Australian Immigration Daily News

Operation Dreadnought uncovered evidence that a former Australian Border Force (ABF) officer engaged in corrupt conduct by providing sensitive operational information to an associate which assisted a drug importation syndicate.

In her report, the Integrity Commissioner makes a number of corruption prevention considerations including the role of social capital, which needs to be assessed in terms of internal and external relationships, and information security and controls.

On 18 August 2020, the former ABF officer plead guilty to one charge of abuse of public office under section 142.2 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

The National Migration Conference has been released for sale today.

For information on the Department of Home Affairs sessions (free of charge) and to register please click here.

For a full schedule of presenters including State and Territory governments please click here.

Business and Investor visas

NSW has introduced a new nomination criteria framework

All business and investor migrants seeking NSW nomination will now apply under a new nomination criteria framework. 

NSW participates in the Business, Innovation and Investor Program to support our economic growth and resilience.

Changes to the Business Investor and Significant Investor visa subclasses have been made to promote investment for NSW-based businesses, particularly in the start-up and innovation sectors. 

Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Alex Hawke MP, said the advisory panel will play a critical role in supporting Afghan evacuees as they settle into Australian life.

“The Advisory Panel is a group of highly regarded Australian-Afghan community leaders and refugee and settlement experts, chosen for their commitment and expertise in refugee and integration issues,” Minister Hawke said.

“Australia has a proud history of helping those most in need and we are fortunate to have such a wealth of knowledge from across Australia to be working with us to ensure our world class settlement program is delivering to them the comprehensive support they need to get established and settled in Australia as fast as possible.”

Source: Advisory-Panel-on-Australias-Resettlement-of-Afghan-Nationals.pdf

Purpose

Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) provides a skills assessment service for people with trade skills gained overseas or in Australia for the purpose of various working visa applications. Regulation 5.40 of the Migration Regulations provides for the Minister to specify the fee payable to a non-corporate Commonwealth entity for performing such services. As the TRA is a business area within the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, which is a non-corporate Commonwealth entity under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, the fees for applications to TRA can be specified under regulation 5.40.

The purpose of the instrument is to specify under subregulation 5.40(1) of the Migration Regulations:

- the fees payable to TRA for an application of assessment of a person¡¦s occupational qualifications or experience (or both) and educational qualifications (under paragraphs (a) and (b)); and

- the fees payable for an application for internal review of an assessment (paragraph (c)).

The instrument also removes specification of fees in relation to applications for the Trades Recognition Service (TRS) and Skilled Worker Program (SWP) that are no longer in operation. The TRS was a service within the TRA that closed on 1 December 2020, and the SWP was replaced by the Migration Skills Assessment in July 2011.

Source: LIN21023.pdf and LIN21023-Explanatory-Statement.pdf