The department of immigration has appointed a new secretary who started his career in the department of defence and went on to develop strategic defence policies in recent years after having roles in foreign affairs and intelligence over a career spanning some 27-years.

Both the Prime Minister and Immigration Minister have emphasised that Michael Pezzullo’s defence and intelligence experience are essential for the department given its increasing focus on border protection.

Michael Pezzullo, the current CEO of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and former labour foreign minister, Gareth Evan’s staffer, will take over the office of the secretary of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, from October 13.

"He has extensive experience in the public sector, predominantly in the Department of Defence in strategic policy and intelligence roles," Prime Minister Abbott said in a statement.

Mr Pezzullo will replace Martin Bowles, who was recently appointed Health Department secretary. Martin Bowles held the appointment as the DIBP secretary for about a year.

'Having worked closely with Mr Pezzullo in delivering the government's border protection reforms, and more recently on enforcing increased national security measures at the border, I welcome today's announcement,' said Mr Morrison in a statement.

MR Pezzullo joined the Department of Defence as a graduate in 1987. In 1992 he transferred to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, where he worked in the International Division. In 1993 he joined the staff of then Labour Foreign Minister, Gareth Evans QC, and remained in Parliament House until December 2001. In February 2002, he re-joined the Department of Defence, and in 2006 was promoted to the position of Deputy Secretary Strategy in that department. Between February 2008 and May 2009 he led the Defence White Paper team and was principal author of the 2009 Defence White Paper.

The following is an email being sent out by the DIBP:

For-Official-Use-Only

Dear Ms XXXX,

The Migration Alliance recently received a complaint from a first-year RMA facing the dilemma of losing registration because of the inability to meet the PRP-CPD requirement due to the lack of alternative providers.

First year RMAs are required to attend a Practice Ready Program (PRP) in their first year of registration in order for them to renew their registration. However, the OMARA has only approved 2 providers, MIA and Fragomen. Strangely, Fragomen offers the PRP in-house only thus leaving MIA with a monopoly. For some reason the MIA seems unable to keep up with the demand for the course suggesting perhaps that it is oblivious to the growth of the industry or incapable of supporting the growth. This is certainly another issue for current review of the OMARA to consider.

In a desperate plea for an additional grace period, the RMA has written to the OMARA stating:

“I have been trying for a while now to book for a PRP course which is a prerequisite for the first year registrants to renew their registration. Unfortunately, I was told that there is only one PRP provider in Sydney, which is MIA. All MIA PRP courses have been booked out for a while. They said that they can only have a limited number of students, and so they are not able to offer me a place before next year.  My MARA registration is due for renewal [in early] 2015… If I am not able to complete this PRP on time for my registration renewal, may I request to kindly grant me reprieve until the first PRP course is available in the new year”

The immigration department has launched a national campaign to investigate allegations of unauthorised payment to visa sponsors in return for visas, reports the office of the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash.

Minister Cash said although the overwhelming majority of people do the right thing, it is a small minority who don't abide by their obligations or attempt to defraud our migration programmes.

"Visa fraud is not acceptable and anyone who engages in this type of behaviour will face serious penalties," Minister Cash said.

"The campaign will involve an initial assessment of up to 100 visa sponsors who are subject to allegations that they have been in some way connected to receiving payment for arranging sponsorship for individuals under the 457 visa programme," said Minister Cash

"The previous Labor Government was quick to demonise the subclass 457 programme with broad, unsubstantiated claims of widespread rorting while failing to focus on increased compliance. In contrast, the Coalition Government is as tough on enforcing our immigration laws in the workplace as we are on our borders and has already achieved a significant escalation in compliance, investigation and integrity activities, across a broad range of immigration and visa product areas."

A public education component of the campaign Work visa scams. Don't pay the price will further educate visa sponsors about their obligations and remind visa holders of their rights and responsibilities.

A cumbersome and slow migration process in Australia is potentially causing the ‘best brains’ to look elsewhere with some experts saying that Australia is at risk of squandering the benefits of immigration, reports the SBS.

A sustainable migration conference in Adelaide has heard that Australia ‘can't afford to bask in past glories, as the fast changing immigration landscape means Australia faces stiff competition for the pick of the migrants” reports the SBS.

For decades, Australia's carefully planned migration policies have driven economic growth and social diversity - making the country both the desire and the envy of many.

Demographer Graeme Hugo from the University of Adelaide thinks Australia needs to start selling itself better or risk losing migrants to the growing Asian economies.

"There are now a dozen countries in Asia that have their own skilled migration program which competes with Australia. So it is a very, very changed landscape and with the Asian economy going do well and increasing to likely be by the end of this decade about a third of the global economy. This migration is going to increase” says Professor Hugo.

Australia’s migration program has in recent years been steadily skewing toward policies that aim to attract the ‘best and the brightest’. The skilled migration program has been enlarged with the processing largely focussing on streamlining in order to be more responsive and attractive. The question remains whether this will be enough given the emerging international competition to tap on this critical talented human resource.