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No more faxes to compliance
Agents are reporting in this afternoon that DIBP's compliance section will no longer accept bridging visa applications by fax (only the form 956).
A cut and paste from an email today confirms this information:
UNCLASSIFIED
Dear [NAME REMOVED]
On 02/06/2014 you lodged an application for a Bridging Visa E on behalf of your clients, MR ABC (DOBXXXXXX) Ms DEF (DOB YYYYYYY) and HIJ (DOB AAAAAA). However at the time of application your clients were still the holders of Bridging Visa A’s that ceased on XXXXXXXXXXXXX.
In order for your clients to be considered for a BVE they must satisfy 050.211 of the Migration Regulations 1994 (the Regulations) which states that the applicant must be an unlawful non-citizen; or, the holder of a Bridging E (Class WE) visa; or, the holder of a Subclass 041 (Bridging (Non-applicant)) visa; and, the applicant is not an eligible non-citizen of the kind set out in sub regulation 2.20(7), (8), (9), (10) or (11).
Furthermore, under the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (the ET Act), a visa application can be made by fax if the fax number used is a number that "meets DIBP's information technology requirements" within the meaning of section 9(1)(a) of the ET Act (E11551).
At present, the Department has not specified any fax numbers for making visa applications so no fax numbers meets its “information technology requirements”. As a consequence, visa applications cannot be validly made by fax or email.
I wish to advise you that your application for a Bridging visa E is not a valid application as the visa application cannot be validly made by fax or email. Invalid applications cannot be accepted or processed.
You may withdraw this application and lodge a fresh application. If you wish to withdraw this application, please respond to this email requesting a withdrawal of Bridging Visa E (WE 050) visa. To lodge a new application, you can either post the application to:
Compliance
Department of Immigration and Border Protection
GPO Box 9984
SYDNEY NSW 2011
or you can hand deliver to:
Department of Immigration and Border Protection
Level 4, Compliance
26 Lee Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000
If I receive no withdrawal for this BVE I will invalidate the application. As your clients are currently unlawful non-citizens and do not hold valid visa’s, they are required to attend the department for an interview. Please request your clients to present to:
Department of Immigration and Border Protection
Level 4, Compliance
26 Lee Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000
Between 9.00am and 3.00pm
By Friday 6th June 2014 with their passports and evidence of residential address.
With kind regards,
[NAME REMOVED]
NSW COMPLIANCE
Department of Immigration and Border Protection
________________________________________________________________
Telephone: (02) 8862 6820
Fax: (02) 8862 6802
UNCLASSIFIED
Immigration blog
Check out the following thread:
The last reply is on the top the initial complaint is at the bottom. the issue is why doesn"t Compliance have in place acceptable arrangements in respect of BV applications.
The initial letter is to Queen Bee and Compliance boss replies..the names of the real people have been changed to avoid embarrassing, harassing or intimidating them.
Read on and enjoy!
"Dear Compliance Boss,
These arrangements don’t sound very modern.
Is there any reason why compliance appears to be so “retro”?
Christopher Levingston
From: Compliance Boss
Sent: Friday, 20 June 2014 4:28 PM
To: Christopher Levingston
Subject: RE: Conduct of compliance [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
UNCLASSIFIED
Dear Mr Levingston
Thank you for your email on 13 June 2014 to Queen Bee in relation to management of visa applications within Compliance. Your email has been referred to me as I have responsibility for Compliance.
The Migration Act and Regulations do not provide for electronic lodgement of visa application (other than internet applications). The Electronic Transactions Act 1999 provides that a visa application can be made by fax or email if the fax number or email address used is a number or address that "meets DIBP's information technology requirements" within the meaning of section 9(1)(a) of the ET Act (E11551).
At present, the Department has not specified any email addresses for making visa applications so no email address meets its “information technology requirements”. As a consequence, visa applications cannot be validly made by email. This applies to all visa classes, including Bridging Visa Es.
Applications can be made by fax if faxed to the fax number of the appropriate office, where the fax number has been publicly advertised (for example in information sheets, application forms or departmental website) as being available for making visa applications. The NSW Compliance fax number has not been publicly advertised as being available for making visa applications so applications faxed to that fax number are also invalid. There is no plan to change this arrangement at present. As a result, BVE applications can only be made either in person or by mail.
I hope this information helps to clarify the situation.
Yours sincerely,
Compliance Boss
Department of Immigration and Border Protection
-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Levingston [christopher@levingston.com.au]
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2014 03:39 PM AUS Eastern Standard Time
To: Queen Bee NSW
Cc: Tara Brown; Eugenia Anang; Paul Sadler
Subject: Conduct of compliance
Dear Queen Bee
I would be very grateful if you could review the current client service arrangements in operation in compliance at the moment.
Compliance has informed us that they are unable to receive applications for BVE’s unless they are a either posted or hand delivered to the compliance section.
We want to ensure that all applications are valid and it seems to me that the inability to communicate with Compliance other than by letter or personally may be an anomaly.
Perhaps they can have a fax machine or better still an email address.
I would be grateful if you could look into this for me.
Christopher Levingston
Now, isn't that a bit wild? Compliance is still stuck in the 15th century. You can't send them a fax or an email ( although the technology exists) and they refuse to advertise a fax machine number etc... Yet they are happy to pick up the phone and ring OUR clients and at CROS interviews ask them stuff about their Advisers, how much they paid what the quality of the advice is, second guess the advice, panic the client and absolutley positively resolutely above all, avoid cooperation. Don't SERVICE Standards apply in Compliance or are they "special"? If so they need their own bus.