Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance is pleased to support BIG Australia Magazine which will officially launch in July/August 2018.  Jason Watt, an RMA member of Migration Alliance is heading up BIG Australia Magazine and has the following to say:

BIG Australia Magazine is the first immigration industry magazine launched from Australia. It is free to follow or read, free to advertise in and free from the bias that often comes with ‘corporate sponsorship’ or paying for advertising. 

BIG Australia refers to Business Immigration Group Australia and the online magazine platform is simply the best way to provide information to the global community of immigration professionals.

We have been doing our research into the Professional Indemnity Insurance options offered by the MIA and Migration Alliance (MA), given that they are the two peak membership associations in the migration advice profession.

Let's start with the basics.  MIA charge members (joint members of MA) an annual membership fee.  Migration Alliance does not charge an annual membership fee.

Reason would have it that MIA members would then be given access to great savings and well-negotiated deals on essentials such as Professional Indemnity Insurance through their membership association.  Nope.

The Migration Agents Capstone Assessment has been released:

https://www.collaw.edu.au/migration 

The Migration Agents Capstone Assessment (the Capstone Assessment) is an independent competency-based assessment, offered by The College of Law Limited. The Capstone Assessment has been designed to assess candidate’s skills to meet the Occupational Competency Standards for Registered Migration Agents (RMAs).

Every Migration Agent understands that the process of providing advice and assistance to potential migrants is complex, and the stakes can be high. Migration Agents are entrusted with having the right knowledge to deal with each person’s unique case, and clients expect flawless service at every point. When things go wrong, tensions can run high. Professional Indemnity insurance could be the key to protecting you and your reputation from a potentially large financial claim, and a prolonged period of stress.

First, let’s be clear about its purpose: Professional Indemnity insurance provides financial protection against potential losses arising out of acts, errors and omissions from professional services and advice provided, including:

• Negligence in providing professional services
• Breach of duty of care
• Allegations of misrepresentation or of creating a misleading impression
• Breach of statutory provisions in various laws
• Incorrect or inadequate advice
• Errors on Visa applications
• Late lodgement of documentation

So, we’re talking about liability for services and advice provided. Effectively, this means that if a client engages a registered Migration Agent to assist them navigate the complex world of visa applications and something goes wrong, or is even perceived to have gone awry, the business could be faced with a financial claim equivalent to the client’s losses, as well as additional compensation.