With the rapid improvement of labor shortage, many countries such as Britain, France, Canada and Australia began to tighten immigration policies.

And countries including Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Czech and Slovakia have also tightened the refugee immigration policy since October this year, and carried out more strict examination of the status background of refugees.

In addition, the EU is calling on Member States to stop issuing gold visas, and said it would introduce stricter anti money laundering laws.

britain

On December 5th local time, in order to reduce the number of immigrants, the British government introduced new regulations, which are reported to reduce the number of immigrants received by the UK every year by hundreds of thousands.

The new regulations mainly include: The income standard of migrant workers applying for work visas was raised from £ 26,200 to £ 38,700; If a British citizen brings his or her spouse into the UK, his or her spouse also needs to meet the above income standard; Overseas nursing workers will no longer be able to bring their dependants to the UK; Repeal the rule that "employers in industries listed in the" list of jobs in short supply "are allowed to pay migrant workers less than 20% of the wages of British citizens". According to the revised data released by the UK National Bureau of statistics in October this year, the number of net immigrants (the number of immigrants minus the number of departures) across the UK in 2022 reached a record 745,000, far higher than the level of about 200,000 before the outbreak and brexit. In the 12 months to June 2023, the number of net migrants fell to 672,000.

France

For the sake of security, France proposed a new immigration bill in October this year to reduce the number of refugees staying in France illegally.

The bill mainly includes:

Reduce the opportunity for undocumented immigrants to obtain formal residency through work; Immigrants less than 13 years old when entering France will be deported; Those who have settled in France but "don't respect the values of the Republic" are more likely to be deported; Cancel the right of Birth Nationality, that is, those born in French territory no longer automatically obtain French nationality; If the child has French nationality, but the parents are not native, the parents will be deported;

The benefits for foreigners were cut, the medical insurance plan mainly for refugees and foreigners was cancelled, and foreigners (including international students) who have lived in France for less than five years were disqualified to apply for family benefits and housing subsidies.

In addition, it is reported that the bill will also set immigration "goals" and reduce the age of immigrants to be deported. Because of its strict regulations, it was opposed by some legislators and human rights organizations.

According to reports, the Senate has passed the bill, but it was rejected by the house of Commons on December 11th local time, pending subsequent deliberation.

Canada

It is reported that Canada's population growth mainly depends on immigration, which has also played a role in promoting economic growth in recent years.

But under the situation of delayed labor shortage, housing shortage and high inflation, in November, the Canadian government announced that it would maintain the immigration target for the next two years, and said it would stop increasing the number of immigrants from 2026.

According to relevant reports, Canadian Immigration Minister Mark Miller said that Canada's immigration goal in 2023 was 46.5 new residents, 485,000 in 2024, and 500,000 in 2025, which will remain at this level in 2026.

In addition, Canada's immigration policy has also been tightened:

From January 1, 2024, the living expenses requirements of study visa applicants were increased from $10,000 to $20,635, the first increase since the beginning of this century; The extension of PGWP will be cancelled gradually;

Canada's EE (Express Entry, express train entry) system's full category invitation score line soared.

Australia

On December 11th local time, the Australian government said it would tighten visa regulations for international students and low skilled workers (workers without education or advanced training), which could reduce the number of immigrants Australia receives by half in the next two years.

The new policies mainly include:

Raise the pass score line of English test for international students, and implement more strict examination on visa application extension;

The upper limit of the application age of the temporary visa (485 visa) for graduates was adjusted from 50 years old to 35 years old, and the extension policy of this visa period during the new crown epidemic was cancelled. At the beginning of December, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the number of migrants in Australia needs to return to a "sustainable level", adding that "the immigration system has collapsed.".

According to official data, the number of net migrants in Australia is expected to reach a record high of 510,000 in 2022-2,023. After the implementation of the policy, the annual net number of migrants is expected to drop to about 250,000 in 2024-2,026, which is basically the same as the level before the outbreak.

It is reported that as one of the most tense labor markets in the world, the Australian Labor government has long relied on immigrants to maintain the balance between supply and demand in the local labor market. Therefore, the Australian government has been committed to accelerating the entry of high-tech workers and helping them obtain permanent residency.