Amidst all the crying about the malware attack, let's look as to what happened in immigration recently. Technically, too much; theoretically also too much because people keep on saying somethings which always grab the limelight.

1. Australia abolished its very famous work permit category i.e. sub class 457. It will be replaced by another temporary work permit with more stringent norms.
2. Canada continued to attract immigrants under its very famous Express Entry program. April month had 3 express entry draws while May till now has 1. Massive number of invites were issued when the cut off went to as low as 415 points under Comprehensive Ranking System.
3. South Africa plans to boost its travel & tourism industry further by welcoming 1 lakh tourists in 2017; alone from India.
4. Nova Scotia; Canada's very famous province again came to limelight when it opened 250 applications intake under Express Entry. The applications were received overnight, resulting in immediate closure of the intake.
5. Our very famous Mr. Trump has expressed his views on H1B changes. He wishes to invite workers on merit basis which will result in curbing illegal immigration. Well all the best Mr. Trump but our Indian firms are not too happy with you. We hear mass lay offs proposed here due to your H1B fiasco.
6. H1B might not be very lucrative for Indians right now, but Eb5 category continues to attract Indians. Why not? Investment through EB5 gives options to Indians to become green card holder of US; a dream looking too bleak for Indians nowadays.
7. Canada again told how young you will always remain when the age for dependent children was increased from 19 years to 22 years. If you were thinking of moving out; it might be too soon. You are still a dependent on your parents; as per Canada at least!
8. Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) of Australia also witnessed changes. Maximum age is reduced to 45 years from 50 and language proficiency also is crucial now with proficient English as mandatory minimum requirement.
9. UK's immigration rules have been very strict since years now. Now when it started impacting student visas option, UK universities have raised their concern to introduce new immigration policies for international students which will motivate them to choose UK as their destination for higher education; which currently is a very tough thing.
10. Russia announced 18 countries whose nationals will not be required to apply for any visa if they wish to visit Russia's far east for tourism or business purpose. India, Japan, Singapore, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iran,  North Korea, Qatar, Bahrain; were some of the countries which made to the list of visa exempted nations.
11. New Zealand too followed the league of tightening work permit norms. It announced more stringent norms like minimum income requirement, reducing the list of occupations under which work permit can be applied.
12. But New Zealand is at least in mood to invite as many Indian students as possible. A new initiative 'Welcome2NewZealand' was launched by the government to ensure more and more Indians choose New Zealand as their destination for higher education. Scholarships, internships etc are some of the offerings 'Welcome2NewZealand' has for Indian students.
13. Netherlands also has become a favorite destination for higher education. This year has witnessed highest number of enrollments of international students in Dutch universities. English as primary language is considered as the main reason for such demand of the country.
14. Quebec - Canada's independent or say rebellious province which refuses to accept regular immigration norms; will be open for new intake of applications under its Skilled Worker Program. Quebec is a very famous province for people who wish to migrate to Canada but are unable to do so under the regular Express Entry program.
15. Canada in fact continues to be happening with many provinces like Manitoba and British Columbia issuing invites regularly to applicants under their international graduates and entrepreneurs streams.