Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance is non-elitist, non Anglo-centric association of Registered Migration Agents.  We are built around the concept of inclusion and diversity.

We have found that most migration agents tend to perform better in inclusive work and professional settings.   In our view, inclusion promotes the growth of self-esteem and professionalism in the agent.  No agent wants to be singled out or identified as "different" or less worthy to be part of this profession. By including all agents, the negative effects of 'anglo-centric' sentiments are eliminated.

Inclusion helps all migration agents experience, first hand, the meaning of equal worth and equal rights. As long as a single migration agent, who has not broken any laws, is excluded from mainstream professional life and opportunities, all migration agents become vulnerable to discriminatory treatment. A good example of this was the recent imposition of the IELTS test on agents which was set to be introduced on the 1 January 2014.  Thankfully we fought hard to have that decision overturned. That was in the best interest of diversity and inclusion and indeed the entire profession.

An inclusive profession helps all migration agents learn to be aware, sensitive, and tolerant of differences, including the differences in their migrating clients.   It helps agents like me, a white Anglo-Saxon (yes boring) , learn that all migration agents have abilities and disabilities and that we need to work together to survive and be happy together as a profession.

An inclusive profession holds the philosophy of inclusion and diversity.  Inclusion and diversity hinges on helping migration agents become better members of the migration agent community by creating new and improved visions for a professional migration agent community built on people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.  Inclusion is about membership and belonging to this migration agent community.  It is about finding our similarities, not pointing out our differences.   When we exclude people, it ultimately costs more than the original effort to include them.

Let's embrace and enjoy our differences.