Australian Immigration Daily News

Can you become an Australian citizen without living in Australia? 

The question is not as “silly” as it sounds! 

Section 21(2) of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 specifies that persons who are seeking to become Australian citizens “by conferral” must satisfy the “general residence requirement” of section 22. 

Will my driving record affect my chances of getting Australian citizenship? 

That is perhaps the most common question that may be asked by applicants who wish to acquire Australian citizenship “by conferral”, after first obtaining permanent residency and then meeting the residency requirements of the Australian Citizenship Act. 

After all, practically everyone drives a car, and practically everyone commits a traffic infraction of some sort! 

For those readers who wish to know more about the joint Fairfax Media/ABC investigation into allegations concerning "pay for visa" schemes, here is a link to a follow up story that appeared in this morning's newspapers:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/visa-scammer-captured-in-hidden-camera-sting-20160627-gpsrpg.html

The article includes "undercover video" that was also broadcast yesterday evening on the ABC's 7:30 report which shows an alleged "fixer" claiming talking about creating phantom sponsorships for potential visa applicants, with the cost for such an arrangement from India being said to be $50,000.

Suppose you are contacted by a potential client who seeks your help. 

The client has become an unlawful non-citizen due to the fact that his substantive visa has ceased, and he holds no bridging visa. 

Would a Medical Treatment (Visitor) visa be a possible option for enabling the client to restore lawful status? 

A news article this morning reports the results of a joint ABC/Fairfax Media investigation into alleged widespread "rorting" of Australia's migration programs. It is "must reading": for RMAs and others who are interested in migration issues, and can be found at this link: 

http://www.theage.com.au/national/corruption-and-crime-syndicates-threaten-australias-border-security-20160622-gpp72z.html

The article reports that Joseph Petyanski, who jointly headed the Department's investigation office between 2007 and 2013, has claimed that the Department "ignored tens of thousands of cases of rorting perpetrated by migration agents and dodgy employers who game the student and work visas systems to allow foreigners to pay for entry" to Australia.