The United Press International disclosed that Indonesian immigration officers overseas are under scrutiny due to a visa corruption scandal involving over 3.1 million dollars. Officials at consular officers in Malaysia and Japan allegedly obtained the money over a five year term by processing passports and visas. Legislator Djoko Susilo called for the Foreign Ministry to take over the immigration tasks at overseas consular offices, downsize personnel, and increase supervision over the department. Foreign Ministry spokesman Desra Percaya said that now payment for immigration services will no longer be payable in cash.

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According to an article in The Age, Australia is making changes in immigration legislation in order to allow skilled migrants and students to bring their same-sex partners into the US.  Currently, Australians are able to bring same-sex partners into the country.    Conversely, skilled immigrants and students are only able to bring their heterosexual partners into the country.  The change in current policy would eliminate the apparent discrimination in the system.  The Immigration Minister of Australia claimed that this step would keep Australia competitive in attracting skilled immigrants.  The change will be in effect as of July 1st.

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Singapore has revealed a new biometric passport which will be available for all passport holders in August.  The new passport, called the “Biopass,” will have increased security measures including laser images and a contactless chip bearing facial and fingerprint biometric data.  According to an article by Vivian Yeo of CNET news, the new passports will reach a level II security requirement that the US has requested in order for compliance with their scanning machines.  The pass will be first released to government officials and airline crew members before large scale distribution.  Despite the advantages of meeting US compliance, the Biopass will be more expensive for citizens.  The price rise will reflect the cost of increasing security measures. 

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In Australia, new legislation has been passed to crack down on businesses hiring undocumented immigrants.  Under the new laws, negligent employers who hire undocumented immigrants could face up to two years of jail time or heavy fines.  Employers who are found guilty of exploiting immigrant laborers will face up to five years in jail and up to one hundred and sixty-six thousand dollars in fines for the convicted business. 

According to an article by Sophie Morris of The Financial Review, these measures are targeting taxi, cleaning, horticultural and sex industries which frequently hire undocumented immigrants.  These individuals are at a large risk for mistreatment because of their undocumented status.  Supporters of the new legislation point to the problems that undocumented immigration is creating by taking jobs from nationals and contributing to organized crime.  In order to aid in stopping an illegal job market that is fueled by undocumented immigrants, the government will be running awareness campaigns to let employers know of their obligation to check on a potential employee's legal status.