Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance has been in communication with the Office of the MARA today after receiving multiple calls and emails about delayed registration applications. 

Regarding repeat registration applications

As long as an agent has lodged on time, or can show that they have made every attempt to lodge on time, and it was through no fault of their own that the application could not be lodged (ie OMARA website temporarily offline) there will be no disadvantage to them or their repeat registration application.  

The instrument revokes IMMI 18/118 (F2018L00806) in accordance with subsection 33(3) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901, which states that where an Act confers a power to make, grant or issue any instrument of a legislative or administrative character, the power shall be construed as including a power exercisable in the like manner and subject to the like conditions (if any) to repeal, rescind, revoke, amend, or vary any such instrument.

The instrument operates for the Minister to:

a. specify the approved forms, place and manner for making a valid visa application for a Visitor (Class FA) visa; and
b. specify for the Approved Destination Status stream in the Visitor (Class FA) visa, which includes the Subclass 600 (Visitor) visa, the travel agents that may organise a tour of which an applicant must be intending to travel to Australia as a member of that tour.

The instrument removes three travel agents that were listed in the previous instrument to organise a tour in relation to the Approved Destination Status stream. The instrument also specifies an additional travel agent who was not listed in the previous instrument.

Over the weekend, the Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs (which also includes the Office of the MARA), the Hon Jason Wood MP promoted the Registered Migration Agent Profession.

Mr Wood's precise words were:

“To avoid being scammed, you can check the Register of Migration Agents, published on the OMARA website, to receive the protections of an OMARA registered Migration Agent,” Mr Wood said.

Engineers Australia has published following updates for migration skills assessments.

A new fee structure will be implemented from 1 September. The new fees structure is available here: 

https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/EngineersAustralia_MSA_Fees_2019-2020.pdf

Applications for the subclass 489 program are now closed for the Murray regional area in NSW. All the applications received up to the 23rd of August 2019 at 5:00 pm will be processed and assessed. 

Source: https://www.rdamurray.org.au/index.php/skilled-migration/skilled-regional-489-visa/skilled-regional-489-visa/