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John Hartigan writes about the many ways you can choose a life "Down Under" ...
What is Australia’s attraction for potential migrants? Apart from the refugee, humanitarian and illegal influx, every year hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world apply to come to Australia to share our lifestyle.
Who are these people? The bulk of applicants are skilled and professionals: men and women who have met the ‘Department of Immigration, Multicultural Indigenous and Affairs' (DIMIA) strict criteria for acceptance, that is: 1. Applicants are aged under 45 years of age. 2. Have English language skills necessary for their occupation, 3. Have had their degrees or trade qualifications assessed by one of the assessing authorities, who confirm to DIMIA that applicants skills are equal to the same degree or trade qualification necessary for recognition in Australia, 4 Applicants have a predetermined level of work experience in their occupation, and 5, applicants meet strict health and character checks.
Family Ties
Other permanent visa applications include family sponsorship. This is applicable when a new Australian has been a resident for two years, and wants to bring a close family member to join him or her in Australia. The overseas relative must meet a new set of DIMIA’s criteria.
Additionally , the sponsoring relative must have no debts to the Australian government, and it is unlikely that a person who is receiving social security benefits would be accepted as a sponsor. With sponsorship comes the necessity for an ‘Assurance of Support'. This is refundable bond paid to Centrelink, and is retained for two years. If during those two years the sponsored relative has received any social security payments those payments are deducted form the bond.
Getting Your Partner In
Partner and parent visas also play a large part in Australia’s migration program. As the names imply, partner visas apply when an Australian citizen or permanent resident wish to bring a non-Australian citizen to join him/her in Australia.
Australian citizens or permanent residents desirous of having their parents join them in Australia may do so provided the parents meet a balance of family test. The number of children in the family and their location determines a balance of family test. Example, if a parent has two children, one in Australia and one in England, that’s okay. However if there are three children, one in Australia, and two in England, the application will be refused. Other rules apply too.
In all family related visas, DIMIA try to help families maintain their family relationships provided they meet the relevant criteria, including quotas.
In recent years there have been an increasing number of applications from retirees and people wanting to start a business in Australia.
Talented People Required!
Australia needs people, and importantly needs skilled people. Every new skilled migrant is a must asset if Australia is to maintain its level of industrial output. Without new blood and new ideas Australia will go backwards.
Aware of this need, DIMIA will grant visas to Approximately 80,000 skilled migrants this financial year, and that number is to be increased by a further 20,000 next financial year.
Attracted to Australia
What is Australia’s attraction? There appear to be three groups in the main contingent, eg: skilled independent:
Group 1. Are those from Emerging or 'Third World' countries. Applicants from these countries are usually well established in their careers in their own countries and have most of the things Australians enjoy. What they don’t have is hope for their children in the future. Their countries lack political stability, are over crowded and opportunities for career advancement are limited.
When these people arrive in Australia they are usually destined to start their new lives at a lower standard of living and status than enjoyed in their former countries.
Group 2. Are those people from repressive regimes where freedom of speech is limited or non-existent. Religious persecution is rampant, and career advancement is limited because of their political views. Like those of group 1, most want to migrate for the sake of their children
Group 3. These people come from first world industrialised nations. For them, Australia is an escape from pollution, overcrowding, declining education standards, stress and lack of sunshine.
This list doesn’t pretend to be exhaustive or all-encompassing, it's a broad outline, and some of the reasons for each group wanting to migrate may apply to all groups.
Putting Your Feet Up
Retirees are self-funded, and for them emigrating to Australia offers a relaxed lifestyle, healthy environment and for most, the cost of living in Australia is less than in their home country.
Opportunities
People wanting to start their own business in Australia are drawn here because they see our country as a land of opportunity - a place to establish a brighter and richer future for their families.
Reasons for Rejection
Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world make applications to Australia every year. So why do so many fail?
Most applications fail because applicants fail to supply adequate information, or pay insufficient attention to the many pages of questions needed to be answered to satisfy DIMIA.
Australia needs people but not at any price. DIMIA’s requirements are stringent, and accuracy in submissions by potential migrants is of paramount importance. DIMIA doesn’t have the time or resources to keep writing to applicants asking for explanations of what an applicant claims.
Many applicants save themselves the risk of failure by employing Migration Agents to process their paperwork for DIMIA. This is fine provided the applicant has first checked out who the agent is. In Australia Migration Agents must be licensed, However, despite efforts by the Migration Agents Regulation Authority (MARA) to weed out unscrupulous agents there are still some whose skills are inadequate.
Anyone thinking of migrating to Australia should first ensure that the agent is licensed. There are several thousand licensed migration agents operating in Australia, and several thousand more licensed and unlicensed overseas operatives.
No Visa, No Fee?
While it is difficult to establish an agent’s skill credibility, the risk can be minimised. What is being offered, and what are the charges? Ultimately, the only safeguard is with an agent who offers a 'No Visa, No Fee' service.
An agent offering this service will not risk working for nothing. So must feel confident that his or her agency can submit a credible application. In other words A No Visa, No Fee agent is saying ‘At this time, under the prevailing legislation, with the information given by the client, we are confident we can prepare a sound application.
Furthermore, an agent offering this service must under law place the client's money in a trust account until the submission has been accepted, which may take up to eighteen months for some visas. This agent is also proving his/her agency is financially stable.
Of the thousands of licensed agents in Australia ,the number offering a No Visa No Fee service can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Who Can Help?
If you are considering migrating, bringing out a family member, retiring, starting your own business or applying under one of the dozens of other different visa available, you can submit a short application to try out under their 'No Visa No Fee' policy by going to the Web Migration website:
www.webmigration.com.au
Article published in Freshmag.com.au in May 2005.
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