The International Association of Immigration Practitioners has filed court action in the Federal Court of Canada and the Ontario Superior Court in an attempt to prevent regulation of immigration consultants.  The association charges that Ottawa has no authority to set up the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, which would regulate their members.

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As a result of harsh immigration policies, fewer immigrants have sought asylum in the Netherlands.  The Justice Ministry stated that the number of asylum seekers dropped by 28% in 2003.  The ministry also said that the Netherlands had fallen from seventh to ninth place in Europe as a destination for asylum-seekers.  France is first, followed by England and Germany.

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Although the expected influx of thousands of students from the 10 EU accession countries will put a “great pressure” on the United Kingdom’s education system, it will also be an overall financial benefit to the UK, according to a report from the Higher Education Policy Institute.

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A Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) report confirms a recent US Library of Congress study that said Canada’s welfare system, immigration laws, infrequent prosecutions and light sentences had turned the country into “a favored destination for terrorists.”  The CSIS report also confirms fundraising for terrorism has not stopped in Canada, even though Canada’s anti-terrorism bill aimed to stop the flow of money to groups such as al-Qaida, Hezbollah and Hamas.

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Mounir el Motassadeq, a 29-year-old Moroccan who was the only person convicted for the September 11, 2002 attacks in the US, won a retrial after the Federal Criminal Court in Germany overturned his conviction.  The court faulted Washington for refusing to allow testimony from a key al-Qaida captive.  A month ago, el Motassadeq’s friend, Abdelghani Mzoudi, was acquitted of identical charges of aiding the Hamburg, Germany cell of al-Qaida.