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Immigration Daily News Would you agree to a two-tier Migration Practitioner registration system?
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Would you agree to a two-tier Migration Practitioner registration system?
Former State President and National Board Member of the Migration Institute of Australia Mark Glazbrook has called for the introduction of a two-tier RMA registration scheme, whereby, “migration agents that meet the necessary criteria …would be granted a higher level of accreditation than their peers, and extended streamlined processing rights that make it more attractive for applicants to engage their services,” according to a recent report on the “In Business South Australia” website: http://www.in-business.com.au/news/story/2014-8-12/18852
The report states that the partnership would be similar to the model recently proposed in New Zealand, with responsibility for visa application processing shared between government and approved industry representatives.
The Migration Alliance cannot agree with this proposal. There are currently over 5000 RMAs. The proposed scheme mocks the effectiveness of the MARA Code of Conduct which in essence is meant to put registered practitioners on a similar playing field in order to provide competitive, accessible and professional services to a diverse range of people. However, the MA is not against experienced practitioners being granted ‘Specialist Accreditation’ as is the case currently with Lawyers with the various state law institutes.
MA believes that the big issue that must be addressed is unregistered practice. This must be the focus at present given all the media hype about widespread rorting of Australia’s immigration system. Once unregistered practices is minimised or better still stopped, then perhaps a system whereby applications lodged by experienced registered practitioners are allowed streamlined processing ahead of direct public applications ought to be considered.
Liana Allan of the Migration Alliance says, “The department of immigration must develop a partnership of trust with the migration advisory industry. DIBP must recognise the professionalism of registered practitioners and not mock the entire OMARA registration system by dealing with RMAs in the same light as applications from the general public.
“Given the information in the leaked documents, DIBP has failed to deal with systematic rorts on its own and now will have less money and staff to combat the reportedly widespread problem. The time has come for DIBP to seriously look at developing a closer and better working relationship with the migration advisory industry.” says Liana Allan.
The establishment of an Independent Immigration Services Commissioner (IC) would certainly go a long way to help with all this by independently ensuring that those who are allowed entry into, and to remain in, the regulatory scheme are fit and competent to operate at their IC authorised ‘Advice Level’ as a registered practitioners. The IC could be the cornerstone of that relationship.
Comments
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Friday, 15 August 2014Hi Mark,
Its to late to try and divide the industry now, in fact the opposite will occur and the MA.S will pull together even tighter now, you have no control mate no power either because we live in a democracy and I certainly am not going to allow you or anyone else reduce me into some sort of class system in order for you to feed your ego and be seen as someone significant or special because your not, all you really are is just another migration agent just like the rest of us. -
Thursday, 14 August 2014
Yes this would create more titles and more ranks at the MIA. They would charge a fortune to allow people to call themselves different titles. This is elitism at it's very best.
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Friday, 15 August 2014
100% agreed with you.
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
I love elitism. its the only way to progress. survival of the fitest
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
A two-tier system is just another way to gouge migration agents for money and creating a false perception of 'quaity' where there really is none. For this to work it would need to be administered by an external body which was NOT the MIA. Would this be the other way that the English test (IELTS) would be administered? You don't reach tier 1 unless you meet IELTS Advanced 8? My guess is yes, something like that. I agree that a IC might be the way to go.
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
It's one thing to have systems and elite names for agents like 'fellow' and this and that, but it is quite another to realise that it is all in a bubble. Most of the world doesn't know that RMAs exist and unregistered agents are the real problem. There is not some kind of widespread problem in the migration profession where we need to have tiers of quality. This undermines the system in place at the moment, which is not even broken. We need unregistered practice to be removed first. I don't know about the Immigration Commission details can someone send me something on it? I will register my email below.
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
This is an absolute discrimination from the part of MIA.
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Friday, 15 August 2014
yes, it is kind of promotion for some people.
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
No. The system we have is working fine. What is not working is the fact that DIBP have corrupt case officers and that they have not got the money to investigate unregistered practice properly. Get rid of the real problem. Leave our profession alone. We are all Registered for a reason. Yes, all in a bubble. Too right.
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
Perhaps this is a way for the IELTS monopoly to get its hooks into the RMA profession....by perhaps asking the MIA lobby government to tier the industry and those in the top tier have to be white and speak english.
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
Surely the ability to speak (read, write) English is irrelevant to one's ability to interpret legislation, case law and the PAMs?!
Is it universally acknowledged that only people of particular skin colour have this irrelevant ability?
Should we identify ourselves as RMA's by colour of our skin, or shirt collar? This wouldnt create prejudice would it?
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
For goodness sakes. Let's focus on the real enemy here. The corruption of unregistered agents. Levingston calls them criminal entrepreneurs. Our profession needs to be regulated by people who are competent. Our country needs to discipline those who pretend to be RMAs. If the DIBP can't do it then let's get an organsation who can.
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
It is hilarious that liana makes all these comments with a fake name. Happens all the time.
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
Speaking as a Lawyer of many years experience with an LLB from the University of Melbourne who is also a RMA and a holder of the Graduate Certificate in Migration Law and Practice from ANU, I can't see the need for the two tier registration system.
Virtually all my clients come to me because they want a lawyer as opposed to a non lawyer RMA, so for me, a two tier system, which works to my advantage, already exists. I really do not want any change although I am happy to look at the proposals.
I don't solely rely on Migration work in my practice as I also practice Criminal Law, but it is these days the bigger aspect of my practice and the more lucrative. -
Thursday, 14 August 2014I do not agree with this approach, which in effect, will make it even more difficult for new RMAs to develop their practice.
I do however support that the notion that the fact of registration should, in every case, lead to priority processing for the clients of RMAs. -
Thursday, 14 August 2014
I find it hard to believe that a state president and national board member of an irrelevant organisation is interested in further self promotion....
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Thursday, 14 August 2014
No, because there is no good way to fairly determine who would be a "senior" agent. Years of experience? As a with policy & legislation. The law is constantly changing in this field, so more years doesn't necessarily mean better current knowledge. Plus, newer agents have had the benefit of the Grad Cert course, which is a far more rigorous training ground for agents than the old MAPKE "weekend warrior" type test where agents didn't have to have nearly the knowledge they do now to pass all four units of the Grad Cert including 2000+ word handwritten essay exams - I'd love to see some of these "more experienced" agents try those exams on for size.
As many agents are not members of the MIA, and the MIA is no longer the MARA, giving any sort of exclusive licence to them to be "the decider" or "the provider" of whatever courses might be dreamed up to meet this new criteria is unfair.
As everyone knows, offshore unregistered agents are the problem. NZ fixed it, DIBP can too if they stopped focusing on trivial issues with applications and actually took a look at the big picture for once. Fraud is running rampant, and busting student applications from poor countries seems to be the best they can do.
Time for a MUCH closer relationship between DIBP and RMA's - one borne of mutual respect and consideration. -
Thursday, 14 August 2014
Spoken like someone who has truly no idea of what was involved in passing MAPKE. This was an exam which was so difficult the failure rates were as high as 75% of candidates.
But nice to see your comradery with other Agents. Nothing like Agents trying to discredit other Agents for their personal gain. Maybe you should have studied the code of conduct a bit more carefully in your Grad Cert course. -
Thursday, 14 August 2014It is hilarious that someone thinks I am making fake comments on here. The comment has made me laugh though. Thanks for making me laugh.
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Aside from giving the coffers of MIA a boost from selling courses to would-be fellows of various ranks, I see nothing in this to bring about better service in the migration service industry. The problem with the migration profession is the unregistered migration agents, a goodly portion of the education agents who are reckless in their selling practices, and a government monitoring system of registered agents that is more focused on trivia than substance.
If a tiered system were brought in, I expect that the highest tiers will produce little more good than the lowest tiers. However, let's take the suggestion to its ultimate end. Perhaps we should ask the MIA to support a petition to the crown for a regal patent and seal for the Royal Australian Society of Muckety-Muck Migration Agents. If it is forthcoming, and we make participation mandatory, OMARA will have something else to examine when its agents visit your website and office.