A criminal syndicate that had been providing unregistered migration advice to foreign nationals has been shut down following a police operation in Perth last week.
Prosecutions are under consideration as the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) works with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to pursue further action.

“People who practise as unregistered migration agents in Australia are breaking the law and may be subject to fines of up to $6600 or imprisonment for up to 10 years,” a DIAC spokesman said.

The investigation involved DIAC officers with the assistance of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in which the scheme’s unregistered migration agents claimed to be able to arrange ‘working visas’ for non-citizens.

“Organisers were charging exorbitant fees for unregistered migration assistance, and were also lodging visa applications which contained false information relating to claims for asylum,” the spokesman said. “Over the past 12 months, DIAC has conducted a series of targeted operations in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia aimed at dismantling this syndicate.”

As a result of information obtained during recent operations, search warrants were executed by immigration investigators with the assistance of the AFP early today in Perth.

“The department has received outstanding support from the AFP, Victoria Police and other government agencies during this investigation which has demonstrated the whole-of-government resolve to protect the integrity of Australia’s migration programs,” the spokesman said. “In Australia there are strict rules about helping someone with their visa application.

“If you are a migration agent you must be registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority [Office of the MARA],” he added.

Susan Wareham McGrath a registered Migration Agent commented on Embrace Australia’s Forum

“Why do people not listen to all the advice given by DIAC, the MARA and registered migration agents about the dangers of using agents who aren’t registered?”

Adding “As long as visa applicants continue to use unregistered and unqualified immigration advisers, they will continue to run the risk of losing large sums of money, be exploited and possibly lose their opportunity to live and work in Australia – all with no recourse because the MARA has no power over unregistered agents.

There is absolutely no point in signing up with someone who speaks your language, or knows a friend or relative, if they are going to cheat you or give you bad advice. There are many registered agents who speak languages other than English. You can find them on MARA’s Register of Agents: www.mara.gov.au.

There is absolutely no point using an unregistered agent because you think you’ll save money – because in most cases you won’t – just refer to the case above as an example.  You can find MARA’s list of average fees charged by registered migration agents here.

And there is absolutely no point in signing up with someone who guarantees they can get you a visa. No-one can guarantee that, because DIAC’s rules change so fast and every case is different.

You don’t have to use a migration agent to manage your visa application, but if you do intend to use one, please STOP and THINK before you sign up with an unregistered and unqualified immigration advisor. You will be trusting them with your, and in many cases, your family’s entire future – surely it’s worth a few minutes reflection about whether using them is a wise thing to do.

People wishing to find out whether an individual is registered as a migration agent can do so by visiting the Office of the MARA’s website, or viewing their immigration agent’s MARA registration certificate, which will include their photograph and a seven digit MARA registration number. All registered agents are listed on the Register of Migration Agents.
Don’t be the next victim of immigration fraud; and don’t let your friends be, either – only use agents registered with MARA, so that if anything goes wrong, you do have some recourse”

It’s seems that Western Australia’s expanding Oil & Gas industry is leading the world when it comes to pay, with experts agreeing salaries will keep on growing. The Recruitment firm Hays’ Oil and Gas Salary Guide 2011, found Australia to be the top paying nation for the past two years. The firm surveyed nearly 11,000 Oil & gas workers worldwide.

“Three-quarters of respondents expect salaries to increase in the next 12 months,” the report said, with the average yearly salary for local and foreign labour in Australia hitting $144,000. Business research firm IBISWorld also named Oil and Gas as this financial year’s top industry performer, with the forecast to grow 18.3 per cent to reach $41.2 billion according to Perth Now.

John Nicolaou Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA chief economist said earnings in the oil and gas sector attracted a substantial premium over other sectors, creating challenges for competing areas of the economy.

“The premium is about 165 per cent higher than the average weekly earnings of an everyday employee outside of that sector,” Mr Nicolaou said.

Speaking at a recent industry conference, Australian Mines and Metals Association chief executive Steve Knott said as of February, full-time adult earnings in the mining industry, which included the oil and gas sector, were almost $110,000 a year. That compared with about $67,000 across all other industries.

“It is particularly difficult trying to compete with wages in the offshore construction sector where casual daily pay rates have risen by 37 per cent since July 2009,” Mr Knott said.

“Recent wages blowouts in offshore construction have made it more difficult for onshore resource projects to compete with exorbitant wages in order to attract skills.”

Mr Nicolaou suggested an average annual salary of $300,000 was becoming the norm for certain occupations throughout regional WA.

There's Gold Down Under

If you dream of migrating to Australia, are up for adventure, fun and maybe have some mining experience then you just could end up as the star on a new TV series. The programme is looking for fun migrants who are tempted at trying their hand at Gold Mining.

“Across Australia is miles upon miles of untapped land just waiting to be mined for gold- and it is open for anyone to have a go. We are looking for fun people who are ready to try their hand at mining and join the Australian gold rush!”

“This series will follow the highs and lows of making the move to Australia and the exciting prospects ahead as we join those brave enough to try their hand at mining for gold and hopefully reap the rewards.”

So if you are thinking of moving to Australia and are interested in Gold mining then why not give Amy a call on 0207 985 7611 or drop her an email at amy.thornton@shine.tv

Our friends at John Mason removals have just informed us of the latest Manpower Talent Survey that outlines the strong demand that exists in Australia for Skilled trade people.

“Unlike other professions, a tradesman’s role is geographically fixed and therefore can’t be off-shored as other jobs can. There is an urgent need therefore to make sure that such roles are filled and that procedures are in place to ensure a constant supply of skilled labour. As skilled tradespeople retire, the Australian government must make sure that there are enough trade workers available to replace them.

The skills shortage outlined above means that Australia will increasingly rely upon nations such as the UK to recruit skilled tradespeople. A skilled trade is defined as a skill which is learned over a period of time, usually through an apprentice scheme.

Examples of trade skills in demand include carpenter, electrician, plumber, bricklayer and cabinet maker among others. According to Manpower, there is a worldwide trend that skilled trade positions are hard to fill and are classed as a ‘hiring challenge’.

Manpower is a recruitment organisation based in Australia. White papers concerning insights into the labour market are produced on a regular basis”

This report follows on from Chris Bowen’s announcement that Perth is to be considered a regional city and will therefore be able to benefit from inclusion in the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme. The state’s economic growth has put a strain on the supply of skilled trades people, some of whom are working on some of the states many natural resources projects.

There has been much talk recently regarding British expats moving private pensions overseas into a QROPS fund. Schemes have been shut down by HMRC in Singapore & Hong Kong & some New Zealand schemes have come under the spot light.

The industry itself has been awash with debate about unregulated & unqualified advice leading to advisors like Gerraint Davis of Montfort International helping to develop a code of conduct for financial advisors who are dealing in QROPS.  The  code will hopefully be introduced in August.

Qrops are increasingly popular and open to anyone who is non-resident in the UK but has pension assets in the UK, or anyone in the UK that is shortly to become non-resident. The problem is, according to Gerraint “The basic principle is a scheme which has two sets of rules. These are UK rules which the scheme must abide by and the local rules. The UK rules are dominant and the local rules are in the background. You get to those local rules once you’ve been outside the UK for five complete tax years.”

The benefits are there but it’s complex stuff. Proper advice is needed.

Results published in Commsec’s latest Economic Insights report showed WA’s economy grew by 3.2 per cent in the March quarter – the biggest quarterly increase in State final demand in almost four years.

Treasurer Christian Porter commented “Our economy grew by 6.8 per cent through the year to March 2011, with an increase in business investment its main driver,”

Adding “The State’s unemployment rate was 4.2 per cent in June, well below the national average of 4.9 per cent, and the lowest of all States.”

The report demonstrated that Western Australia continued to benefit from the strength of mining and engineering sectors which drive commercial construction, exports and overall economic growth.

“The assessment is consistent with other commentators and the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry has revised its own forecast of the State’s 2010-11 economic growth from five per cent to 6.25 per cent,” the Treasurer said.

“However, while the recent analysis confirms the Government’s strong economic management, there is no room for complacency as conditions across industries are mixed and uneven and the strength of the WA economy is under threat from proposed new Federal Government taxes.

“The proposed Mineral Rent Resource Tax and Carbon Tax have added uncertainty to many of the State’s industries already challenged by the rising Australian dollar and the growing risks in a volatile global economy.”

WA stand at Opportunities Expo

In a speech to the Migration Conference of the Australian Minerals and Metals Association Chris Bowen has announced that Perth will now be considered a regional city and will therefore be able to benefit from inclusion in the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme.

The announcement comes against predictions of skilled labour shortages that will hamper Western Australia’s booming economy. Mr Bowen stated that a record $380 billion in mining investment—nearly four times the average level for the past 30 years—was projected to lead to a shortage of 36 000 tradespeople by 2015.

‘The simple fact is that there will not be enough Australian workers to get the job done,’ Mr Bowen said. Adding ‘Skills shortages are not limited to mining projects, with opportunities for Australians in the resources sector leading to local skills shortages in other parts of Western Australia, particularly in Perth.

According to Bowen the announcement ‘will provide employers with another, easier avenue to recruit the skilled workers they need from overseas and give skilled temporary visa holders in Perth a more streamlined pathway to permanent migration.’

The government allocated 16,000 places for the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme in the recent Budget. Bowen added ‘WA receives almost 20 per cent of all 457 visa holders—or 9000 primary visa holders—despite only having 10 per cent of the Australian population,’

At the Opportunities Expo emigration show in London last weekend the Western Australian Governments stand had the longest queue of potential migrants looking to move from the UK. Exhibitors included a range of mining and engineering company’s looking for skilled migrants.

A new study from currencies.co.uk shows that 31% of UK employees would consider emigrating overseas for better career prospects.

Australia and New Zealand come out on top as the favoured destinations with 70% of potential migrants being drawn by the prospects of better economic conditions, an attractive work/life balance and a better climate.

Some 42% of would be migrants fear that losing their job will drive them to pursue opportunities outside the UK. A massive 86% are attracted by the hope of a better work life balance.

A higher proportion of younger workers would consider emigrating with 55% of 18-24 year olds and 42% of 25-34% being attracted mainly by improved career prospects.

Stephen Hughes, Currency Analyst at Currencies.co.uk, commented: “This study demonstrates a severe lack of confidence in the employment situation in the UK, particularly amongst younger age groups.

We’ve seen a dramatic increase in people transferring money for rental deposits having secured employment overseas since the start of the economic crisis and this is likely to continue.”

So the Australian Government have a whole range of legislative amendments coming into force on July 1^st that affect immigration, including changes to the Skilled Occupation List (SOL).

The updated list has a total of thirteen new occupations that have been added while four have been removed from the list.

New Occupations

• 234914 – Medical Physicist
• 251311 -Environmental Health Officer
• 251312 -Occupational Health and Safety Adviser
• 251511 – Hospital Pharmacists
• 251513 – Retail Pharmacists
• 271111 – Barrister
• 271311 – Solicitor
• 323211 – Fitter (General)
• 323212 – Fitter and Turner
• 323213 – Fitter-Welder
• 323214 – Metal Machinist (First Class)
• 399111 -Boat Builder and Repairer
• 399112 – Shipwright

Removed Occupations

• 251411 – Optometrist
• 251412 – Orthoptist
• 324111 – Panel Beater
• 324311 – Vehicle Painter

If you want to view the whole list then you can visit Diac’s web site.

• Amendments of Migration Regulations 1994 relating to eligible non-citizens
• Amendment of Migration Regulations 1994 relating to personal identifiers
• Minor amendments to Bridging Visa A and Bridging Visa B
• Amendments of Australian Citizenship Regulations 2007 relating to Centrelink concession codes
• Amendments to the Migration Regulations 1994 (the Regulations) relating to the Bridging E (Class WE) visas
• Amendments to introduce a new points test for certain applicants for General Skilled Migration visas
• Amendment of Australian Citizenship Regulations 2007 relating to the payment of fees in foreign currencies and foreign countries
• Amendment of Australian Citizenship Regulations 2007 relating to evidence of citizenship
• Annual adjustment of Fees and Charges
• Amendments to Family Stream visas
• Changes to the Balance of Family test for parent migration as specified in Regulation 1.05 of the Migration Regulations 1994
• Transfer of Business Skills Processing from Taipei to Hong Kong for residents of Taiwan
• Amended definition of ‘client number’
• Amendments relating to Public Interest Criteria 4005, 4006A and 4007