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有西人揭露移民部的丑闻,如下
I might be able to help with some information here. My brother in law is also in the same boat.
Firstly, I suspect that the queuing system is a farce. We also have the same queue date as many here. I think what happened was in 2010 they basically just sat on all the applications as they did not have enough visas. Then, when they started the queue they just put a pile of people in the April 2011 queue date regardless of when their applications were actually lodged.
We also were asked for and paid the AoS just before they pulled the visa. However, they are also saying that there were not enough visas either in FY 2013 or likely to be in FY 2014.
Basically, what the Minister is doing here is trying to do away with the LRR visa without bothering to go back to Parliament. The reason is simple - money. The Family Stream is not a money spinner. No country can reasonably refuse to grant marriage and dependent children visas, so they have to do those and they are not allowed to cap. But they can't charge too much for them. As the numbers increase, instead of just increasing the allocation to the Family stream from say 60,000 to 61,000, they tried to keep it the same but pinched the visas from the Other Family streams where they are allowed to cap. They just wont add any visas to an area where they cannot make money.
The only focus is for visa classes either required by business or where they can cash in by charging a big fee (or in the case of students, get them to subsidise the Australian education system). I agree that the next step will be contributory Family Visas. They might as well just auction the bloody things on Ebay.
Anyway, there are a few avenues available:
- I have written to the Shadow Immigration Minister and asked him to make a position statement on the various issues prior to the election. Might be able to get him to commit to a review. I will let you know if he replies. If you like in Cook (NSW) he is your local guy so hit him up for an answer.
- I am highly tempted to launch a Freedom of Information Act request to find out exactly what happened to the queue - however, past experience is that they are always allowed to block any information they want, despite the law, and in this case you have a department that wants to cover up what they are doing. However, I would suggest that everyone effected not only complain, but also insist to know their exact queue number. I cannot see that they are legally able to refuse to provide it. My suspicion is that people are not being released in order of lodgement date.
- I heard from my migration agent that as many as 700 LRR visa applicants were released from the queue and now do not have visas. If the total Other Family Stream has 580 visas, then LRR probably has no more than 150 of those. On these figures, you can see it will take years just to clear the backlog of people they just promised had been released for final approval. This is probably why they don't want to be honest with the figures.
- If you have not been asked for the AoS yet, you are probably down the queue and looking at a wait of up to 5 years.
- I suggest the moment the election is over, bombard your local MP and the new minister with complaints. Don't bother talking to civil servants (they just cover up for the department whatever, and will never take your concerns to the Minister). Insist on speaking to one of the Parliamentary aides - they are actually MPs and therefore (in theory) represent you. The argument I am running is that (1) it is inhumane to remove visas from people who are just about to be granted, especially for several years and (2) it is an end-run around parliament - if the department want to kill the Other Family Stream they need to get the legislation changed, not just kill it by reducing the numbers to unviable levels.
My migration agent has confirmed that in 20+ years she has never seen the department withdraw visas once an Assurance of Support is requested. It was a disgrace and typical of the high handed approach of government departments. If you want it changed, hope for a change of minister and complain like crazy! |
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