The Sydney Morning Herald reported last week that the Australian government will permit 9,500 temporary protection visa (TPV) holders to apply for permanent residency without leaving the country.  The thousands of TPV holders already eligible for permanent status will now have an additional opportunity to obtain permanent visas.  Furthermore, unsuccessful applicants will now receive return-pending visas, allowing them to remain in Australia 18 months while retaining Medicare and employment rights.

The government created the three-year TPV in 1999 to cope with an influx of unauthorized boat arrivals.  Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone declared that the decision recognizes the contribution many TPV holders have made to the Australian community without compromising border security.  She denied that the move was a political ploy in an election year and also dismissed fears that human smugglers would target Australia.

*****

Foreigners in Belgium are going without essential medical care, due to the confusing nature of the country’s health system, according to Expatica News.  Medical charities are seeing more patients at its drop-in centers in Belgium because people say they cannot understand all the red tape that comes with a hospital visit.  The charity said that 96 percent of the 10,000 people treated in 2003 were foreign born.  Under Belgian law, anyone living in Belgium has the right to health care, even if they are living in the country illegally.

*****

Several officers of Russia’s Interior Ministry have been arrested for allegedly selling illegal travel documents to travel agencies, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Newsline.  The agencies provided documents for illegal immigrants from China, Iran and other countries who used Russia to transit to the West.  Among those reported using the bogus documents were alleged terrorists operating in the North Caucasus.