Australian Government - Migration Fraud Summary

Fraudulent operators may use misleading information to take advantage of you or your situation. Here are some examples:

•Myth
I can guarantee you a visa to Australia.
•Fact
No-one can guarantee you a visa. Avoid internet sites and advertisements claiming they can ‘guarantee’ a visa.
•Myth
Register and pay now to express your interest.
•Fact
The department does not ask you to ‘register’ or ‘express your interest’ in a visa.
•Myth
This is a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’.
•Fact
There may be a number of visa options for you.
•Myth
Only I can pay the department’s fees.
•Fact
You can pay your own visa application charge directly to the department.
•Myth
I have a special relationship with the department.
•Fact
No-one has a special or privileged relationship with the department.
•Myth
I need to keep your original documents.
•Fact
Generally, the department only needs certified copies of documents, not the originals.

Help fight against illegal operators posing as migration professionals
If you know someone who is providing migration advice and is not a registered migration agent, you should report them by phone on 1800 009 623 or use the department’s online Feedback Form. See: www.immi.gov.au/contacts/forms/services/services-form.htm
Email and Internet Scams
There are a number of ways you can protect yourself against email and internet scams:
•
Check the web address—even if one character is different, it may be a different site - all Australian Government websites end in gov.au such as, www.immi.gov.au or www.eta.immi.gov.au.
•
Never enter private information unless it is a secure site and you know who you are dealing with. Secure sites are locked with a padlock in the browser window or secure URL at the beginning of the address (that is, https://).
•
If you have concerns, do a web search to see if anyone has reported any problems with that site.
•
Visit Scamwatch for details on the latest known immigration scams. See: www.scamwatch.gov.au
•
Don’t be fooled by websites designed to look like official Australian Government websites, they may charge you service fees over and above normal visa application charges. The department’s website at is the only official Australian Immigration website providing visa services. See: www.immi.gov.au
Getting Help to Apply for a Visa
Avoid fraudulent operators and scams by using the many resources available to help you apply for a visa:
•
Application forms and Information Booklets available at no cost on the department’s website.
•
The Visa Wizard on the department’s website can help you find the Australian visa most likely to meet your specific circumstances.
•
Departmental staff can assist you and explain what is required in your application. See: www.immi.gov.au Telephone: 131 881
•
If you need assistance in another language, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service National and ask to be connected to the department. Telephone: 131 450
There may be community organisations who can help you or you can engage a registered migration agent to assist you. To find a registered migration agent, contact the Migration Agents Registration Authority. See: www.mara.gov.au Telephone: 1300 226 272
More information is available on the department’s website. See: www.immi.gov.au/migration-fraud/

•Myth
I can guarantee you a visa to Australia.

Thought I heard somebody here said this.

•Myth
This is a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’.

I certainly heard somebody here said this! 

What should we do?

Economy
The Philippines economy is unique in East Asia for having a large service sector and private consumption comprising around three quarters of the economy. The manufacturing sector is comparatively small and public and private investment is very low. Unemployment and underemployment continue to remain high. The prospect of securing a well-paying job is beyond the reach of many, especially young adults under the age of 25 that comprise about half of the unemployed.Under these conditions many Filipinos migrate overseas to secure better paying jobs. With a good command of the English language they are an attractive option in the global labour market. It is estimated that between 9 and 11 million Filipinos are working overseas. Remittances from these overseas workers help drive the consumption-fuelled Philippines economy and account for at least 10 per cent of the country's GDP. While remittances play an important macro-economy stabilising role, their pro-poor dimensions are questionable. Overseas remittances are disproportionately important components of middle- and high-income households; poorer households, it has been shown, have less access to them.
In response to the global recession, the Government implemented an Economic Resiliency Package in 2009 to stimulate the economy. The ensuing fiscal deficits in 2009 and 2010, when combined, were the largest fiscal easing in over two decades. This contributed to the country's economic recovery in 2010 and the Government is now focused on restoring the budget to a more sustainable footing. A development-oriented 2011 budget, combined with renewed efforts to boost the Government's low revenue base so that it can fund priority development programs and a clear strategy to attract private investment in vital public infrastructure, will help the Philippines' economy to continue to grow.
Long-standing binding constraints remain, however. A historically inward-looking economy, low levels of investment and an eroding human capital base need to be addressed; together, they suggest a more moderate growth outlook for the Philippines compared to its East Asian neighbours.
Australian assistance to the Philippines
Country program estimate 2011–12: $105 million
Total Official Development Assistance (ODA) estimate for 2011–12: $123.1 million
Australia is one of the three largest bilateral grant aid donors to the Philippines, along with the United States and Japan. The Philippines is among Australia's largest development partners after Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vietnam.
In 2007, Australia revised its approach to development in the Philippines and began implementing a new, five-year country program strategy. The Australia–Philippines Development Assistance Strategy 2007–2011 has an overarching objective to assist the Philippines to meet its development goals, especially in reducing poverty, increasing economic growth and maintaining national stability.
Australia's aid program in the Philippines has three focus areas: economic growth, basic education and national stability and human security.
Under these themes, Australian assistance to the Philippines in 2010–11 will:
•   Improve basic education, through support for programs under the Philippine Government's Basic Education Reform Agenda to assist the Philippines to achieve its MDG target for universal primary education. This includes support for school based management, rationalisation of teacher deployments to ensure coverage of remote schools, and school classroom construction. More support will be provided to continue improvements in basic education delivery and increased access to quality education for Filipino girls and boys with disabilities, Muslim and indigenous children and children in disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas.
•   Support economic growth and infrastructure, through programs that focus on increasing the quality and level of government expenditure on social services and infrastructure, enhancing the efficiency and transparency of national level budgeting and public financial management, and improving the management of roads at the provincial level.
•   Promote national stability and human security, through support for peace building programs focussed at the community level, provision of economic opportunities through small scale infrastructure development, and improved delivery of health services. Increased funding will be provided to support efforts to reduce the high maternal mortality rate in the Philippines, and improve disaster preparedness and response capability.

Australia is helping the poorest and most vulnerable Filipinos by assisting the Philippines Government to strengthen the management of its Conditional Cash Transfer program, through which the Government provides the poorest families with a cash payment if they keep their children in school and ensure that they receive regular health checks.
•   Enhance disaster response capabilities by working with the Government of the Philippines and the public to provide better protection from natural disasters, climate change and emergencies. Australia supports reconstruction efforts, early warning systems and disaster preparedness.

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

According to the Better Life Index of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Australia is the "happiest" industrialized country in the world.

The index compares statistics of 36 countries in 11 categories that the OECD has identified as essential in the areas of material living conditions and quality of life.

Thanks to a timely resources boom in Australia, the country was the only major developed nation to avoid the recession from the global financial crisis. It was highly ranked in most of the 11 Better Life Index topics including, jobs, housing, community, education, environment, health and life satisfaction.

"Australia performs exceptionally well in measures of well-being, as shown by the fact that it ranks among the top countries in a large number of topics in the Better Life Index," the OECD said.

The Index also showed that life expectancy at birth in Australia was almost 82 years, two years higher than the OECD average. More than 72 percent of people had a paid job in Australia at the age of 15 to 64, above the OECD average of 66 percent, and work less hours per year than most people in the OECD.

With high water and air quality, health in Australia was rated highly. The level of atmospheric air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs is considerably lower than the OECD average and 92 percent of people said that they were satisfied with the quality of their water.

If you are interested in Australian visas , contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try its visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Australia.

WorkPermit.com 19 January 2012

Australian skilled migration visa program changes coming 1 July 2012 - Apply now!

Beginning 1 July 2012, Australian immigration will be introducing huge changes to their skilled migration program. This represents the most dramatic change to the Australian immigration system in many, many years. It is expected that under the Australian immigration system fewer people will qualify and processing times will be longer. If you wish to come under the current skilled immigration programme you should apply for a skills assessment as soon as possible. You need to be ready with your skills assessment and, have passed the English language test before you can submit your immigration application.

Australian immigration's new skilled worker program will be called the Skilled Migrant Selection Register, known as SkillSelect. In order to apply, you will have to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). The SkillSelect will work as an electronic two-stage process where prospective visa applicants first submit a claim for skilled migration through an online EOI. Following this, applicants may then be invited to submit an Australian visa application on the basis of their EOI.

This is a really significant change from the current Australian immigration system. It is likely that fewer people will qualify under the new scheme because under the new scheme you will not only need to gain enough points but, in addition, Australia immigration will decide whether or not you will be allowed to submit an application. This is compared to the current system wherein if you gain enough points under the particular visa scheme you are likely to get in.

From 1 July 2012, all new prospective Australian skilled migration visa applicants will have to submit an EOI and wait for an invitation before they can lodge their visa application. For those who have lodged a visa application before that date, Australian immigration will process the application in accordance with any priority processing direction in effect at that time.

Australian visa applicants will be selected based on their points test score in a number of selection criteria. All prospective visa applicants will be required to meet the relevant English language requirements and obtain the necessary skills assessment prior to their EOI submission. However, unlike now you will have to also be approved by SkillSelect to obtain your visa. This brings in greater uncertainty compared to the current system.

The SkillSelect system will affect applicants for the following Australian skilled visas:

•Independent Skilled Migration (subclasses 175 and 885)
•State Sponsored Skilled Migration (subclasses 176 and 886)
•Business Skills (subclasses 132, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 890, 891, 892, 893)
•Employer Nomination Scheme (subclasses 121 and 856)
•Regional Sponsored Nomination Scheme (subclasses 119 and 857)
•Subclass 457 Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa (subclass 457).
Remember if you wish to apply for a skilled immigration visa you should start preparing now so that you are ready to submit your application before 1 July 2012.

Once the new system in implemented, SkillSelect will begin issuing invitations to eligible applicants in August 2012. Invitations will be issued to the highest ranking EOIs in descending order. The date and time of submission of the completed EOI may be used to separate those who score equally, so apply as soon as possible. Australian immigration will also announce a cap for occupations to limit how many people are selected from a certain occupation group. This ensures that the migration program is not dominated by a narrow range of occupations.

If you would like to apply for an Australian visa, WorkPermit.com can help. WorkPermit.com is a specialist visa consultancy with over twenty years of experience dealing with visa applications. We can help with a wide range of visa applications to your country of choice. Please feel free to contact us for further details.

National Times June 29, 2012

Australia's relative economic prosperity and low jobless rate have transformed us into a destination of choice for economic migrants and refugees alike. If you think that's a problem, let me set you straight.

One in four Australians alive today was born overseas, according to the latest census results. In Sydney, it's one in three. Migration has not only contributed to Australia's economic success over the years but is the cornerstone of the brilliantly vibrant and diverse cultures in our local communities that are rarely reflected in our national debates.

While other advanced nations struggle to attract workers to their recession-ridden economies, Australia stands out as a country experiencing above-average migration growth, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's ''International Migration Outlook'', released this week.

Problem? Far from it.

''[The] positive role of migration in maintaining the size of the labour force in many countries is expected to become more important as more baby boomers retire,'' the report states. ''By 2015, immigration - at the current level - will not be sufficient to maintain the working-age population in many OECD countries, especially in the European Union.''

One of the defining global narratives of the coming decades will be the struggle of ageing nations to rejuvenate their populations and provide for the needs of their elderly. But here in Australia we force young, willing hands in nearby countries to board leaky boats to take their chances in a cruel sea. That is not only morally shameful, it's economically stupid.

Figures from the same OECD report prove decisively that job gains for migrants do not come at the expense of existing Australians.

Across the first half of the noughties, the employment-to-population ratio for foreign-born Australian men averaged 73.2 per cent. The average for native-born Australian men was substantially higher, at 78.8 per cent.

In the second half, this gap shrank. The average employment-to-population ratio for foreign-born men advanced to 76.3 per cent. But this did not come at the expense of the native-born, who saw their ratio also increase, to 80 per cent.

Because, for all the focus on asylum seekers, Australia's overall migration program is heavily focused on filling existing skills shortages and, hence, is skewed towards younger working people. Australia's total migration and humanitarian intake was 182,500 people last financial year. Of these, most - 92 per cent - came from the migration program.

Just 8 per cent, or 13,799 visas, were granted under the humanitarian program. Of these, most - 8971 - were granted to people seeking asylum from an offshore location. The number granted to people who had made their way to Australia first, by boat or plane, was 4828.

Australia's refugee intake is not only small compared to its total migration intake, but also compared to the number of people who would like to seek asylum here. Australia received 54,396 offshore applications for humanitarian visas last year, meaning for every successful one, five others went unanswered.

Is it any surprise people get on boats? With such an undersupply of places relative to demand, a black market in people smuggling is the only natural result.

It seems distasteful, somehow, to apply an economic framework to a such a morally charged policy issue as asylum seekers. It is governments, after all, not markets, that decide the supply of migration places.

But people smugglers are a good example of the economic phenomenon of black markets. Black markets for products and services spring up where supply in legitimate markets is overly restricted. Just as alcohol prohibition in the US forced up the price of booze and fuelled criminal activity in the 1920s and '30s, a shortage of humanitarian visas to Australia has encouraged people smuggling. People smugglers are today's bootleggers, with tragic consequences.

The evidence shows, after all, that most people who arrive unlawfully by boat are eventually settled in Australia on protection visas - 83.3 per cent of the ''irregular maritime arrivals'' in 2009-10, according to the latest figures from the Department of Immigration.

By far the best way to smash the people smugglers' business model would be to expand the legal market for seeking asylum. It's time to accept there is a constant, and even increasing, demand by people to seek asylum in Australia.

If we want to stop the boats, the best way might be to fire up the 747 turbo engines and simply fly people here, legally and safely, in the first place. If we want to deter desperate people from making a treacherous journey, let's make it known in international refugee processing centres around the world: there is an easier path to Australia and an open door on arrival for those who follow it.

Sound radical? Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of this week's debate on asylum seekers is that there is, in fact, tri-partisan agreement on just this point.

The Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, promised this week to increase the humanitarian intake to 20,000 within three years of forming a government. The Greens issued a press release yesterday titled ''We Can Save Lives From Today'' proposing much the same thing.

Just last month, the Minister for Immigration, Chris Bowen, told the International Association of Refugee Law Judges of his desire to progressively increase the humanitarian program to 20,000. As for why he had not already done this, Bowen cited budget constraints. Every additional 1000 humanitarian places would cost the budget $216 million. Increasing it to 20,000 would cost about $1.35 billion over the first four years.

And so it comes to this: what price asylum seekers' lives?

It's time for politicians to bite the bullet and agree to increase Australia's humanitarian intake. As a rich nation with low public debt and so much to gain from migration we cannot afford not to do so. That politicians can agree on this central point and continue to squabble among themselves is not only deeply shameful, but the ultimate sign of the deep dysfunction that prevails in our nation's Parliament.

Follow the National Times on Twitter: @NationalTimesAU

John Masanauskas From: Herald Sun June 15, 2012 12:00AM

FAILED asylum seekers, foreign students overstaying their visas and others facing deportation admit to rorting the immigration system to stay in Australia, an official report says.

The Immigration Department study revealed unsuccessful visa applicants had a "dig in and resist to the end" mentality, and believed the system could be beaten with persistence.

It found that some refugee advocates, migration agents and religious groups had misled asylum seekers by raising expectations and false hopes about their chances of staying in Australia.

Based on interviews with rejected asylum seekers, immigration officers and other parties, the report revealed the department was besieged by people with a "stay at all cost" mindset.

It found people used every means to extend their stay and many saw marrying an Australian as a viable option to remain here with the aim to later bring out family members from overseas.

"Most respondents displayed a 'dig in and resist to the end' mentality (and) they had a strong sense of their personal entitlement to stay in Australia," the report said. "They believed the system was there to be exploited and no decision was seen to be final."

Among those surveyed were Afghan, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, UK and New Zealand nationals.

Most had been in Australia between two and 10 years.

The report said many claimed to fear persecution in their home countries, but they strongly believed they had a right to stay based on their social and economic contribution to Australia.

There was also "a sense of shame or stigma" about returning home with nothing to show for their stay in Australia.

The report said many of the surveyed asylum seekers were drug addicts and had mental health problems. They had a general attitude that the department lacked credibility and was "just trying to get rid of people".

The report was done by consultants Hall & Partners/Open Mind. It recommended the department improve its "messaging" so people better understood the migration process and were given alternatives to remaining in Australia.

ABC News By Hayden Cooper and Nikki Tugwell Updated May 03, 2012 07:32:07

Two Immigration Department insiders have broken ranks to reveal serious claims of frequent and widespread fraud in visa applications, which they say has led to child trafficking on Australian soil.

The allegations relate to family visa applications in which Pakistanis are claiming to be from Afghanistan.

While immigration officials often detect the fraud, in many cases they are overruled on appeal.

A former employee at the Australian High Commission in Islamabad, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she witnessed visa fraud in her office "on a daily basis".

"Definitely, in fact I would say just about daily, a large percentage of my caseload would've been Pakistanis claiming to be Afghan refugees or Afghan asylum seekers," she said.

It is something that even refugee advocates acknowledge.

"I'm not sure that I would say regularly, but it's certainly something I have come across," migration agent Marion Le said.

"I know there are people living now in Australia as permanent residents, as citizens who are actually citizens of Pakistan but who pass themselves off as Afghans."

The ABC also obtained a letter from another Immigration Department employee which details the extent of the problem.

"Illegal facilitation of non-family members, children, child brides, and unknown strangers via false documents, false statements and false applications," the letter reads.

The letter said some visa holders already in Australia are sponsoring family members who are in fact no relation at all.

"Afghans in Pakistan are being coached by ever more informed relatives and agents in Australia about how to sidestep DIAC's (Department of Immigration and Citizenship) integrity processes," the letter reads.

"When particular visa subclasses are being cracked down on - for instance the 'orphan relative' and 'carer' visas - the fraud simply moves to other caseloads.

"Family reunification visas are now the preferred 'fraud du jour'."

The former High Commission employee agrees with the letter's sentiments.

"I know that there are children that have come to Australia who are not related to the people that they have been sponsored by - they're not part of that person's family," she said.

"You know they've just been lost in the system - lost in the world wherever they are."

Ms Le said she often comes across "women and girls who have been beaten and their families who don't leave for cultural reasons".

"I've got four cases on my books at the moment of very, very serious abuse here in Australia," Ms Le said.

Source of frustration
Immigration Department spokesman Sandi Logan acknowledges that there are issues.

"We have been able in fact to halt a number of attempts where people have tried to pass off children as their own," he said.

"This is unfortunate that this occurs, but fortunately we do have systems in place to detect and to prevent [it]."

The former High Commission employee says many visa applications were detected and rejected, but that is when the Migration Review Tribunal (MRT) would intervene.

"The sponsor would go to the MRT in Australia and the case would be remitted, and in that case we'd have no choice but to grant [the visa]," she said.

She says the decisions were "an endless source of frustration".

"Sometimes you got to the point where you thought 'why bother refusing'," she said.
Mr Logan says he can understand the frustrations of staff, but that is why a review mechanism is in place.

"It doesn't mean that we get it wrong when the decision is overturned - it is more often than not the passage of time which has resulted in either new evidence coming to light or new circumstances presenting themselves over time," he said.

In some visa categories, more than half of all rejections are later overturned on appeal at the MRT, despite the decisions of the Immigration Department.

The MRT and Refugee Review Tribunal currently have about 100 members constantly processing a backlog of thousands of visa appeals.

Tribunals chief Denis O'Brien admitted to 7.30 that his workers "are not coping particularly well at the moment", but defended the decision-making process.

"Our decision making is sound, notwithstanding the fact that we've got a large volume to deal with," he said.

"When they appeal to us they will often want to put evidence before us that addresses the deficiency in their case when they lost originally before the department."

Former immigration minister Philip Ruddock believes the added strain is causing the tribunals to buckle in approving applications, thereby avoiding any chance of further legal appeals.

"It's an easier decision to take if you know that the Government's not going to appeal your decision and if you grant the applicant what he or she wants, they won't be appealing the decision either," he said.

Mr Ruddock did not mince his words on the child trafficking allegations.

"Well, I'm aware of the claims that minors and women are trafficked and if that's happening, it needs to be pursued rigorously and by those in authority," he said.