Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance has received the following email from the Director of Office of the MARA this afternoon:

Further to my note on Monday 15 June 2020 on ‘Bill Package – passing through the Senate’.

The Bill package comprises several different parts across the two pieces of legislation – the Migration Amendment (Regulation of Migration Agents) Bill 2019 and Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Amendment (Rates of Charge) Bill 2019. 

The following email was received by the ACS today:

Migration Alliance has received the following email from the Department of Home Affairs today:

I am writing to inform you that the Migration Amendment (Regulation of Migration Agents) Bill 2019 and Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Amendment (Rates of Charge) Bill 2019 (the Bill Package) have passed the Senate today. The media release announcing the passage of the Bill Package can be accessed on the Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs’ website at: https://minister.homeaffairs.gov.au/jasonwood/Pages/government-removes-unnecessary-dual-regulation-for-lawyers.aspx 

In summary, the Migration Amendment (Regulation of Migration Agents) Bill 2019 contains measures to partially implement recommendations of the 2014 Independent Review of the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority, including to remove legal practitioners from the regulatory scheme governing migration agents, and other measures. The Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Amendment (Rates of Charge) Bill 2019 ensures that an agent who originally applied for and had their registration as a non-commercial agent approved, but who at any point through that registration period gives immigration assistance otherwise than on a non-commercial basis, becomes liable to pay a pro-rata adjusted charge. 

Today the Parlianment, introduced with the Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Amendment (Rates of Charge) Bill 2019, the bill amends the Migration Act 1958 to: remove unrestricted legal practitioners from the regulatory scheme that governs migration agents; allow eligible restricted legal practitioners to be both registered migration agents and restricted legal practitioners for a period of up to two years; enable the time period in which a person can be considered an applicant for repeat registration as a migration agent to be specified in delegated legislation; remove the 12-month time limit within which a person must apply for registration following completion of a prescribed course; clarify that the powers under Part 3 of the Act are exercisable by the minister; enable the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) to refuse an application to become a registered migration agent where an applicant has failed to provide information or answer questions in relation to their application; require registered migration agents to notify MARA if they have paid the non-commercial application charge for their current period of registration but give immigration assistance otherwise than on a non-commercial basis; and provide that the definitions of 'immigration assistance' and 'makes immigration representations' include assisting a person in relation to a request to the minister to exercise his or her power under the Act to revoke a character-related visa refusal or cancellation decision.

Full analysis of the Bill and practical implications will be avalable shorlty.

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r6448#:~:text=Introduced%20with%20the%20Migration%20Agents,practitioners%20to%20be%20both%20registered

The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it will be delivering online citizenship ceremonies via secure video-link to enable those applicants who are already approved to continue to become Australian citizens.

Online citizenship ceremonies will be with the presiding officer and generally a single conferee, or a household group if they reside at the same location, and are shorter than traditional in-person ceremonies while still ensuring legal requirements are met. Ceremonies performed online continue to include integrity measures, such as identity checks.

Following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions across a number of jurisdictions, small in-person citizenship ceremonies are also being reintroduced from June 2020. The exact date is yet to be confirmed. These ceremonies must comply with current state or territory directives on the limits on small gatherings, and meet COVIDcSafe requirements.