Australian Immigration Daily News

Some welcome news at a State level for subclass 457 visa holders impacted by recent legislative changes! South Australian Government is accepting nominations for 457 visa holders currently working in South Australia for a 190 or 489 General Skilled Migration visa allowing these individuals to remain in South Australia. The added bonus the fact that these visa pathways place no requirements on the employer.  Where a subclass 457 visa holder has worked in South Australia for 12 months or more, they will have access to more than 400 occupations.  This is welcomed news by those visa holders who are no longer eligible for another 457 visa or subclass 186 as a result of the changes last month.  The changes are summarised here:  http://migrationalliance.com.au/immigration-daily-news/entry/2017-04-key-dates-introduction-of-temporary-skill-shortage-visa-tss-and-phasing-out-of-temporary-work-skilled-subclass-457-visa-457-visa.html

In addition to having more occupations available to choose from, South Australia is offering further concessions on English language requirements. Applicants securing a state nomination can get up to 10 extra points for DIBP’s points test. Five will be awarded for state nomination relating to subclass 190 visa and ten relating to a state nomination for subclass 489 visa.

Securing a subclass 489 or 190 visa will also allow visa holders access to local school fees.

Does the Department have the authority to confiscate mobile phones from people who are being held in immigration detention?

This question is prompted by a change in the government’s policies that were announced in late May 2016, and which began to be implemented in February of this year. 

Prior to this policy change, a “two-tiered” approach to the possession and use of mobile phones by persons in detention had been in place since 2010.  Under that two-tiered approach,  persons  who were being held in detention because they were “illegal maritime arrivals” were not allowed to have or use mobile phones, but otherwise, persons who were in detention because their visa had been cancelled on character grounds were allowed to have and use mobiles.

Bupa is proud to announce the launch of its official WeChat account!

This social media platform is extremely popular amongst the Mandarin speaking community here in Australia so as part of their on-going multicultural communication strategies they have decided to join the WeChat community and become the first health insurance company in Australia to open an official account.

This account will enable access to information on Bupa’s product range and health services, the ability to communicate with Bupa consultants, and receive weekly articles on topics ranging from promotions and campaign information to health and care articles all in Mandarin.

Operation "Sovereign Borders" has been a primary focus of the government to deal with 'people smuggling'.

On April 23, days after announcing changes to Subclass 457 Visa and Citizenship, Minister for Immigration Peter Dutton released the following statistics for comparison.

Under Labor, Australia saw:

There are many demands on a business owner’s budget, so when the money is tight it can be tempting to skip some expenses to save a little cash.   Often you’ll tend to skip the outlays that don’t deliver an immediate return, like your insurance, and instead spend on things that can bring clients in the door and generate revenue, such as marketing and advertising.  However, being in business is risky business and all Migration Agents face risks that could threaten the livelihood of their business.  Which is why having the right insurance is an important part of being a responsible business owner.

This doesn’t mean that you need to get every type of insurance possible for your agency.  Instead it is about having the right insurance to help you to take away some of your business worries. Firstly, you should identify your risks and prioritise them, by considering the probability of something happening, along with the financial impact it would have on your business. Because some risks could cause a major disruption, while others might only be minor.

 If the probability of an event happening is low and the financial impact is low, you may decide it’s not worth insuring against.  For example, if the chance of a wild storm hitting your town and causing damage to your premises is low and you could easily manage the cost of repairs, you might decide against insurance in this area. In other words, if the chance is low and you can afford to replace your assets, you may be willing to "self-insure".