As we move into the autumn and closer towards the new year, we’re keeping you up to date with all of the changes in the IELTS world. Along with what is being announced with respect to immigration in IELTS relevant countries.
Remembering HM Queen Elizabeth II
On Thursday 8th September it was announced that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had passed away aged 96.
During her 70 year reign, she presided over a period in which the UK and other Commonwealth Nations such as Australia, Canada & New Zealand underwent a transformation in diversity & multiculturalism. Much of this increased diversity has been facilitated through programs like the IELTS exam, allowing professionals around the world to migrate to and contribute to countries in which she was Head of State.
The Latest IELTS News
The last month for IETS has been eventful to say the least. There has been a change in the administration of IELTS tests in Norway and an IELTS scam operation was unearthed in a bizarre way in Canada! Read below for more on these stories.
IELTS In Norway To Be Operated By EDU Danmark
IELTS tests taken in Norway are now to be administered by The Danish education organisation, EDU Danmark. Previously it was Folkeuniversitetet that were responsible for running the test in Norway . However, earlier this year the tender was given to the education group based in fellow Scandinavian country, Denmark.
Palle Steen Jensen, General Manager of EDU Danmark, explained that they will continue to operate using the staff formerly employed by Folkeuniversitetet and that they aim to operate between 40-50 testing sessions per annum.
He went on to explain how he hopes that their involvement in running the IELTS test in Norway will help facilitate the entrance of Ukrainian refugees into the Norwegian job market.
Read the full press release given by Jensen here.
Fake IELTS Scam Uncovered In North America
A proxy company from Gujarat in India has been uncovered falsifying IELTS test results in order to migrate people into Canada and then enter the United States illegally.
The Hindustan Times reports that 45 people have been charged in connection with multiple fraud and migration offences after it was uncovered that they had been producing fraudulent test results to gain access to Canada.
Canadian & US border officials rescued four men from a boat in the Saint Regis River after noticing it was in trouble. Upon the men’s rescue it became apparent that they were not able to speak English and were attempting to enter the US illegally.
Despite this, the students had produced IELTS band score 7 results in order to gain access to Canada originally (certificates which were clearly fabricated). Indian Police then traced the faked documentation back to a company in Gujarat where 45 people (including the CEO) have been arrested and charged under multiple offences.
With these shocking recent developments, it goes to reinforce just how important it is to work with credible and trusted professionals in order to pass the IELTS exam officially.
Important Migration News
Each month there are changes (sometimes big, sometimes small) in immigration procedures in countries such as the UK, Canada, New Zealand & Australia. For candidates of the IELTS exam it is important to keep up to date with all of these.
Australia To Increase Visa Quotas
Traditionally, Australia has been a country with a strict immigration system and notoriously difficult to get visas for. This was reinforced over the last few years where visa quotas had been reduced by around 30,000 since 2017.
However, the new Australian Government has announced it plans to increase their migration program to almost 200,000 visas per annum (an increase of around 25% from current figures). This should mean that professionals taking the IELTS exam in order to emigrate to Australia will find there are more job opportunities available and that the immigration process as a whole should be much easier.
Canada Set To Record Highest Ever Annual Migration
Across the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Canada is expecting to welcome a record breaking 431,000 migrants in 2022. This would be the second year in a row that Canada has broken its own migration figures, having previously welcomed 405,330 in 2021.
There are still however over 1 million job vacancies unfilled in Canada, therefore it should be expected that the country will continue welcoming larger numbers of migrants in order to fill these roles.
Further Reading
If you want to keep abreast of the latest developments, follow Our Blog, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts for up-to-the-minute news.
See you in September!