MIGRANTS seeking to live permanently in Australia will face extra questions over their ‘adaptability and resourcefulness’ under changes outlined by Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews.

Mr Andrews told an audience in Sydney on Tuesday night the assessment changes, including an applicant’s capacity to integrate into Australia’s way of life, would affect all new applicants for permanent visas and provisional visas that lead to permanent residency.

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Latest scheduled list of migration occupations the Australian Government seeks:

Child Care Coordinator -
1295-11
Accountant -
2211-11

Anaesthetist -
2312-11

Architect -
2121-11

Chemical Engineer -
2129-17

Civil Engineer -
2124-11

Computing Professional - specialising in C++/C#/C
2231-79

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Haneef’s relative granted tourist visa

A relative of accused terrorism supporter Mohamed Haneef has been granted a tourist visa to enter Australia, Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews says.

Mr Andrews said on Friday the immigration department had approved a subclass 676 tourist visa to Imran Siddiqui, allowing him to travel to Australia to provide support to Haneef - his cousin - and meet with his lawyers.

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Canberra (Reuters) — Australia moved on Friday to calm Indian concerns over the detention of an Indian doctor on terror charges as the case against him hit a new problem.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he had spoken to his Indian counterpart, Pranab Mukherjee, by phone to update him on the case against Mohamed Haneef, who is charged over links to failed car bomb attacks in Britain in June.

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Warning about reaction in India

A business group that promotes ties between India and Australia is worried that the treatment of Mohamed Haneef, the Indian doctor facing a terrorism charge, could affect booming trade between the two countries.

The Australia India Business Council urged policy makers, employers and service providers yesterday ‘not to introduce, promote or tolerate’ discriminatory practices towards people of Indian origin in Australia.

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A Federal Court judge has described as ‘astounding’ the Federal Government’s position that an association of any kind with criminals — ‘a cup of coffee, a picnic with the kids’ — is enough to fail the immigration character test.

Justice Jeffrey Spender said that he, too, would fail the test according to the Government’s interpretation, during a hearing into whether Immigration Minister KevinAndrews acted lawfully when he cancelled the visa of Gold Coast doctor Mohamed Haneef.

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Haneef to be deported once court proceedings finalised
July 17, 2007

Indian national Mohamed Haneef will be deported from Australia even if he is cleared of a terrorism-related charge, says Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews.

Haneef, 27, a Gold Coast hospital registrar, was granted bail in a Brisbane court yesterday on a charge of providing support to a terrorist organisation involved in the foiled UK car bomb plot.

But hours later Mr Andrews revoked his skilled migrant visa, meaning he will be held in immigration detention until his legal proceedings are finalised - which could be years.The minister today said that barring a successful challenge to the cancellation of his visa, Haneef would be expelled from Australia once his court case was over, regardless of the outcome.

‘I’ve cancelled his visa, which means that he would normally be removed from Australia,’ Mr Andrews told ABC radio.

‘The commissioner of the federal police has intimated to me yesterday that the federal police will issue what’s called a criminal justice certificate.

‘That means that he will remain in Australia (in detention) while the legal proceedings are on foot.

‘And after that, unless there’s some new information provided or there is some change as a result of any legal proceedings, he would be deported.’

Under the Migration Act, a person whose visa is cancelled must be deported from Australia as soon as arrangements can be made.

Mr Andrews said he had spoken to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) about noon yesterday but police had not asked him to cancel Haneef’s visa in the wake of the court’s bail decision.

‘My discussion with the AFP was not about the outcome of the bail decision,’ he said.

‘My discussion with the AFP was material provided to me by the AFP, which I then formed the judgment which I did.’

He again declined to reveal the nature of the information the police provided.

But Mr Andrews said he had not revoked Haneef’s visa simply because the doctor’s second cousin was allegedly involved in criminal conduct in Britain.

The Brisbane Magistrates Court heard on Saturday the allegation against Haneef centred on his decision to hand his mobile phone SIM card to his cousin, Sabeel Ahmed, when he left the UK last year.

The SIM card was allegedly in the possession of Sabeel’s brother Kafeel as he drove a flaming jeep into Glasgow airport on June 30.
–The Age (Melbourne)

Foreigners must now provide extra details about relatives’ identities when applying for visas to enter Australia, including a special requirement for those of Arabic descent.

Under tighter rules introduced this year, applicants for all visas must complete a six-page form that asks for their brothers’ and sisters’ names, place of birth, citizenship and place of residence, as well as their parents’ details.

The document, known as Form 80, allows Australian immigration officers to determine if a person meets the character test that applies to all visa holders.

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The Federal Government has refused to disclose details of a new aid package for Nauru linked to its continued hosting of Australia’s controversial offshore immigration detention centre.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer, on Monday during a two-day visit to the island nation. Australia has given more than $100 million to Nauru in the past five years and the level of assistance blew out in the last financial year from $17.7 million to more than $29 million.

Fewer than 10,000 Nauruans live on the island.

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India demands Haneef arrest explanation

The Indian Government has demanded an explanation of Australia’s treatment of terror suspect Dr Mohamed Haneef, who remained in police custody last night as his legal team fought to keep him out of an immigration detention centre.

India’s External Affairs Department yesterday called in Australia’s high commissioner to Delhi, John McCarthy, to seek an explanation.

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