Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance members might be pleased to learn that I have sent the following email to Senator Michaelia Cash, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, and her Chief of Staff today:

Dear Brooke and Michaelia

Ref:  Abolishment of Unregistered Practice and No acceptance of immigration applications or requests from unregistered agents

I would like to suggest that the DIBP look closely at removing the ability for a person or organisation to submit an Australian visa application unless they are registered migration agents.  The NZ system seems to have it right and I have outlined their position on unregistered immigration advice under the NZ Immigration Advisors Licencing Act 2007 below for your perusal:

Section 9: No acceptance of immigration applications or requests from unlicensed immigration advisers

    (1) No immigration application or request put forward on behalf of another person by an unlicensed immigration adviser may be accepted, unless the adviser is exempt from the requirement to be licensed under section 11.

    (2) The chief executive of the department of State that has, with the authority of the Prime Minister, assumed responsibility for the administration of the Immigration Act 2009 must so far as practicable ensure that immigration forms and information brochures prepared or provided by that department advise that, in accordance with subsection (1), immigration applications or requests provided or prepared on behalf of another person by persons who are neither licensed immigration advisers nor exempt from the requirement to be licensed will not be accepted.

    (3) Where an immigration application or request on behalf of another person is not accepted by reason of contravening subsection (1), the relevant person or body must notify that person in writing of that fact, and advise the person as to how the application or request may be relodged or advanced in an acceptable manner.

Section 11: Persons exempt from licensing

    The following persons are exempt from the requirement to be licensed:

        (a) persons who provide immigration advice in an informal or family context only, so long as the advice is not provided systematically or for a fee:

        (b) members of Parliament, and members of their staff who provide immigration advice within the scope of their employment agreement:

        (c) foreign diplomats and consular staff accorded protection as such under the Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Act 1968 or the Consular Privileges and Immunities Act 1971:

        (d) employees of the public service who provide immigration advice within the scope of their employment agreement:

        (e) lawyers:

        (f) persons employed by or working as volunteers for community law centres (as defined in section 6 of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006), where at least 1 lawyer—

            (i) is on the employing body of the community law centre; or

            (ii) is employed by or working as a volunteer for the community law centre in a supervisory capacity:

        (g) persons employed by or working as volunteers for citizens advice bureaux:

        (h) persons who provide—

            (i) immigration advice offshore; and

            (ii) advice only in respect of applications made under the Immigration Act 2009 for a temporary entry class visa—temporary visa—student visa:

        (i) persons exempted by regulations made under section 12.

I have received this email from a Registered Migration Agent currently located in India.  All I can say is when is the DIBP going to do away with unregistered offshore practice?

The email I received today is as follows:

'I would like to share with you a story which is happening in India.  There is no need to be a MARA Agent to use MARA logo. Any one can use it on his / her site and can claim himself / herself to be MARA Agent.

You might be getting a feeling after reading above line that my new year party hangover is still not over. I am not drunk and I have proof with me and I would like to submit you so that you could follow up with MARA.

Today, I am somewhere in very remote area in North India and net speed is too slow. In this mail, I am forwarding you 1 link, open it in your browser and check yourself, how the [unregistered] agents are making fool of clients?

http://www.y-axis.com/migrate-to/australia/from-india/1/?_bt=32105137696&_bk=work%20australia&_bm=&gclid=CJu2y5Hu6bsCFYEl4godUCEAhw

http://www.immigrationoverseas.com/online-visa-enquiry.aspx?gclid=CKyCh8LCtrsCFWlV4godOCkAnQ

On this page, MARA logo is there but MARN No. is not written within it. You go to About Us page on www.y-axis.com, , you will not find Migration Agent name. Contract which they are signing with the clients, nowhere MARA Agent name and his MARA No. appears in  the contract.

In the above given link, Melbourne office address is there  but when u search online, you get  this address but it comes www.servecorp.com.au.

I was told by 1 client ( not 100 % sure) that if someone calls on the Australia no., call is picked in India (it gets forwarded to India and client is not aware of it). How does it happen, I have no idea? I spoke to my IT guy, he told me, it is 100 % possible.  

To my surprise, IAA, New Zealand is doing 100 times better job.

http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2013/immigration-adviser-scam.asp

In last 6 months, they refused hundreds of application lodged by Unlicensed  Immigration Advisor. All these applications were lodged by 3 biggest players in India.

www.opulentuz.com

www.abhinav.com

With this action, they have wiped out all Unlicensed  Immigration Consultants in India and they have created  full awareness related to “ Licensed Adviser NZ Immigration”. Now, first question client  interested in NZ Immigration is asking, are you licensed immigration advisor?   I am holding this licenses form last 4 years and no one asked in past, now everyone is asking. In every forum, people are discussing this scam and advantages of dealing with  “ Licensed Adviser NZ Immigration”.

MOST IMPORTANT:   While doing anything based on this information, you would make sure that my name is not coming (It would put my  life is not in danger here in India during my stay. I am reaching Adelaide hopefully on 6th Feb. 2014). All these 3 organisation are very big players with big muscle power.'

AUSTRALIA'S GDP is forecast to double to almost $3.5 trillion in the next 15 years, according to a report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CERB)

China and India are expected to race up to the top 3 spots (with the United States in second place) as the world largest economies in the near future says the report. The current top western economies are also expected to give way to the rising economies of South America and East Asia.

This tremendous growth is expected to fuel demand for Australian exports. Analysts accordingly expect that such a massive demand will necessarily require a larger Australian population which must either be fuelled by higher fertility rates or immigration.

Please see the below advice issued by the post in Dubai:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Today at 12:33 AM

Dear Registered Migration Agent

I am writing to you about changes to processing for Family Migration visa
applications sponsored by people who arrived in Australia as illegal
maritime arrivals (IMAs).

Your office has been identified as having visa applications being affected
by a new Direction by the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection.
This Direction states that Family Migration visa applications sponsored by
IMAs will be given the lowest processing priority. This Direction applies
to visa applicants sponsored by a person who arrived in Australia as an IMA
and who now holds a permanent visa. It does not apply where a sponsor is
already (or becomes) an Australian citizen. A copy of the new Direction is
available on LEGEND.

Applications sponsored by IMAs who hold a permanent visa will not be
processed until all applications of higher priority have been finalised. As
a result, these visa applications will not be processed further. There is
no priority for families sponsored by an IMA who are facing compelling or
compassionate circumstances.

Applicants who have already lodged valid applications and have paid the
Visa Application Charge (VAC) will not be refunded the VAC even if they
withdraw their application. We recommend that your clients cancel any
travel plans, and appointments for health, DNA and character checks.

As this visa processing Direction has been made by the Minister for
Immigration and Border Protection, this office is unable to assist with
further enquiries and complaints about this change. A FAQ document is also
attached to this email.

If a sponsor becomes an Australian citizen, please advise this office via
Form 1022 Notification of changes in circumstances available at
http://www.immi.gov.au/Pages/Welcome.aspx

If you have a case identified where the sponsor did not arrive in Australia
as an IMA after September 2001 please contact this office immediately with
the file number.

Kind regards
Ellen Dorfling
Consul (Immigration)
Chief Migration Officer
Australian Consulate-General
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Yet again no notification provided by the government about cutoff times....this time it's about NSW State sponsorship..... no information that we were nearing the close of state sponsorships, that the NSW government was down to it's final numbers towards end of 2013.  Consultation seems to be at an all time low at the start of 2014.  It can only get better I guess.  I received this email from a RMA...

Please take this up with the NSW State Sponsorship unit, if possible.

They have suspended accepting applications for 190 effective today. The notice seems to have been published today itself.

With 4 applications at hand, 2 of them ready for dispatch, it is extremely demotivating that they should suspend processing without sufficient advance notice. My clients prepared and couriered their applications from India only to find out that NSW wasn’t going to accept them until July 2014.
Check this out:

http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/live-and-work-in-nsw/visa-and-migration/skilled-sponsored-migration