Australian Immigration Daily News

Australian agencies, professional bodies, universities and other organisations rely on TOEFL iBT^® scores to give them consistent, objective results about test takers’ English-language abilities. But how do they do that, with test takers from all over the world?

The structure of the test

First, a brief review of the test structure. The TOEFL iBT test has 4 sections—Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. The test is taken on computer at secure test centres, where test takers use headphones for the listening passages and a microphone for the spoken responses.

Is it possible to overcome the obstacles to getting a Visitor Visa that are presented by the “genuine temporary entrant” criterion? 

These particular types of cases can be very frustrating, both for the visa applicant and for the RMA who is assisting her/him. 

So often, the client’s instructions make it clear that their true intention is only to make a temporary visit to Australia to spend time with a family member.  Yet, all too often, the Department simply does not accept that is the case, and refuses the application. 

Telephone interviews by the Department can be extremely dangerous territory for a visa applicant! 

An applicant may receive a call from a Departmental officer unexpectedly, or “out of the blue”. 

If an applicant receives a phone call “by surprise”, she/he may not be prepared to discuss the application, and may answer questions over the phone in a way that might put their visa application at risk – for example, by making statements that are inconsistent with what has been said in the visa application. 

My colleague in Cairns (John Young) became aware that a certain Sukhwant Sona Singh Bela was the author of a scam to rip off many individuals of his own community who were being stung for $50K each.

This man then falsified documentation in support of these applications and was representing himself as being an RMA.

An investigation was launched and Sukhwant Sona Singh Bela was caught on telephone intercepts making false statements about his capacity and his status as an RMA amongst other things.

Here is a complaint that I have generated today concerning the conduct of Compliance in Melbourne concerning one of our clients who attended a female compliance officer this morning:

Dear Global feedback and (name redacted)