Australian Immigration Daily News

The following email was received from the South Australian government today.

To manage South Australia’s COVID recovery response, an additional 70 occupations will be open to applicants currently residing offshore from Tuesday 28 September 2021.

The minimum requirements for state nomination include at least 8 years work experience in the occupation or closely related occupation and a proficient plus English level. Full requirements for each occupation will be shown on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation List from 10am, ACST, Tuesday 28 September 2021.

For South Australian state nomination, prospective applicants must meet the Department of Home Affairs requirements, state-specific occupation requirements and have skills in an occupation that is available on our Skilled Occupation List. Offshore applicants meeting the minimum published requirements can lodge a Registration of Interest (RoI) from 10am, ACST, Tuesday 28 September 2021.

Full details of South Australia’s state nomination requirements can be viewed here.

Please note that state nomination is a competitive process.  There is no guarantee of receiving an invitation to apply for state nomination after lodging an RoI, even if the minimum requirements are satisfied. South Australia cannot indicate the likelihood of invitation or answer enquiries on this matter.

Thank you for your continued interest in South Australia’s Skilled Migration Program and please ensure you are subscribed to the NEWS section of our website to keep up to date with new announcements.

The updated Form 956 is now live

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/956.pdf

https://www.abf.gov.au/form-listing/forms/956.pdf

The Migration (Specified courses and exams for registration as a migration agent (Capstone provider) Amendment Instrument (LIN 21/044) 2021 (the Instrument) is made under subregulation 5(4) of the Migration Agents Regulations 1998 (the Regulations).

The instrument amends Migration (IMMI 18/003: Specified courses and exams for registration as a migration agent) Instrument 2018 (IMMI 18/003), to update the exams an applicant can take to register as a migration agent. IMMI 18/003 specifies courses and exams for registration as a migration agent for the purposes of the Regulations. This includes specifying a provider for the Capstone Assessment (Capstone).

The instrument provides that beginning 1 January 2021, the new and sole provider of the Capstone is Legal Training Australia, as determined by the procurement process undertaken by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (the OMARA).

The Department undertook a procurement process to determine the Capstone provider, which involved publishing an open Request for Proposal on the AusTender website for anyone in the market to apply for. The Office of Best Practice Regulation was also consulted and considered that the instrument dealt with matters of a ‘minor nature’ and that ‘no regulatory impact statement was required’.

Whilst The College of Law Limited ceased being the Capstone provider on 31 December 2020, applicants will continue to be able to rely on the assessment delivered by The College of Law for registration as a migration agent until 31 December 2021. This will ensure that applicants who passed the exam before 1 January 2021 are still able to use their exam results to register with the OMARA, as the exam results are valid for 12 months as per subsection 9(1) of the IMMI 18/003. Consequently, there will be no adverse impact on applicants who have previously received an assessment delivered by The College of Law.

The instrument also amends IMMI 18/003 to remove references to the common assessment items (the CAIs) as the CAIs were specified to be a prescribed examination only if passed before 1 January 2018. CAIs were only valid for 12 months, and as such, are no longer current. The CAIs were assessment items that formed part of the Graduate Certificate in Australian Migration Law and Practice. Recommendation 16 of the 2014 Independent Review of the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (the Kendall Review) recommended a stand-alone Capstone de-linked from the prescribed university courses or any of the universities offering it. The Government supported this recommendation, and the Capstone became the prescribed examination in 2018.

Source: LIN21044.pdf and LIN21044-Explanatory-Statement.pdf

Former director of migration company Clinica Internationale Pty Ltd declared bankrupt 

“We are committed to holding individuals to account for failing to comply with costs orders made against them in enforcement proceedings,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.

Clinica offered migrants training and sponsored employment in the cleaning industry under a program which it claimed would lead to permanent residency, but had no cleaning jobs available. And even if Clinica had found these jobs, they would not have met the skill level enabling people to apply for the relevant visa.

Approximately 90 migrants paid a total of over $760,000 in fees to participate in the program.

“We took the original legal action against Mr Laski because of the appalling behaviour which took advantage of vulnerable individuals,” Mr Sims said.

“Clinica’s clients had significantly weaker bargaining power, and were induced to pay substantial sums of money on the basis of false or misleading representations and unconscionable conduct,” Mr Sims said.

“This is a reminder to businesses and individuals that if you break the law, there are real and serious consequences.”

Source: Radovan-Laski-bankrupt.pdf