Evans Cracks 457 Visa Whip

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship faces a backlog of almost 6000 skilled migrant visa applications at a time when the Australian economy desperately needs skilled labour.Immigration Minister Chris Evans has directed his department to clear the outstanding 457 visa applications by July, ordering them to allocate more resources and work overtime.

According to an answer to a question on notice from the most recent Senate estimates hearings, as of April 1 there ware 5795 outstanding primary 457 visa applications, all of which were outside of DIAC’s time set for finalising 75 per cent of cases.

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Crossing Ditch to Prosperity

Why all the fuss about Australia? Kiwis have been crossing the Tasman in search of a better life for more than a century.

For those with something to sell, the lure of Australia’s much larger market (five times the size of our own) is simply irresistible (as any New Zealand performing artist from Dinah Lee to Russell Crowe will attest).

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Prospective Spouse Visas: Modern Meaning Adopted

Matter: Minister challenged an application to the Federal Court for reconsideration to the Department of Immigration by the Migration Tribunal with the direction that the visa applicant met various prospective spouse criteria, including clause 300.214 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (the Regulations).

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Skills Essential for Migrant Plan Win

Australia’s inflation and the skills shortage are, of course, both the fault of the Howard government.

“Blame the last lot” is an iron law of politics for an incoming government, and one can hardly blame Labor for playing the game.

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Sex Group Wants Prostitutes on Skilled Visa List

A group representing Australia’s sex workers says it would be cheaper for authorities to give foreign prostitutes skilled work visas instead of spending time and money prosecuting them.

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Family and Spousal Visas: Domestic Violence Evidence

Matter: Relationship between evidence of domestic violence and existence of genuine marital relationship. In Liang v Minister for Immigration & Anor [2008] FMCA 9 Justice Riley FM affirmed the tribunal decision.

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New Super Yacht Visa Is in Demand

Visa move boosts super yachts
The Cairns Post, April 30, 2008

Australia’s new super yacht visa is already drumming up business for Cairns.

Within hours of the Federal Government announcing the new visa this week, Superyacht Group Great Barrier Reef reported calls from a wealthy mariner in New Zealand keen to cross the Tasman.

The new visa allows superyacht crew members multiple-entries into Australia and to work here for up to 12 months on commercial or private superyachts.

It comes into effect from October this year.

Until now, international crews had to apply for more restrictive Maritime Crew or Business Long Stay visas.

Launching the visa at Cairns’ Marlin Marina yesterday, Immigration Minister Chris Evans said it was integral to economic development in Queensland.

‘It will allow more yachts to come here to operate as charters and we think the flow-on economic benefits are going to be huge,’ he said. ‘The industry tells me a lot more will come and, of course, they’ll spend a lot.’

Visa holders would not take Australians’ jobs because boats wouldn’t come here otherwise, he said.

Unusually Relaxed About Migration

I have a feeling that when we look back on last year’s election we’ll remember John Howard got thrown out of office at a time of growing dissatisfaction with the state of our economic lives.

We - or some of us, anyway - will remember it that way because of a human tendency to rewrite the past to make it fit better with subsequent events. But if that’s the way we remember 2007 we’ll be kidding ourselves.

Last year, amid all the Howard Government’s boasting about the fine state of the economy and the economists’ assurances that we’d never had it so good, there was a strong undercurrent of denial.

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Students to be Allowed to Work Part Time

Australia to allow part-time work for
overseas students
Australian Broadcast Company, April 30, 2008

Foreign students in Australia will now be eligible to work part time, under streamlined arrangements introduced by the government this week.

The minister for immigration and citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, says international students can work for up to 20 hours a week, while their course is in session.

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Tweaks and Revisions to the Migration Regulations

Revisions that took effect from 26 April 2008 include:

• Migration Amendments:
• Technical corrections and minor changes made to the general skilled migration program
• Provide an immigration solution for children of non-citizen or non-permanent resident parents in vulnerable situations
• Define the term ‘week’ for the purposes of student visa work conditions
• Increase the student visa application charge by twenty Australian dollars
• Permit all initial student visa holders to work once they have commenced their study

• Legislative Instruments of four were registered that specify:
• Skilled occupations, relevant assessing authorities and points for general skilled migration (Regulation 1.03, subregulation 2.26B(1), subparagraphs 1136(4)(b)(ii), 1136(5)(b)(ii), 1136(6)(b)(iii), 1229(4)(b)(ii), 1229(5)(b)(ii), 1229(6)(b)(iii), 1229(7)(b)(ii) and items 6A11, 6A12, 6A13, 6B11, 6B12, 6B13)
• Visa application charges and fees in foreign currencies (paragraph 5.36(1A)(a)), accommodate an increase in the visa application charge for student visa applications
• Travel agents for PRC citizenship apply for tourist visas (subparagraph 1218(1)(b)(iii)) and
• Under the Migration (United Nations Security Council Resolutions) Regulations 2007, United Nations Resolutions (Subregulation 4(1) definition of resolution)