Chris Bowen is Australia's new Minister of Immigration

Chris Bowen is Australia's new Minister of Immigration. Chris Bowen replaces
former Minister of Immigration Chris Evans, who is now responsible for the
department of Jobs, Skills and Workplace Relations. What does this mean for
potential migrants. Bowen has admitted to being 'taken aback' by his new
appointment. The Asylum Seekers debate was certainly not handled very well
as part of the election campaign. Bowen has already said that the way
refugees are handled is his first priority. For Skilled Australian visa
applicants, there may be questions how the growing backlog of applications
in the system will be approached, as well as how the State Migration Plans
are brought on stream. The timing by some states namely ACT and Victoria is
that October is a possible date for implementation - time will tell!!