Investment into Australia via the significant investor visa program (SIV) has hit $2.18 billion dollars with investors now showing a clear preference for Victoria and the real estate market, according to report in the Herald Sun.

Victoria is the place to be as far as the wealthy Chinese investors are concerned. The state has seen the greatest influx of wealthy Chinese investors looking to fast-track residential visas by spending more than $2.1 billion on property investment, business and shares in the past two years, says the report.

“At least 436 high-wealth Chinese, and a sprinkling of Hong Kong, South African, Japanese and Malay individuals promising to invest at least $5 million each in the Australian economy have secured residential visas under the new Significant Investment Visa program.”

More than half — 221 — now call Victoria home and the State Government has issued invitations to another 825 rich individuals to invest here.

Wealthy foreigners looking to move to Australia immediately, and be eligible for permanent visas after four years, can invest in real estate managed funds, bonds or Aust­ralian companies.

It's not a cage fight or even mixed martial arts.  It's the gentle art of warfare by paper.  

Legal Training Australia (LTA) is arguing a matter before Judge Cameron today at 2:15pm.  The location will be Level 8, Court 8.3, 80 William Street, Sydney.

The issue that LTA seeks to ventilate is the form and structure of the CPD scheme and the policy that OMARA applies to applications by approved CPD providers.

Education provider Navitas claims a rising number of foreigners are pretending to be students to get visas according to a report by the Australian Asscociated Press.

Last month DIBP warned in its blog site that it takes any breach of student visa conditions seriously and threatened visas may be subject to cancellation in the event of a breach pointing out that the breach of work rights limits were of a particular concern. Now, the chief executive of Navitas, Rod Jones says there is "higher than acceptable levels" of fraudulent applications coming from "a number of higher risk source countries" for courses run by Navitas.

Consequently, Navitas, which operates university programs, English language training and creative media courses, throughout Australia has tightened its recruitment requirements to ensure it signs up only genuine students, he told the company's annual general meeting in Perth.

"This may result in a temporary slowing of our growth rate in Australia," Mr Jones warned.

But proposed higher education reforms, including the deregulation of fees and increased government support to private providers, likely would have a positive effect for Navitas, if they pass the Senate, he said.

Proposals to cut the time in which asylum seekers' refugee claims would be assessed, could lead to genuine refugees being sent home to face persecution or torture, says Parliamentary Committee into Human Rights according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The changes proposed by Immigration Minister Scott Morrison would re-introduce temporary protection visas to be applied to about 30,000 asylum seekers still living in Australia. It would mean asylum seekers found to be refugees would get a three-year visa allowing them to work, but they would ultimately have to return to their country of origin.

The committee also criticised the plan to expand powers to detain people at sea, saying it would have prevented the recent High Court case on behalf of 157 asylum seekers who were held on the high seas on the Australian customs ship the Ocean Protector for a month earlier this year. The asylum seekers were subsequently moved into detention on Nauru. The High Court is still considering the case.

The committee says these changes to the Migration Act are incompatible with Australia's human rights obligations

According to the committee, the proposed amendments would "further constrain the already limited ability of the courts to evaluate Australia's treatment of refugees and asylum seekers". On refugee assessments that needed to be "fast-tracked", the report says: "The committee considers that the proposed fast-track arrangement appears to be primarily directed to ensuring the assessment and review processes are as brief as possible."

The committee’s chairman, Dean Smith, a West Australian Liberal Senator, said Australia's sovereignty should not exempt it from the international human rights obligations it has made.

Are your clients making the most financially of their offshore assignments?

Contribute to this important research being undertaken by Stacey Martin, Specialist Wealth Advisor – Expatriates and Significant Investor VISA, NAB Private Wealth

Taking up an offshore posting can be an exciting time – a new country, career opportunities and lifestyle experiences for the family. With an extensive list of things to do before departure, often this leaves little time for forward planning.