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New group targeted in latest crack down on fake marriages
An increase in the number of allegations relating to the facilitating of fake marriages for visas has prompted a crackdown by the department of immigration on the scam. In a joint effort with the department of Human Services, the move will target welfare recipients who are on single payments but have declared sponsorship of a partner for immigration purposes.
Using the new data-matching programme, a joint media release by the two department states that it will be easier to identify fake couples who are fraudulently claiming social security payments, or committing migration fraud.
“This data-matching programme is part of a whole-of-government approach to fraud detection and prevention. People who deliberately take advantage of Australia’s welfare and migration system will be caught,” sated, the Immigration minister, Mr Peter Dutton, adding,” “The consequences are serious – people may be forced to repay the benefits they were not entitled to, have their visa application refused, or face criminal charges.”
Human Services minister Ms Marise Payne said, “Last financial year, data-matching activities conducted by my Department returned $132.7 million in net benefits to government.
Recently, two people were ordered to stand trial over an alleged visa marriage scam in Brisbane.
Chetan Mohanlal Mashru and Divya Krishne Gowda were, accused of arranging more than a dozen fake weddings. The Magistrates Court was told the ceremonies took place in Brisbane around 2011 so Indian men could stay in Australia.
Mashru has been accused of 17 counts of arranging marriages for visas and 28 other charges, including influencing a Commonwealth public official. Gowda, the marriage celebrant accused of officiating the fake unions, also faces 17 counts of arranging marriages for visas.
The court was told Australian women and Indian men heard about the scheme through friends and sought out the couple. More than a dozen men and women testified that they entered into fake marriages.
One Australian woman was paid $30,000, and many couples were wed the first time they met.
Comments
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Tuesday, 26 May 2015Why should they be given harder punishment just because they are Indian background?
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Tuesday, 02 June 2015
"many couples were wed the first time they met."
Isn't there a current TV show that does exactly that??? -
Tuesday, 09 June 2015
Partner and Protection visas are sometimes seen as visas of 'last resort' because they can be lodged in Australia irrespective of s48. The fake marriages are just the symptom - the underlying cause is s48. It should be removed. It causes a lot of waste.
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Thursday, 16 July 2015
I dont know why this country is just after indians
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Sunday, 23 August 2015
Yes this s48 is a nightmare. It is the cause root to this crapc
Immigration blog
they shuld be given as much as possible hard punishment coz they effect on real mariges and give us indians bad name