I have received the following email today:

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Stakeholder,

Under pressure from the hospitality industry which is facing labour shortages in the order of some 56,000 workers, DIBP is finally re-evaluating its position on the salary threshold and language requirements for cooks and chefs.

According to The Australian, DIBP is evaluating an industry request to fast-track thousands of work visas for foreign chefs and cooks as well as review strict language requirements that require workers to have ‘functional English' under the 457 visa.

Speaking to The Australian, Restaurant and Catering Australia chief executive John Hart revealed that the hospitality industry wants the review to cover waiters and bar staff, as well as skilled chefs and managers.

New premiums and benefits from Bupa

Once a year Bupa reviews its premiums and benefits. With your feedback and comments, we have improved our Overseas Visitor Health Cover brochure to keep it simple and easy for our customers to understand, as well as included weekly premiums for each cover. Please click on the link below to find our latest Overseas Visitor Health Cover brochure for Working and Non-Working visas, applicable from 1^st of April 2014. 

http://www.bupa.com.au/staticfiles/BupaP3/Health%20insurance/MediaFiles/PDF/visitors-cover-brochure.pdf

UPDATE TO THIS POST 09/04/2014:  As a result of the negative feedback from many agents via this blog and other modes of communication a survey has been created on RMA satisfaction with DIBP service levels.

I have just received this email from a concerned registered migration agent:

"Hi Liana,

Morrison looking to cancel visas for ANY criminal conviction.

Led into the discussion with suggestions by 3AW Radio’s Neil Mitchell, that an Afghan man who was convicted and given a two-year community corrections order and 300 hours’ unpaid community work should be deported, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has reignited the prospects that a visa may be cancelled on character grounds for ANY criminal conviction.

The Minister for immigration was responding to 3AW Radio’s Neil Mitchell’s assertions that the Afghan man “is not the sort of person we want in the country". The radio host asked,"Can this man be deported?”. Morrison said. “The current provisions of that Act though don't fill me with all the confidence that I suspect the community would like…” and that he is “working…to bring forward a package of measures that ensure that those provisions can provide the community with the confidence it should have.” The Minister went on to revive the Coalition’s view that the character test “should go further and it should apply to anyone who is on a visa”.

Currently, under the Act if there is a criminal conviction that carries a custodial sentence of 12 months or more then the visa can be cancelled. But when there is no custodial sentence, cancellation is subject to discretion and hence debate. Morrison says he is reviewing the character test to make it more stringent.