Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance attended the morning and afternoon sessions of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection's Migration Programme 2014-2015 Consultation in Sydney yesterday.

The attendees for the morning session on behalf of Migration Alliance were Michael Jeremy and me. 

The attendees for the afternoon session on behalf of Migration Alliance were Jennifer Fong and me.

Bupa’s new online Instant Health Insurance Visa Letter

Dear Migration Alliance Members,

On 13 November 2013 Bupa launched its new Instant Health Insurance Visa Letter process for Overseas Visitors. As a result of this technological improvement, anyone joining online at Bupa or the Bupa Migration Portal will get their Health Insurance Visa Letter for the Department of Immigration and Border Protect (DIBP) instantly by email.

Dear Migration Alliance Members and Colleagues in the Australian Immigration Profession,

I had a fun day yesterday and I thought I would tell you all about it.

Actually, I can’t tell you what I did yesterday.  If I do tell you I can face imprisonment for a long period of time.

Anyhow, the day started well enough with a warrant for my arrest and my appearance before a Judge of the Federal Court, but not exercising powers as a Judge of that same court.   Confused yet?  Read on....

I was then bailed, on my own recognisance, to attend a certain place at a certain time for the purposes of being asked secret questions.

So off I went.

I was shown into a room which looked like a Court but it wasn’t a Court.

I was warned about certain things, took an oath and then I was asked stupid questions by a “Counsel’ assisting Madam X. The role of “Counsel” was to ask me questions and for me to answer on my oath. I wasn’t allowed to refuse to answer questions.

I was warned that I had to be respectful of Counsel but there did not appear to be any legal requirement for me to behave that way as it was not a “Court” exercising judicial powers but looked like a Court and conducted itself like a Court. I was told that I had no choice about the proceedings being videotaped and recorded.

Madam X looked like a Magistrate or a Judge and held an appointment like a Judge but wasn’t a Judge.

Over the course of about 3 hours, I was asked on my oath, to  take a ramble through a system which is fully explained on a Government website.  Then I was asked to guess, speculate and opine about other matters for which there was no evidence, including what was described as “gossip” as opposed to "intelligence" (an oximoron).

The document (which I am not allowed to describe by its proper name), the terms of which I had refused to comply with and which led to my subsequent arrest was predicated on a false and fraudulent basis which did not relate to me specifically but may have related to a group of people generally (a group I am not allowed to identify).

As it turns out, without exception, the answer to every question could have been found out by any 12 year old by resort to publically available information on the internet.

After a couple of hours the proceedings stopped and I was given a cup of tea (medical strength) in a handsome mug emblazoned with the logo of this secret entity.  It set me to wondering, "did the makers of the mugs have to be compelled to keep their involvement secret or is it ok to make a mug with a logo on it"?

When I finished my cup I asked them, “ Is there any chance that I can get one of these as a souvenir from the gift shop on my way out”?

Counsel for Madam X look very irritated.

When the “proceedings” (generic not descriptive) recommenced I was asked more stupid questions and was accused of being “recklessly indifferent’ to conduct which was not a crime but might have been somewhat troublesome to people who do not represent applicants in unspecified legal proceedings (generic not descriptive).

Then the proceeding were concluded but not before I was given some homework.

I don’t think Counsel or Madam X will be on my Christmas card list this year.

So what did you do yesterday?

Two Officers from the Australian Federal Police Waiting for me outside the Federal Court in Sydney yesterday

Migration Alliance members will be pleased to see the release of the Migration Programme 2014-2015 Information Paper.  The Department Invites written submissions by Friday 20 December 2013.  This means that people have less than a month in which to prepare submissions.  For further information and to view the DIBP's information paper please click on the link below.

Migration-Programme-2014-15-Information-Paper-20-nov-13-final.pdf

To obtain Australian permanent residency intending migrants have to spend $5 million and agree to live in Australia for a minimum of only 40 days a year for four years.

Organisations such as Ord Minnett, Macquarie Cash Fund, Otan  and Nab Private Wealth have their sights squarely set on the massive pool of funds which are likely to be worth a whopping $3.5 billion a year.  This means that investments banks and consulting firms are now spending a good proportion of their time positioning themselves for the golden ticket visa.   And this visa is the fortune visa, the 888!

Migration Alliance estimates that 99% of all potential 888 investor visa 'golden ticket' applicants are nouveau riche Chinese.   The Sydney Morning Herald reports that migrants from 'Asia, India, South America, Russia and Taiwan are also keen'.

Whilst Immigration Minister Scott Morrison MP is insisting that legislative requirements should focus on entrepreneurship and economic value, not just capital, the reality is that from where most of Australia sits, it looks like the government is literally selling Australia.

Bob Birrell of Monash University has said that it is like 'treating Australia as a commodity'.

The criteria to win one of these golden ticket visas is quite low by Chinese standards.  For a lot of millionaires in China, $5 million is not a lot of money for a new life in a new country without much effort.   They get to re-invest the money and dictate to a certain degree how the $5 million is to be spent.

New South Wales is competing for the wealthy migrants and is trying to ensure that $1.5 million from every $5 million is invested in a Waratah Bond (state infrastructure).  In Victoria, Registered Migration Agents are still waiting on the Victorian government to release it's guidelines.

Interest in the new visa - referred to as the ''golden visa'' among migration agents - is strong, according to most of the agents interviewed by Fairfax Media.

Agents, lawyers and investment bankers, who have been conducting seminars on the visa for business people in China, say it is more attractive than former business skills visas because it has no English language test and no age limit.  That is interesting.  No English Language test for a non-Australian, but that's ok, they have money so that makes it ok (cough)!  Overseas migrants need not sit an English Test but Australian RMAs must sit one from 1 Jan 2014.  And the latter is bringing the former to Australia.  It 'no makie sensie'.

With an estimated 700 new Significant Investor visas set to be approved each year that is a huge amount of money coming into our malnourished economy.

The Sydney Morning Herald recently reported that Chinese wealth by research group Hurun.  Hurun publish a China Rich List every year.  Hurun found that China now has more than 1 million millionaires and 85 per cent of them plan to send their children overseas to be educated.....and Australia is on their target list.