Australian Immigration Daily News

Dear Migration Alliance members,

Migration Alliance is proud to announce we have recently partnered with Vasco Pay.

Vasco Pay is the preferred payment partner of Migration Alliance. We offer an innovative payments solution for all Visa applicants. Whether you are a skilled worker or an international student, we have you covered with a secure, safe and reliable payment service. 

By Stacey Martin

With similar climates, wide-open spaces, good schooling and a strong economy, New Zealand is also an attractive destination, already popular in China. For those who are weighing up the options, the NZ Investor 2 being equivalent to AUD 2.2M is less than half the amount of Australia’s AUD 5M Significant Investor Visa. Further, the opportunity to invest in certain “off-the-plan” property will be well received by Chinese investment migrants. 

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has implemented positive changes to their Migrant Investor Visa categories effective 22 May 2017. 

Dear Migration Alliance Members

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you all on the board of Migration Alliance Inc.

I have decided to resign from the position of Secretary, immediately.

Recruitment is now underway for a new Chief Executive Officer at the Migration Institute of Australia.  The previous CEO was Maurene Horder, who suddenly departed in September 2013, and was replaced by an Acting CEO, Kevin Lane. 

Can you think of anyone in our profession, or any other profession that you think might be suitable? 

Since 1^st July 2016 last year, the federal government, with the New South Wales and Victoria state governments, have cracked down on foreign non-residents buying Australian property, who are not Australian citizens, permanent residents living in Australia or eligible New Zealand Citizens living in Australia. New tightened up Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval applications, processes and fee structures for foreign non-residents wishing to buy real estate in Australia are now in place. Foreign non-residents not complying with the new regime structure, are now served with mandatory forced sale notices, with also tax implications.

From an immigration agent’s prospective, a client could be coming to them, to obtain permanent residence in Australia, to avoid the hurdles and tax burdens of deemed as a foreign non-resident. The new foreign non-resident regime do not apply to Eligible New Zealand Citizens (ENZCs), who are deemed as permanent residents in Australia, for tax purposes and to avoid the foreign non-resident land taxes, who have been residing in Australia, for more than 200 days.

From an immigration agent’s prospective, a foreign non-resident wish to buy property in Australia, now can only buy from a developer (off the plan / new property) who has pre Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval to sell to foreign non-residents, or the foreign non-resident themselves must obtained Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval.