The residence program offered by Australia is designed so that overseas people can come to Australia for purposes that are in the benefit of Australia. Let’s see what the temporary and permanent resident statuses imply.

Temporary residence

There are four main categories that describe the temporary residence program:

• skill oriented

• temporary work

• research and training

• international relations

In the following, we will detail the visa categories a little:

• Skilled – business entry visas permit employers to recruit people with the skills they are looking for, from overseas. A four year stay will be allowed. The employee will be paid at the local market rate.

• Temporary work – these visas are made available for those who are taking part in sport and cultural activities, entertainment and for arrangements made for staff exchange.

• International relations – there are working holiday visas, work and holiday visas, diplomatic visas and temporary work (international relations) visas.

• Training and research visas permit foreigners to get involved in occupational training and conduct research activities.

While temporary residence can bring you many benefits and open new opportunities for you, it also has its drawbacks. A temporary resident will be allowed to stay in Australia only for up to 4 years. After this period, you must leave the country or obtain a new visa.

For the income that temporary residents earn in Australia, they will be required to pay the associated taxes. They will not be entitled to social welfare or health cover through the national program. There are strict requirements related to character and health that must be satisfied by the applicants. If Australia has RHCA (reciprocal health care agreements) with a certain country, that country’s citizens can benefit of emergency medical coverage in Australia. However, this cover excludes pre-existing health conditions.

Countries that Australia has RHCA with are: Belgium, Finland, Slovenia, Italy, the Netherlands, Malta, Republic of Ireland, Sweden, Norway, the UK and New Zealand. It is indicated that travelers check if it is required that they have private health insurance.

Permanent residence

Permanent residence may be more difficult to obtain, but it offers a lot more freedom and benefits:

• The opportunity to access social security and medical benefits

• The opportunity to get a Commonwealth-supported place at higher education institutions

• The ability to sponsor your relatives for permanent visa

• If your children are born in Australia, they will automatically be Australian citizens

• You will be able to go to New Zealand without having to apply for a New Zealand visa.

To apply for permanent residence you must have lived for two years in a Specified Regional Area and must have worked. This includes having been self-employed for a year in the same area. Another variant is that of having obtained sponsorship under the Regional Sponsor Migration Scheme. Any permanent visa in Australia can be applied for, although the Skilled-Regional visa, subclass 887, is purposely designed for those who hold a provisional skilled visa and want to make an application for permanent residency.

Both types of residency can be very appealing, but it really depends on your specific situation and goals if you should aim for one or another.

Much throughout the history of the U.S., immigration has been a complex demographic phenomenon that became an important factor in population growth and influenced cultural changes. In 2006, the U.S. has given permanent residency to more legal immigrants than all other countries have done, accumulated. In 2008 most immigrants in the U.S. came from Mexico, India, China and the Philippines.

The law regarding immigration in the U.S. is quite complex and can cause a lot of confusions. The immigration policy that is currently in place is governed by INA – the Immigration and Naturalization Act. This body of law provides for a limit of almost 700,000 permanent immigrants per year, exceptions occurring with family members. A separate number of refugee admissions can be determined by the Congress and the President. Throughout history, three principles have guided the acceptance of immigrants to the U.S.: the chance for families to reunite; positive impact on the country’s economy provided by immigrants with relevant skills; refugee protection.

Shortly, here is how the U.S.A. immigration system is conceived:

1. Family-related immigration

Offering families the chance to reunite is a highly-regarded principle at the base of the immigration policy. U.S.A, citizens and permanent residents are allowed to bring some members of their family to the U.S. Every year, 480,000 visas of this type are made available.

This type of immigrants can be immediate relatives of American citizens or fit in the family preference category. Immediate relatives include spouses, minor children (below the age of 21) and parents of U.S.A. citizens. While there is no numerical limit for visas for immediate relatives, the number is limited under the preference system. This system includes spouses, adult children, sisters and brothers of U.S. citizens, and unmarried children, be they minor or adults, of LPRs.

2. Employment based immigration

Employment-based immigration can be temporary or permanent. Over twenty kinds of visas have been created for temporary non-immigrant workers and many of them are limited in number. A number of 140,000 visas per year is associated with permanent employment-based immigration.

3. Asylees and refugees

For those who run from their own countries out of fear of being persecuted or those who cannot return to their home countries because of extraordinary or life-threatening conditions, several categories of legal admission are available.

Refugees will apply while being outside of the U.S.A. The refugee admission ceiling is established each year by the President together with the Congress.

Individuals who are already in the U.S. and who have been persecuted or have reasons to fear persecution upon their return to their homeland may apply for asylum either from within the U.S. or from an entry port.

4. Other types humanitarian relief

These forms are:

• temporary protected immigrant status, given to those who cannot return to their countries due to “extraordinary temporary conditions”, “natural disasters” or “ongoing armed conflict”;

• deferred enforced departure – it protects the applicant from deportation and is needed by individuals who come from unstable countries;

• the diversity visa lottery, programs through which immigrants can be accepted from countries that have a low number of people having previously been admitted in the U.S.

5. Citizenship

An individual must have had a green card (LPR status) for at least five years in order to qualify for citizenship in the U.S. If the green card has been obtained through the U.S. citizen spouse legal frame, only three years are necessary for citizenship qualification.