Breaking Australian immigration news brought to you by Migration Alliance and associated bloggers.
Liana Allan is probably Australia's best known migration agent. Liana is the owner of Legal Training Australia Pty Ltd which is a professional development firm training Australian migration agents and owner of Visacorp Pty Ltd migration agency. Liana's main passion is serving the needs of the migration agent community and providing migrants with information that can truly assist them as they seek to create a new life in Australia. Liana plays netball twice a week and enjoys great food and the occasional glass of Shiraz. Liana lives in Sydney, Australia and has two children. Liana is married.
Christmas Island mass suicide attempts
http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2014/07/09/christmas-island-suicide-attempts-report/
Refugee advocate slams boat turn back
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Migration Alliance is non-elitist, non Anglo-centric association of Registered Migration Agents. We are built around the concept of inclusion and diversity.
We have found that most migration agents tend to perform better in inclusive work and professional settings. In our view, inclusion promotes the growth of self-esteem and professionalism in the agent. No agent wants to be singled out or identified as "different" or less worthy to be part of this profession. By including all agents, the negative effects of 'anglo-centric' sentiments are eliminated.
Inclusion helps all migration agents experience, first hand, the meaning of equal worth and equal rights. As long as a single migration agent, who has not broken any laws, is excluded from mainstream professional life and opportunities, all migration agents become vulnerable to discriminatory treatment. A good example of this was the recent imposition of the IELTS test on agents which was set to be introduced on the 1 January 2014. Thankfully we fought hard to have that decision overturned. That was in the best interest of diversity and inclusion and indeed the entire profession.
An inclusive profession helps all migration agents learn to be aware, sensitive, and tolerant of differences, including the differences in their migrating clients. It helps agents like me, a white Anglo-Saxon (yes boring) , learn that all migration agents have abilities and disabilities and that we need to work together to survive and be happy together as a profession.
An inclusive profession holds the philosophy of inclusion and diversity. Inclusion and diversity hinges on helping migration agents become better members of the migration agent community by creating new and improved visions for a professional migration agent community built on people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Inclusion is about membership and belonging to this migration agent community. It is about finding our similarities, not pointing out our differences. When we exclude people, it ultimately costs more than the original effort to include them.
There's no turning back the boats for Morrison:
High Court blocks boat handover:
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Migration Alliance is pleased to announce the first edition of iMigrant magazine will be launching next month (see below). The iMigrant magazine will be published in conjuction with iStudent magazine, currently the most popular magazine for international students in Australia.
BACKGROUND - A MEETING OF THE MINDS
After a few years of careful consideration and research, and an introduction by a valued industry contact, Migration Alliance sat down with iStudent. We had one conversation, and realised right then that our visions, aims and values were similar.
iStudent has a passion for the rights and protection of students and students interests. Similarly, Migration Alliance has a passion for the rights and protection of RMAs and RMA interests.
iStudent's aim is to become the largest marketplace for international education in the world, where students empower other students to make transparent, informed choices about study abroad. Migration Alliance's aim is to become the largest marketplace in the world, where migrants empower other migants and RMAs connect-in.
iStudent has built a centralised online database of international student experiences. These experiences are shared with other students around the world to show them what it is really like to study in Australia and around the world.
The partnership between iStudent and Migration Alliance has evolved to include the release of a joint magazine, which until now, iStudent has successfully published as a solo-effort.
WHY iSTUDENT?
One of the objectives for the partnership is to expel myths and gossip which occurs when students talk at the pub and amongst friends, sharing poor or incorrect Australian immigration advice. The melding of Migration Alliance services with iStudent's platform will solve the problem as international students will be able to obtain the advice directly from RMAs instead of their friends.
Both organisations believe that the student / RMA comes first. Both organisations have a core belief that their customers must have access to real information, and that the information must be easy to access and empower the student / RMA. It is important that no one, no government entity or other organisation, no stakeholder in the Australian immigration space control the information flow.
For this reason and the reasons set out below, we believe that the partnership and offering is in the Australian national interest.
EDUCATION AGENTS (WHO ARE NOT RMAs) ARE REMOVED FROM TRANSACTION
International students can make contact with institutions and education providers directly without the need to use a third party to act as an indermediary. This means that students don't get 'hijacked' by unregistered middle-men who try and force students into dead-end courses leading the student nowhere, but of course giving the unregistered agent commission for the booking.
Migration Alliance holds the view that only RMAs should provide immigration advice and assistance to visa holders or intending visa applicants to Australia.
Unregistered student agents, aka 'education agents' often provide immigration advice and assistance outside their area of expertise and as part of general advice given when booking students into courses. These 'unregistered education agents' prepare student visa applications for intending students as part of the 'booking service' to obtain commission from colleges for enrolments. These 'unregistered student agents' are showing students pathways for migration to Australia based on limited knowledge, often with sad and disasterous results for the international students who find that they study a course which does not lead to a permanent migration or other useful outcome.
It is widely known that some 'unregistered education agents' send students to certain colleges so that the student doesn't need to attend class and can instead work full time. Bookings are made on the basis that the 'unregistered education agent' effectively sells the ability to work more and study less. Students recruit other like-minded students to achieve the same outcomes.
A NEW WAY
Finally we have created a partnership with an organisation which offers a new way, a better way and an alternative option for international students. Students can make free choices about when and where to study in Australia and obtain proper immigration advice the first time from RMAs.
A win-win.
485.223 requires the applicant to have applied for a Skills assessment at the time application, however 485.224 requires a positive skills assessment at the time of application. PAMS supports 485.223 and clashing 485.224 which skills assessment result is at the time of decision criteria. See below:
485.22 Criteria for Graduate Work stream
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