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Migration Agent Reportedly Convicted of Visa Fraud
SBS News reports that a migration agent, Chetan Meshru, and his wife, Divya Gowda,a marriage celebrant, have been found guilty of 66 separate charges involving visa fraud after a two-week trial in the Brisbane District Court.
According to SBS, the scheme involved paying Australian women to participate in sham marriage ceremonies with men of Indian nationality who wanted to obtain partner visas to remain in Australia. The men also reportedly paid substantial fees to the migration agent.
The report quotes the Crown Prosecutor, Greg Lynham, as saying: "There was no courtship, there's no dating, there's no getting to know each other...It's simply rock up to the townhouse, sign some forms...and then the parties go their separate ways...."
So much for the painstaking process of carefully proving that the relationship that is the subject of a Partner visa!
The report does not provide details of how this scam was discovered by the Department. Or whether anyone succeeded in getting a visa through this scheme (hard to imagine how anyone could!)
No details of the sentencing, which was scheduled to take place on 17 February, have appeared yet either. Other than it was said that the Crown Prosecutor would be seeking jail sentences.
It all makes the level of commitment between the partners on the TV show "Married at First Sight" seem extraordinary, doesn't it!
And it shows that there may be few limits to the human imagination in devising methods for profiting from complex migration laws.
Stay tuned, we'll have more details if they become available through Austlii or other sources!
Comments
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Wednesday, 22 February 2017Quoting Shakespeare, I hope it is not a case of
" .............all fire and brimstone signifying nothing " unless punitive measures have been strictly enforced. -
Thursday, 23 February 2017
Being a victim of another migration agent fraudster who was based in Grafton a couple of years ago, I have no sympathy for these agents. Unfortunately I have no faith in agents anymore and will not recommend anybody to make use of them. Although he was reported to Mara Australia, he was only suspended and got away with a number of people's hard earned money and super annuation. I hope he is happy today and enjoy the money he stole from everybody.
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Friday, 24 February 2017
As a registered migration agent, I have little or none sympathy for those victims, simple those so called 'victims' actually part of the fraud.
I remember the MARA/DIBP have said that the only one to blame is them-self, and they are probably right. -
Monday, 27 February 2017
Here is an update on sentencing: https://www.wavefm.com.au/news/national-news/111793-qld-indian-wedding-scammers-thrown-in-jail
"During a hearing last week, Mashru claimed imprisonment would cause him undue hardship as he was a vegan."
Immigration blog
This couple migration agent's licence should be suspended and cancel for commiting this shameful fraud. Dont you think this will protect to other honest migration agent
Both the indian man and the Aussie Girl should be deported and send them back to India. Australia society does not accept this type of fake marriage