Australian Immigration Daily News

Thanks everyone for sending Migration Alliance an email to try and win free seats 'first in best dressed' Conference comp for tomorrow at the Wesley Conference Centre in Sydney.  The winners of the free seats are listed below in order of their application for the seats via email.  Congratulations to Yunus Yip who was the very first agent across the line:

1. Yunus Yip

2. Ms. Romanee Wichiencharoen

I have just sent an open letter to MIA members and Ms Chan:

Dear MIA Members and Angela Chan 

I have called Angela Chan twice and both times she was unavailable.  Over a week ago, I wrote to Kevin Lane asking if there might be a way for Migration Alliance and the MIA to work together in the interests of the profession.  I used his email and the generic MIA email to be 100% sure he got it.  No response.  That's ok.  I now choose an open letter to the MIA Board and Members to question some of the information our joint members have received from Ms Chan in an email on Tuesday 10 September at 5:40pm. 

Following a strong email from Christopher Levingston this morning to MIA members asking them "what value are you getting from the MIA?", members of the MIA have started confirming that they will no longer be renewing their memberships with the MIA.   

This follows the sudden recent 'resignation' of Maurene Horder as CEO and conflicting messages from various persons responsible for the MIA.  I have tried to make contact with Maurene Horder via LinkedIn and will continue to try and find a way to contact her to find out what really happened.

Email messages have started streaming in to Migration Alliance today as MIA members become fed up.  Examples (minus the identifiers) are as follows:

I would like to let Migration Alliance members know there's at least one set of errors in the new visa pricing table at http://www.immi.gov.au/fees-charges/_pdf/visa-pricing-table.pdf

The contributory parent visa (143) is still listed as $2060 as the initial payment, and $42,220 as the second payment (refer to 19j in the table).

This hasn't changed from the original pricing, so I've cross checked the Sch1 release for 1st Sep and it should be $2370 and $48550.

We have notified DIAC of the errors. 

Dear Members

Migration Alliance is in receipt of an email from Jacqui Ure, MIA State President, Western Australia dated Fri, Sep 6, 2013 at 2:41 PM.

It looks like there is a connection between the current financial position of MIA and Maurene's departure.  The email infers that Maurene was pushed rather than volunteered to fall on her sword or simply "resign".  What is worrying is that the MIA seems to want to "restrict" Maurene's access to the staff and to members...... this all sounds very unhappy.  I hope she doesn't sue them for unfair dismissal.