In a move to encourage both Working Holiday (Subclass 417) and Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) visa holders to undertake work in northern Australia the government has announced that such visa holders will be able to apply to work for a single employer for up to 12 months, compared to the usual limit of six months.

From November 21, 2015, Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa holders who secure work in certain high demand industries in northern Australia will be able to remain with their employer for up to 12 months.

The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said the changes - an initiative of the Government’s recent White Paper on Developing Northern Australia - will be of significant benefit to the agriculture and tourism sectors in the north of the country.

“These industries are highly seasonal and rely on short term workers to provide labour flexibility in peak periods,” Mr Dutton said.

The changes will also apply to work in northern Australia in aged and disability care, construction and mining.

Migration Alliance, Australia China Business Council (ACBC),  and Expat Advisors Community networks are delighted to come together and invite those doing business with China to enjoy an Australian tradition – the race that stops the nation!

Sip champagne while chatting to industry colleagues, making new business connections and soaking up the first Tuesday of November  atmosphere at  The Rook rooftop bar in the Sydney CBD.

Attendees include migration agents and lawyers, accountants, wealth and investment managers, cultural advisers and a range of China active companies and consultants.

An 8-year long study, described as one of the most comprehensive studies on immigration in Australia, has found that Australians strongly support immigration and multiculturalism. Support for immigration is particularly strong among young Australians but it dwindles in regions outside capital cities.

Australia is a ‘stable and cohesive society’ with indicators of social cohesion improving particularly in recent years. This is the conclusion of researchers from the Scanlon Foundation, who tracked for 8 years, public attitudes on various social issues including immigration, multiculturalism, discrimination, and belonging, and mapped the national mood via the Scanlon-Monash Index of Social Cohesion.

“The upward trend in the social cohesion index shows that overall, Australia remains a stable and highly cohesive society,” noted the report’s author Professor Andrew Markus.

“It shows experience of discrimination based on ethnic background and religion has lessened from 18% to 15% since last year, and there continues to be a high level of acceptance of immigration and cultural diversity.

I am in receipt of the following email which I would like to share with the Migration Alliance membership, in particular, women:

Dear Liana,

We’ve all heard the expression: “There is nothing new under the sun” (in case you are really curious, this expression comes from the Bible, specifically “Ecclesiastes”).

I would reckon that most RMAs would question from their work experience just how accurate that expression really is! I suggest that it would be the more typical experience of RMAs that the opposite is really true, that instead of there being nothing new under the sun, in reality there is almost always something new under the sun – practically every day!  And (if you can bring yourself) to read the case reports on Austlii, you will see that it is really true – different, unusual, surprising and one might go so far as to say “wacky” situations come up in the Federal courts all the time!

The case that is the subject of today’s article – Patel & Anor v Minister for Immigration & Anor (2015) FCCA 28293 – involves an issue that I haven’t come across before:  Can the fraudulent conduct of the sponsor of a 457 visa holder result in the cancellation of the visa?  The answer to this question, provided by the Court in the Patel case is: “Yes it can!”