Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance has received the following email from the AAT's Deputy President and Division Head:

As you’re aware, the Tribunal recently resumed limited in-person hearings at locations suitable for such arrangements, with the listing of in-person hearings considered on a case by case basis in accordance with the AAT’s practice directions. However, many MRD hearings will continue to be conducted by video/phone due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Further to discussion at our recent meetings, I am writing to invite submissions to identify review applications considered suitable for video hearings for Partner and Family cases lodged to the Tribunal prior to 1 April 2018. This initiative is a small trial to address the aging backlog and difficulties in arranging for in-person hearings for these cohorts of cases case due to the current situation arising from COVID-19. 

Source:  Benchmark

Australian immigration lawyer, also the 2019 winner of Lawyers Weekly 30 under 30, Traci Chen has released a fun TikTok.  For those RMAs and Lawyers who are a little older, hold onto your seats! This might just represent the next generation of agents and lawyers in our profession.

Either way, its a bit of fun:

Traci's TikTok (click here to watch)   - turn on the sound

The Morrison Government is making a number of changes to student visa arrangements to ensure Australia remains a priority destination for international students as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

International students are extremely important to Australia and our economy, contributing $40 billion annually and supporting 250,000 jobs. Many also go on to become great Australian citizens.

While the closure of our international borders has been critical to our success in slowing the spread of the coronavirus, and Australia has been a leader in this regard, it has presented challenges to the education sector and students, both here and offshore.

It has come to the attention of Migration Alliance that a small number of Registered Migration Agents (RMAs) have been promoting a view that the sky is going to fall in with the removal of 2000+ lawyers out of Registered Migration Agent population of 7000+.  Their predictions include the fact that this is going to cause a catastrophe for vulnerable consumers because every lawyer in Australia is suddenly going to get involved with migration applications.

The concerns of these RMAs seem to stem from the recently taken decision to remove lawyers from the requirement to register as an RMA, and their supervision by the Office of the MARA (OMARA) in line with the recommendations of the Kendall Report (The Deregulation Bill 2019).

These RMAs also seem to think that 60,000 Australian lawyers will be unleashed on the community, and that those lawyers have no training or experience in immigration law.