CHÁNH PHỦ ÚC ĐANG NHẮM VÀO (TARGETS) CÁC LUẬT SƯ DI TRÚ VÀ VĂN PHÒNG DỊCH VỤ VISA VỀ VIỆC HỌ ĐÃ CỐ VẤN VÀ CUNG CẤP DỮ LIỆU CÁ NHÂN KHÔNG TRUNG THỰC (FUTILE) ĐỂ CHO THÂN CHỦ CỦA HỌ ĐƯỢC CẤP VISA VÀO ÚC- TỪ NAY CƠ QUAN DI TRÚ SẼ ĐỂ Ý CHẶT CHẼ HƠN CÁC HỒ SƠ VISA TỪ VĂN PHÒNG LUẬT SƯ VÀ CÁC AGENTS LO THỦ TỤC DI TRÚ ./-Mt68
_______________--
Labor targets migration lawyers and agents over 'futile'
visa cases
By chief digital political correspondent Clare Armstrong
Posted about 10h agoabout 10 hours ago
Julian Hill will single out lawyers, arguing he has "no
confidence" in the current regime. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
In short:
Labor will target lawyers and migration agents who profit
from visa applications and protection claims with little or no prospect of
success.
The crackdown is part of a broader overhaul as the
government seeks to reduce Australia's migration numbers.
What's next?
New rules for international students start today and follow
changes to skilled visa processing last week.
Link copied
Share article
Migration lawyers and agents who help people pursue baseless
visa claims will be targeted under a federal government crackdown on those who
profit from attempts to "game" the system.
Assistant Citizenship Minister Julian Hill will use a speech
in Sydney on Friday to condemn professionals who sell "false hope" to
clients with little prospect of remaining in Australia and flag plans to
restrict their activity.
Mr Hill will also unveil more details of Labor's broader
migration overhaul announced last month, including that new restrictions on
international students will take effect from today.
Australia's net overseas migration (NOM) was 292,100
in the year to March, with the government pledging to reduce the rate to
225,000 by next financial year.
Labor
to unveil delayed migration overhaul
Labor will tighten rules for temporary migrants bringing
family members, switching visas and extending their stays as it seeks to cut
net overseas migration.
After failing to secure support from the Coalition for
measures that would require new laws, Labor is pursuing its target through
ministerial directions and regulation.
Spurious protection claims and visa applications lodged with
the help of lawyers and agents are among the issues the government is seeking
to address.
In his speech, Mr Hill will single out lawyers over some of
the "worst, sharpest practice" he has seen, declaring he has "no
confidence" in the current regime — operated by states and territories —
governing their involvement in migration cases.
He will reveal Home Affairs has been ordered to develop
options to close a regulatory gap that allows lawyers to pursue visa
applications that have no reasonable prospect of success.
Legal ads 'coach people on how to claim they're bisexual'
Mr Hill will point to one case where a lawyer explicitly
told the department their clients knew they were ineligible for a visa but
wanted it refused so they could appeal the decision and eventually seek
ministerial intervention.
In another example, a lawyer lodged a "high
volume" of employer-sponsored visa applications across multiple job-types
and industries that were all linked to the same address and included businesses
that had previously been liquidated.
Mr Hill will also take aim at "outrageous online
advertising" by lawyers allegedly coaching potential clients about false
protection claims.
"Ads that appear to coach people on how to claim
they're bisexual when they're not, or how to convince the department they're
being persecuted when they're not, in order to support a protection
claim," he will say.
"That's not legal representation. It's a misuse of the
migration system for profit."
Huge crowds fill Sydney's Pitt Street Mall and the CBD
shopping district. (AAP: Dean Lewins)
The number of people on bridging visas has more than tripled
from about 130,000 in 2017 to 413,000 this year, as a growing number of people
remain in Australia while lengthy appeals are resolved.
An average of 1,580 onshore protection claims are lodged
each month and as of June almost 37,000 rejected claims were before the
Administrative Review Tribunal.
About 90 per cent of protection applications are refused at
primary stage, while a similar amount is refused on appeal.
Home Affairs coming after 'rogue' agents
Mr Hill will outline details of proposed changes to the code
governing migration agents that would prohibit them from assisting with visa
applications they "know, or reasonably ought to know, lack a factual or
legal basis".
"People are persuaded to pursue visa pathways that
offer little prospect of success," he will say.
"False documentation is prepared or misleading
information is provided.
"Excessive fees are charged for services that either
should never have been offered or are highly unlikely to achieve the promised
outcome."
Labor will restrict international student families, cap
longer backpacker stays and target visa overstayers.
Current rules allow registered agents to proceed with a
"futile" case if the client acknowledges that advice in writing.
Mr Hill will also confirm a dedicated taskforce is now
investigating "rogue" operators who are unlawfully providing
migration assistance.
He will say these "fake agents" are taking money
from "often vulnerable people for migration advice or assistance without
being registered agents or lawyers legally able to provide advice".
"In essence, if you're taking money from people and
unlawfully providing migration advice, Home Affairs will be paying a lot more
attention and coming after you," he will say.
Skilled visa processing resumes under new directions
New student visa restrictions taking effect on Friday will
curb onshore visa hopping, limit students switching courses or providers, and
bar many from bringing family to Australia.
Labor has also revised a controversial move in July to push
most offshore skilled visa applications to the back of the processing queue to
slow overseas arrivals.
International
education sector alarmed
Higher education stakeholders say sweeping migration changes
will jeopardise an export industry worth $55 billion, with international
students likely to choose other destinations.
The change left businesses facing lengthy waits to bring in
workers, including nurses and teachers, prompting industry groups to warn
Australia's skills shortages were being made worse.
After the backlash, the government sharpened the focus of
the skilled migration program, with two new ministerial directions taking
effect last week.
Healthcare, construction, teaching, resources, agriculture,
aquaculture and fishing are being given priority as Labor seeks to steer
skilled visa places toward areas of need.
The points test is also being overhauled to better recognise
high-demand skills including trades needed to build homes.
A separate ministerial direction on character-related visa
decisions is due to take effect later this month, which will put greater
emphasis on family violence, exploitation, other serious offending and
hate-motivated behaviour./-
No comments:
Post a Comment