Recent posts at CIS below

See here for the blog. The CIS main page is here.

1. Securing the Blessings of Liberty: Congress Should Consider Expanding Grounds for Exclusion and Deportation to Include Radical Beliefs (Memorandum)

2. Is the U.S. Immigration Debate Going in the Right Direction? (Op-ed)

3. Obama is transforming America through immigration (Op-ed)

4. Hearing on Immigration Issues Facing Colorado (Testimony)

5. Large Group Nabbed Right Where SBInet Is Operational (Blog)

6. Texas-Sized Jihadi Plot Foiled (Blog)

7. Too Much Immigration Staff Time Is Spent on Low-Priority Matters (Blog)

8. Indicting Hezbollah in Mexico (Blog)

9. John Lennon, a Marine General, and the Twisted Language of Immigration (Blog)

10. 'The Beast' and the Mexican Justice System (Blog)




Some very welcome legal immigrants to Australia



It was drizzling and 8C in County Meath yesterday but Irish carpenter Conor Foley was far from home, drinking very cold beer in a West Australian heatwave.

The 25-year-old and his girlfriend, Aisling Mooney, a beauty therapist, have been granted 457 work visas to stay in Australia for four years. It is news that has made them the envy of friends back in Ireland where a new wave of emigration is under way. "We have loads of friends who want to leave Ireland for economic reasons," said Ms Mooney. "For us, it's the lifestyle as well. Perth is just so outdoorsy and we have changed our whole way of living."

The latest exodus from Ireland coincided with the recession in 2008 that saw unemployment reach 13 per cent. It is predicted that the number of people leaving Ireland over the next two years will reach 100,000, more than twice the number that left in 2009 and last year.

In Friday's Irish election, ruling party Fianna Fail appears to have been dumped over the economic malaise that led to the IMF-EU bailout of $116 billion last year. The centre-right Fine Gael is expected to look to the centre-left Labour Party to form a coalition government.

Ms Mooney and Mr Foley are taking a keen interest in the result, but say Perth is a more optimistic place with better opportunities. They will stay regardless of what happens at home. "We want to become permanent residents, that is our next goal, and buy a house," said Ms Mooney.

Mr Foley's visa was sponsored by the large construction company he works for. His skills in building maintenance are in high demand as Western Australia's next round of resource projects looms. Ms Mooney is entitled to a visa because she is the partner of a skilled worker, but she has found her skills are sought after and has been in full-time work since their visas were issued.

The state Chamber of Commerce and Industry predicts Western Australia will need almost 500,00 extra workers over the next decade. State Training and Workplace Development Minister Peter Collier has said that attracting overseas workers would be critical.

SOURCE