January 2013 News Archive

Archived Daily FX News from the TorFX Foreign Exchange Specialists...

New Zealand open to Cricket World Cup visa scammers30 Jan at 5 AM

A transtasman agreement that allows easier movement between Australia and New Zealand during the Cricket World Cup could be open to abuse by travellers who have no intention of attending the games. Supporters who already have an Australian visa can pick up a three-month visitor visa when they land in New Zealand. This means that people...

New Zealand cracks down on fake monks21 Jan at 7 AM

Immigration New Zealand is cooperating with Chinese authorities to prevent fake monk scammers from entering the country. According to reports a fake charity nun and two monks who have been targeting pedestrians for cash donations in return for blessings have fled New Zealand for Australia. According to Michael Carley, INZ area manager,...

China top nation for visitors to New Zealand15 Jan at 5 AM

China is the number one nation for visitors to New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand has confirmed that it processes around 1000 visa requests from Chinese citizens every day. According to Asia’s deputy director of visas, Bruce Ballast, China is currently the main source for new arrivals to the country whether exchange students, tourists or...

Rapper Joey Bada$$ allowed into NZ despite assault charge7 Jan at 7 AM

An American rapper will be allowed to perform in New Zealand despite having been charged with assault in Australia. Joey Bada$$ allegedly punched a security guard during an altercation at Byron Bay’s Falls Music Festival last Friday. According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald the guard suffered facial injuries including a broken...

New Zealand First slams immigration figures3 Jan at 5 AM

New Zealand First has hit out at expanding immigration figures claiming it will be New Zealanders who will suffer because of the influx. Party leader Winston Peters said record immigration figures each month are madness. He claimed that to the year ending in November 108,838 immigrants entered New Zealand. He added this figure represented...

New Zealand popular with immigrants leaving Oz27 Jan at 8 AM

New Zealand is the most popular destination for immigrants who decide to move on from Australia, according to a new report. Australia has become a stepping stone for many migrants passing through to make a new home in another country. Other popular destinations for migrants abandoning Oz include the USA, UK, Singapore and Hong...

Immigration spokesman attacks Immigration over jobs22 Jan at 8 AM

Labour’s spokesperson for immigration has criticised Immigration New Zealand for the way it treats skilled workers recruited from overseas. Dr Rajen Prasad is concerned that foreign skilled employees are getting a short shrift from the immigration department. He said that the Employers and Manufacturer Association had published an...

New rules for immigration advisers come into force13 Jan at 8 AM

Immigration advisers in New Zealand will have to abide by a new set of standards from today as the authorities attempt to clamp down on operators who are incompetent or deliberately dodgy. The Immigration Advisers Authority has drawn up a new set of rules after consulting with immigrant groups, industry bodies and around 100 legitimate...

New Zealand visitor numbers up in 20139 Jan at 9 AM

The latest figures to be released by Statistics New Zealand show that visitor numbers to the country in November were up by 8 per cent on the same month a year earlier. Over the year visitor figures were up by around 5 per cent to 2.7 million. Although the majority of migrants came from India, China and the UK, the number of visitors...

Kiwis fall foul of Australian welfare rules2 Jan at 8 AM

New Zealanders planning on emigrating to Australia are being warned they should brush up on the rules concerning welfare rights. Murray McCully, NZ Foreign Affairs Minister, said it was important for Kiwis to know what they are entitled to, just in case things do not go to plan. Since the global financial crisis the number of New...

New visa rule introduced for Canterbury rebuild jobs28 Jan at 9 AM

A change to the visa rules in New Zealand will come into effect as a way of getting more Kiwis to the front of the queue for jobs created by the Canterbury rebuild. According to Immigration Minister Nathan Guy, the new system will mean that visa applications associated to jobs in Canterbury will not now be processed prior to a check to...

New Zealand exodus continues despite fewer Australian jobs21 Jan at 9 AM

Despite predictions the flow of job seekers from New Zealand to Australia would start to slow there still seems to be strong demand with recruiters from those seeking a better life across the Tasman. However, agencies say that Kiwi’s looking to make the move are now doing more research before emigrating and are less likely to do so without...

New Zealand predicts disappointing growth14 Jan at 9 AM

The New Zealand government has published a new report in which it paints a gloomy picture of changing demographics over the next 50 years. The National Statistics Office has indicated that there will be changes to the operational and social climate and that people planning to emigrate to New Zealand should be aware of these facts while those...

New Zealand looks forward to scorching summer7 Jan at 9 AM

Better weather is one of the top reasons given by Brits looking start a new life abroad. Those thinking of emigrating to New Zealand can look forward to a scorching summer this year as westerly winds bring warm, dry conditions. The South Island is currently enjoying temperatures in the mid-30s with temperatures in areas such as Southland and...

Datacom wins immigration IT contract 31 Jan at 6 PM

Wellington-based IT company Datacom has been selected to build an $80 million system for the New Zealand Immigration Service. The Labour Department revealed that negotiations with Datacom to construct the Immigration Global Management System (IGMS) were at an advanced stage, reports the website stuff.co.nz. Former immigration minister...

New Zealand to review its residency rules30 Jan at 2 PM

New Zealand is to review differences in the rules that govern wealthy foreigners who wish to apply for residency or owning property after the arrest of Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload.com, as reported by The Wall Street Journal at the weekend. New Zealand Prime Ministers John Key denied that the immigration authorities of the...

Immigrants caught using fake degrees27 Jan at 6 PM

Job seekers as far removed as pastry chefs to economists have been exposed trying to gain employment with fake qualifications, according to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The most common offenders originate in China and Fiji, with most-forged qualification being degrees, reveals information released under the Official...

Search is on for Norwegian adventurer26 Jan at 12 PM

A search is now underway for the Norwegian adventurer apparently making his way to the Antarctic as part of an unauthorised attempt to get to the South Pole. As reported by Radio New Zealand News, Mr Jarle Andhoy, aged 34, made his first attempt to get to Antarctica in February last year with another Norwegian, a Mr Samuel Massey, aged 18....

Kim Dotcom denied bail in New Zealand25 Jan at 2 PM

Kim Dotcom, founder of Megaupload, a file sharing website, has been told by a court in New Zealand that he will not be granted bail. The German national, who also goes by the name Kim Schmitz, is accused of being involved in money laundering and internet piracy. He was arrested on 20 January in Auckland following a request by the Federal...

Internet pirate Dotcom in New Zealand court24 Jan at 4 PM

Internet mogul Kim Dotcom has denied online piracy in a New Zealand court, after the FBI accused him of gaining $175m (£112m) illegally through his site Megaupload.com. A North Shore judge refused the German national bail after prosecutors claimed there was a huge flight risk. The 38-year-old defendant, who also goes by the name of Kim...

Movement of criminals between NZ and Australia needs control23 Jan at 3 PM

The governments of New Zealand and Australia are looking at ways in which they can tighter control the movements of convicted criminals between the two countries. Chris Bowen, Australia’s Immigration Minister, managed to use special powers to have four New Zealanders deported last year, even though they had won appeals in the Aussie...

Jetstar fined for immigration breach20 Jan at 9 AM

Australian budget carrier Jetstar has been fined for switching the stated nationality of a Chinese passenger to allow her to entre New Zealand. Staff in Melbourne changed her country code from CN, representing China, to CH, representing Switzerland, meaning the woman was able to board the flight despite not having the proper papers. Upon...

Barlow case prompts calls for more checks between Aus and NZ 19 Jan at 9 AM

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has promised to deal with an ‘information blackspot’ that allowed fraudster Joe Barlow to cover his New Zealand criminal record and commit further crimes in Australia. In light of the case, Bligh said she, Julia Gillard and NZ Prime Minister John Key would work together to increase criminal checks on...

Thousands turned away at NZ border18 Jan at 2 PM

Thousands of visitors are apparently being turned back at Auckland Airport for attempting to mislead immigration officials. Despite new rules causing the numbers to drop dramatically, figures from the Department of Labour show an average of 1,000 people a year are bounced back from the New Zealand hub. Of the 4,597 turned back since 2006,...

Former Barrymore lawyer faces immigration charges17 Jan at 2 PM

An ex-immigration lawyer who aided British entertainer Michael Barrymore in obtaining residency in New Zealand has to face almost 100 charges that are immigration-related, as reported by the New Zealand Herald. Mr Richard James Martin, aged 46, entered no plea in response to the charges upon appearing at Waitakere District Court on Monday,...

NZ emigration helps Ireland unemployment figures16 Jan at 2 PM

The Irish media is claiming a drop in the country’s unemployment figures is due to young people choosing to emigrate or stay in education, rather than government policy. The Irish Independent says the latest figures to come out of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) are not a testimony to the government’s work. According to the...