Take a look at the Customs and Border Protection flyer which has been developed into multiple languages:

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/offshore-communication-campaign-people-smuggling.asp

It's a pretty strong message.

Did you receive an OMARA email in about September 2013 setting out that GST is no longer payable on your registration fee? Few RMAs seem to recall this let alone realise the effective fee hike. Some may now have also potentially and wrongly claimed an input tax credit. 

Many RMAs are calling this change by OMARA a covert fee hike and going directly against calls made by the Migration Alliance to half the current registration fees so that they were closer to other professions like tax agents and medical professionals.

IN THE COURSE OF PREPARING YOUR LAST TAX RETURNS you may not have noticed the OMARA tax invoice for repeat registration application states: “GST is not payable on registration application fees”. Previous such invoices however show that GST applied to registration application fees. The difference of these statements is that you could be out of pocket by the GST amount (depending on the type of registration you have).

An MA member recently queried the OMARA’s chief executive Steve Ingram on the matter:

“If this situation has changed, I would like to know why I am still being charged the same amount as if the GST was included,” the RMA asked citing that the change would mean that RMAs are effectively left out of pocket by $145 from now on.

OMARA pretty much threw the book at the RMA in its response stating that the OMARA has the right under legislation to charge same fee irrespective of whether GST applies:

The following information has been received from BSMQ:

The Commonwealth Government has advised that nominations for the Significant Investor Visa (SIV) will be suspended from 24 April 2015 until 30 June 2015.

This means that state and territory governments, including Queensland, cannot make any nominations during this period.

If you wish to apply to the Queensland Government for a Significant Investor Visa under the current criteria and receive your nomination before 24 April, the following timeframes will apply:

• Lodge an Expression of Interest via SkillSelect by 17 April 2015;
   
• You will then be sent an email from BSMQ requesting further information, which will be required to be returned by 21 April 2015.

We ask that you send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. when you have lodged your Expression of Interest in SkillSelect.

For more information about the temporary suspension visit the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

Agents and applicants should urgently check the postal address on any acknowledgement/grant/refusal letter.

An agent member of MA lodged a student visa app online on Friday and the address on the back of the letter and grant letter was the applicant's previous address. The electronic application form shows the correct residential address.

This has implications for refusal letters being sent to the wrong address.