Australian Immigration Daily News

From 1 January 2021, biosecurity officers will be able to issue infringement notices up to $2664 where travellers fail to declare potential high biosecurity risks (like uncanned meat or live plant material) when arriving at Australian international air and sea ports.

Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, David Littleproud, said the Biosecurity Amendment (Traveller Declarations and Other Measures) Bill 2020 was about protecting Australia.

“Our biosecurity system is critical to supporting the health of Australians, the environment and the competitiveness of our agricultural industries,” Minister Littleproud said.

“Australia produces the best agricultural products in the world, but we need to be vigilant to protect Australia from an ever-increasing number of pests and diseases that threaten our country and way of life.”

Source: Dont-be-sorry-just-declare-it.pdf

The purpose of the Federal Court and Federal Circuit Court Amendment (Fees) Regulations 2020 (the Regulations) is to increase the Federal Circuit Court application fee for migration litigants.

The amendments made by the Regulations do not change who is liable to pay a Federal Circuit Court application fee, but provide that those individuals who are migration litigants are to pay a higher fee. The increase fee is commensurate with the Federal Circuit Court’s placement in Australia’s court hierarchy. The increased fees are also accompanied by a partial fee exemption provision, which allows individuals to pay a reduced fee where paying the full fee would cause financial hardship. The existing full fee exemptions also continues to apply.

 Source: Federal-Court-and-Federal-Circuit-Court-Fees-2020.pdf and Federal-Court-and-Federal-Circuit-Court-fees-2020-Explanatory-Statement.pdf

The instrument repeals Migration (LIN 19/209: Arrangements for Certain Skilled and Temporary Graduate Visa Applications) Instrument 2019 (F2020C00274), made under subregulation 2.07(5) of the Regulations in accordance with subsection 33(3) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (the AIA).

Subsection 33(3) of the AIA 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.

Source: LIN20162.pdf and LIN20162-Explanatory-Statement.pdf

The Founder and General Organiser of Migration Alliance, and Director of Legal Training Australia, RMA Liana Allan is a finalist in the MyBusiness Awards 2020 in the following categories:

• Business Leader of the Year 
• Businesswoman of the Year 

We are thrilled to share this news about our Founder with the migration advice profession.

The awards night is on 4 December 2020 at 6PM.

Migration Alliance received the following email from the AAT-MRD today:

I would like to provide an update regarding the Partner and Family visa video-hearing trial, detailed in the emails below. We are now inviting submissions to identify review applications considered suitable for video hearings for Partner and Family cases lodged to the Tribunal prior to 1 July 2018. 

Written submissions should be provided to the Tribunal by COB 27 November 2020. If you could circulate this update amongst your membership, that would be greatly appreciated.