Written by admin on June 4, 2010 – 9:37 pm
The link below is to an article from Australian Policy Online, about the Migration Amendment (Visa Capping) Bill 2010. It’s written by Peter Mares – one of the few journalists who we believe reports on migration issues with a balanced perspective.
DIAC has now provided the following information about the Bill:
“ On 26 May 2010 the Migration Amendment (Visa Capping) Bill 2010 (the ‘Bill’) was introduced into the Parliament. The legislation seeks to fine tune existing laws to provide the Government with a tool for the targeted management of all aspects of the migration program.
The Migration Act 1958 currently provides the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship with the power to cap and terminate all applications for a certain class or subclass of visa. The new Bill proposes to allow the Minister to cap and terminate applications based on certain objective characteristics, rather than having to cap an entire subclass or class of visas. Example: The Minister could limit the number of General Skilled Migration visas that may be granted in a financial year to applicants who have nominated particular occupations, to ensure the General Skilled Migration program is able to deliver the broad range of skills the Australian economy will need in the medium to long-term.
The Bill is not currently operative and no actual cap is being considered at present. This Bill seeks only to give the Minister the power to implement a cap in future if necessary.”
Our comment – why, in an election year, when the Rudd Govt is under fire for its economic management, would a Minister authorise the expenditure of public money on the introduction of legislation that there is no current intent to use? And how far ahead is the “future”? One week? One year?
Is DIAC really coming clean on its plans to use the legislation? We think there might be a little left unsaid in this story. Only time will tell.
my name is javed iqbal
i totally diss agree with diac ,the minister directions are unfair and un human ,frustated in simple diac waste our time ,also thred for austr immig cridibility in future
autharoties shoud think abouit it
Ending visa applicants’ uncertainty is most definitely NOT why capping and ceasing is to be introduced. If DIAC were serious about ending ongoing uncertainty, it would simply release more funds to obtain the resources to process those applications in the order they were received
It makes a very bad joke of DIAC’s motto “People Our Business”. It would be more accurate if it took a leaf out of Tourism Australia’s book and changed its motto to “DIAC – there’s nothing like it”.
I think we all who have applied for OZ immigration,love OZ and want to be part of it and our love will continue.
But it is also a fact that DIAC is doing the worst it can to most of the applicants. It is literally butchering the applicant without any concern or mercy. At present DIAC immigration procedure is almost the worst in the world ( UK,Canada,etc )
DIAC’s general policy is to process applications within each visa subclass in the order in which they were received.
any way thanks
yours javed