by Australia Immigration Office and all those formal requirements are necessary to be fulfilled by the immigration applicants to get their visa application approved.

Australia Immigration Office determines the visa approval formalities for the individuals and requires mandatory obligations followed by the immigrants.

If any application found including the loopholes or lack of information, it would immediately get rejected by the department and so, appropriate care should be taken while making an application for Australian Visa and Immigration.

Australian Migration Agents can surely work in this situation in order to assist, guide and help you from making application for visa to provide documental evidences. They know about all the laws related to immigration and Citizenship in Australia. However, they must be registered migration agents under the Migration Agents Registration Authority of Australia.

Australia Immigration Office i.e. Department of Immigration and Citizenship in Australia handles and reviews the performance and progress of the visa applications of the individuals. They have proper strategic plan for visa and immigration processing and move accordingly for all visa applications. Their aim remains with approving only those candidates for Australian visa and Immigration that legally meet their require procedure and for the legitimate purpose.