Australian Immigration Daily News

Trying to navigate your way through the migration legislation can seem at times like finding your way through a maze! 

And this can be true even for experienced migration agents and migration lawyers. 

So it is no wonder that visa applicants who are trying to work their way through the process on their own can get tripped up by the complexities of the process, and, as a consequence, find that their visa entitlement to remain in Australia can be placed in jeopardy. 

If you’re a small business owner, there’s no denying one of the most important things you need to protect your assets is Small Business Insurance. But what kind of insurance do you actually need?

Just as no two businesses are identical, there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to insuring a small business. Your insurance needs will vary depending on a variety of factors, such as, the industry you operate in, your trade, and the type of business you run. It will also be influenced by the size and location of your business and your appetite for risk. A Migration Agent will face different challenges and risks, to say, a tradesman, coffee shop owner, or an engineering firm, just as a mobile or home-based business will have varying needs to those with a shop front.  

However, one thing’s for certain, and that is, finding the right insurance is an essential part of managing the risks involved in operating your business. And let’s face it – all businesses confront an element of risk on a daily basis, regardless of their size or the industry they are in.

Are the criteria for the grant of a Child visa (Subclass 101) overly stringent in the cases of children who are over 18 years old, but who remain financially dependent on their parents? 

Do the Migration Regulations recognise the reality of modern life, where many children who are over 18 may need time to “find themselves” – to discover what direction they would like to take in life, and to decide what vocational or academic studies would be most appropriate for them to take to reach their goals? 

Do the Regulations unreasonably restrict the reunification of financially dependent children with their parents?  Would it be appropriate to reform the Regulations  and make them less stringent, in order to facilitate family reunions? 

When you entered the migration advice profession, did you have any idea that your work might require you to explore and understand the obscure details of Australian business law? 

For example, to be able to analyse whether, in circumstances where the co-trustees of a family trust that conducts business activities, could be considered to be the “sole proprietor” of a business? 

The again, it probably didn’t occur to you that in trying to navigate the Migration Act and Regulations, you would be required to find your way through thickets of interpretation as seemingly difficult as trying to answer the question: “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” (The answer to that question, of course, is “As many angels as the Department or the Tribunal say, just so long as the client is found to satisfy the criteria for the grant of the visa!!”.