Migration Alliance members who are also MIA members:

Written reports from our sources within the MIA have indicated that at a recent MIA EGM, Angela Chan and the Board of the MIA announced (with motion proposed) to remove the 2 term limitations to Directors tenure.

Further information on this is being sought but due to the difficulty in obtaining real information from the MIA's central control area it might take a little more time.

The DIBP no longer accept Bridging Visa B's electronically.  The following is a message being sent to RMAs:

We are no longer able to accept Bridging Visa applications electronically.

It must be hand delivered to your nearest Immigration office or posted in. Posting it in may take up to 14 days to get to the Perth office for processing so it may be more beneficial to attend your nearest immigration office.

This information has been taken from the NSW government website:

NSW is introducing a selection-based invitation process in 2015. This will be implemented from February 2015 onwards.

Under the selection and invitation process for the 190 program, prospective candidates can only apply for NSW nomination if they have been selected from SkillSelect and invited by NSW Trade & Investment.

Australia’s addiction to sports and success in winning hosting bids for major international sporting events are drawing record numbers of overseas visitors to Australia with hotels and tourism operators saying occupancy rates are soaring.

Although figures are still being collated, it’s estimated around 30,000 people travelled from overseas to watch AFC matches, and another 50,000 are expected down under for the cricket, according to a report on news.com.au. Other sources put overseas visitor figures at about 20,000 annually for the Australian Open and Grand Prix. In addition to this millions of sports fans around the world get to witness television broadcasts of Australia’s prowess in hosting these events and offers snippets of the great attractions the vast country has on offer.

The three major cities all saw occupancy spike over 7 per cent from last year, according to the report. Speaking to newss.com.au, Accor Pacific Chief Operating Officer Simon McGrath said major sporting events played a vital role in growing the visitor economy.

“For many visitors the Asian Cup is not just about football, as it provides a unique incentive to visit Australia and tour around the country,” said Mr McGrath.

Australian Hotels Association CEO, Stephen Ferguson, told news.com.au that it was important the success of the big sporting events was recognised by governments at all levels.

The DIBP would like to improve its visa processing times by increasing the number of assessment-ready (decision-ready) visa applications.  These are often called DRCs or complete applications with required supporting documents included in the initial application.

The DIBP would like to provide recommendations and tools that will be of benefit to clients, RMAs and DIBP's visa processing sections.  

Migration Agents are in a unique position to have their say and explain that 'decision ready applications' (DRCs) need to be given priority going forward.

We ask all Migration Alliance members to complete the survey.  Responses are anonymous and take about 7 mins.

Cutoff date for responses: 11 February 2015.

Please start the survey below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RMAARA