Editor's Blog

Almost 12.000 partner visas were issued to the Garden State last year.

Victoria is a hotspot for partner visas, the The Herald Sun has reported recently. 

Referring to the Federal Government's latest State and Territory Migration Summary Report, a recent article noted that, “More than 2000 Indians, 1245 Chinese and about 1000 UK-born migrants were among 11,840 people to get partner visas in 2012-13.The total number for Australia was more than 46,000, including people in gay relationships.”

The article did not reveal whether the sponsors are Australian born or new migrants themselves.

Court finds that oral notification to DIBP to vary the RMAs preferred method of communications is sufficient.

The recent Federal Court’s decision suggests that no further written notification to DIBP is required to vary original written notice to DIBP. Oral notice is sufficient, provided all the correct communication information (i.e. email, fax and/or address) had been properly provided to DIBP previously.

Briefly, in that case, the applicant’s visa refusal decision was sent by the DIBP Case Officer (CO) to the RMAs postal address whilst the RMA was overseas. The RMA was unaware of this notice. By the time the RMA returned from overseas, the timeframe for lodging an appeal to the Tribunal had expired. After a series of failed appeals the applicant took the matter to the Federal Court.

Pockets of the resources industry are expected to grow and continue to source overseas labour.

23/12/2013

A NEW REPORT from Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA) indicates that while a plunge in jobs is expected in the resources construction industry,  there are however new jobs expected to emerge in other pockets of the resources industry outside of resources construction.

AWPA says that jobs in the oil and gas industry is likely to jump by nearly two thirds from just under 39,000 workers in 2013 to 61,212 in 2018. It also predicts employment in mining production to rise by about 7 per cent from 236,690 workers in 2013 to 254,260 in 2018 as the export phase of the resources boom takes over.

“About 60 per cent of our population growth, roughly, is now coming from overseas, where as about 40 per cent is from the birth of young Australians,” says Assistant director of demography at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Neil Scott in a recent interview with SBS.

The complexion of the Australian population is starting to change with diminishing birth-rates as well as diminishing rates of migration from Australia’s traditional European sources.

The ABS statistics indicate that the rate of increase in migrants from New Zealand, China, India and South Africa are increasing rapidly.

“People born in the United Kingdom remained the largest group of migrants with over 1.2 million calling Australia home, followed by those from New Zealand (608,800), China (427,600) and India (369,700),” said a statement from the ABS

For any breach of sponsorship obligations, Business Sponsors are likely to face swift and severe sanctions with little chance of leniency for past good conduct.

19/12/2013

The Migration Review Tribunal recently affirmed a decision by DIBP to bar an employer from sponsoring overseas workers for 12 months because the sponsor failed to give notice to DIBP of the resignation of a nominated employee within 10 days of the employee ceasing employment.