Australian Immigration Daily News

Concerns that some RPL providers are approving unskilled workers have resulted in both employers and unions labelling the RPL’s ‘tick and flick’ process as a rort and theft, according to an ABC report.

Some RPL providers commonly advertise quick and easy recognition of qualifications for the purposes of migration skills assessments. However, unions and employers have now banded together to protest against what they are claiming is a multi-million dollar rort in the private vocational education sector by some low quality RPL providers who are simply ticking off a checklist of skills they think that the worker already has in order to minimise the cost of actually delivering the required training – hence pocketing government funding and other fees without providing the training.

Recognition of Prior Learning, known as RPL, is an assessment process that converts work experience into Australian qualifications. Generally, anyone with a trade background, at least five years industry experience and worked in the trade in the last three years, may apply to have their skills recognised nationally through the scheme.

63 new occupations have been added to the NT state nomination occupation list ahead of the launch the $5 billion infrastructure projects’ loan scheme set for launch in July this year.

As the Federal Government gets ready to launch the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), which will administer its $5 billion loan scheme to stimulate northern development, the NT state government has opened up its skills list taking the number of occupations that the state government will sponsor for permanent (sc190) and temporary (sc489) visas to over 170 occupations.

Speaking about the NAIF initiatives, Resources, Energy and Northern Australia Minister Josh Frydenberg, these changes will help fuel greater economic growth and higher levels of immigration in the NT.

An overhaul of both the two most popular visa categories have been announced with some changes effective from tomorrow and further “significant changes” expected from 1 July 2016.

The department of immigration has told a Productivity Commission inquiry into migration that it was working on “significant” reform of the skilled migration and temporary activity visas that are “expected to improve Australia’s competitiveness and ability to attract highly skilled migrants”, according to a report in The Australian.

Are things ever as straightforward and simple as they might appear? 

Not usually – right? Not in the sphere of migration law, and not in our everyday experience either! 

A case that was handed down by the Full Court on 14 April – Cotterill v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2016) FCAFC 61 – certainly brings this point home. 

Migration Alliance members are invited to participate in counter-warfare training in Poland, invited by our Convenor, Liana Allan.

As many agents are aware, a new subject, approved by the Office of the MARA, is currently available for Registered Migration Agents; Terrorism offences, Citizenship and ASIO Security Assessments - An overview for Migration Agents (click here to visit the paper)

Agents who have an interest in this area of law, may also be interested in courses that deal with immediate responses to terrorism in a real-life situation.