citizenship test

On a one-kilometre strip of road in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh neighbourhood, hundreds of people, predominantly Muslim women are holding a dharna — a non-violent, sit-in protest against the Narendra Modi BJP government's fascist citizenship laws — which has inspired a new mass pro-democracy movement.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s announcement that the government would scrap 457 visas left no one happy. The 457 will be replaced with two new Temporary Skilled Shortage Visas (TSSV) — one that lasts for two years and offers no pathway to permanent residency and another which may be issued for up to four years. 216 roles have been removed from the list of occupations for which a visa can be issued.

As the embers cooled in the debris of US President Donald Trump’s 59 Tomahawk missiles fired at Syria, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered an immigration crackdown that includes a new US-style patriot test for those seeking Australian citizenship and the scrapping of 457 foreign worker visas.