Lorem  Ipsum  

ISSUE  2    MAY  2014  

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Meet  our  Clients    Testimonial  of  Brent  &  Manilyn    Brent  and  Manilyn  “Mani”  became  clients  of  Modern  Migration  Australia  in  March  2013.    Mani  hails  from  the  Philippines  and  was  pregnant  when  her  and  Brent  approached  MMA  for  advice.  Mani  and  Brent  wanted  their  baby  born  in  Australia  and  for  Mani  to  get  Permanent  Residency  (PR).  With  this  in  mind,  our  principal  Migration  Agent,  Filippo  Pellegrino  set  up  a  plan  and  submitted  the  visas  Mani  needed  to  have  the  baby  in  Australia  and  PR  for  Mani.  Brent  and  Mani  were  very  satisfied  with  the  outcome,  “[Filippo]  was  there  whenever  I  called”  and  “dealt  with  the  embassy,”  “so  everything  went  according  to  plan”  remarked  Brent.  Mani  gave  birth  to  a  happy  and  healthy  baby  boy  in  Port  Hedland,  where  the  young  family  are  now  living.    Do  you  have  a  migration  story  you  would  like  to  share  in  our  newsletter?  Email  admin@mmavisa.com.au    

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MMA  Director  Filippo  Pellegrino  with  Mani,  Brent  and  their  baby.    

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HUMAN  TRAFFICKING  SCAM    The  exploitation  of  Australia’s  student  visa  system    

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Last month, journalists from Fairfax Media revealed widespread and sophisticated trafficking rings, targeting young women seeking student visas to Australia. Dozens of young women, hailing from Thailand and Hong Kong have been arriving in Australia on travel visas. Upon arrival, the women are becoming beholden to brothel managers, who ‘undertake’ to lodge their student visas. In the mean time, the women are forced to work twenty-hour days, selling drugs

Investigative  Journalists  have  revealed  a  widespread  network  of  brothel  managers  and  rogue  middlemen  exploiting  young  women  on  the  promise  of  receiving  a  student  visa.    

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and sex. The Sun Herald reported that most of the women arrive in Australia, seeking a better life and are completely oblivious to the fact they are being enlisted as sex workers and drug dealers. The horrific details of the work demanded of these women have also been revealed. Anonymous sources revealed to The Sun Herald that, in some cases, the women are required to offer drugs to their clients, and some clients pay to watch girls smoke ice as a part of the service. Many end up

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addicted to crystal meth, also known as ice. The dream of a better life in ‘the lucky country’ is all but destroyed. Many of the women are too ashamed to report the crime rings, and too ashamed to return home. This sordid trafficking operation has been running for some time, and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) was alerted to the details over a year ago. In addition to this, the consultancy firm “Brothel Busters” provided the DIBP with details on how traffickers were utilizing the student visa program. Despite this, these criminal organizations deceiving young women into the sex industry remain in operation. These crime rings are able stay in operation due to a loophole in the Australian student visa application process. In 2013, Professor Chris Seage, from the University of Queensland Law School, published an article explaining how brothels were rorting student visas to secure workers from Asia. According to Seage, brothel managers are allegedly charging the women thousands of dollars to enroll in English courses, while they apply to DIBP for a student visa. As revealed by The Sun Herald the women work in slave like conditions, in the brothels, while they are waiting for their student visas. The Brothel managers and middlemen rely on the applications failing, in order for them to lodge a lengthy appeal, which

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can take up to two years. During this time, the young women are exploited in the sex industry, while they ‘wait’ for the outcome of the appeal. The DIBP have demonstrated a reluctance to change the student visa process. A spokesperson for Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison said “overhauling the student visa system would not prevent unscrupulous individuals from seeking to use this or other visa programs to profit from trafficking or trafficking-like activities.”

The Minister later acknowledged the “appalling case” and said, “It is something I want cracked down on.” However, eliminating this visa loophole would remove the right to appeal a negative student visa decision and the Minister is not prepared

to take this step. Rather, the Government has committed to tackling traffickers through law enforcement, despite Minister Morrison admitting law

“It  is  something  I  want  cracked  down  on”  

Immigration  Minister,  Scott  Morrison  

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enforcement resources were suffering from “serious strain and pressure” due to “budget issues.” In essence, the Government is refusing to review the Student visa application process, instead choosing to rely on law enforcement to crack down on brothels harboring these women. However, when the Minister himself reveals the resources are strained, it raises serious concerns over the welfare of these young women, while they wait for their visas. This is just one of many scams operating in Australia, which has serious consequences for Migrants and their families. You should always enlist the advice of a registered Migration Agent.

 LEVEL  4,  231  ADELAIDE  TERRACE  PERTH,  WESTERN  AUSTRALIA    T:  6555  7718  E:  admin@mmavisa.com.au  MARA  No:  1275758  

   Calendar:  MAY    3  May  World  Press  Freedom  Day      15  May  International  Day  of  Families      21  May  World  Day  for  Cultural  Diversity  for  Dialogue  and  Development      22  May  International  Day  for  Biological  Diversity      24  May  “Vesak”  Day  of  the  Full  Moon      29  May  International  Day  of  UN  Peacekeepers      31  May  World  No-­‐Tobacco  Day    

To all the Mum’s out there…

Happy Mothers Day Sunday  May  11  2014  

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Everyone  at  Modern  Migration  Australia  is  proud  of  our  city,  which  is  why  we  encourage  others  to  settle  down  in  Perth,  and  start  a  life  here.  We  think  it  offers  families,  parents’,  young  people  and  students  plenty  of  opportunities  and  the  chance  to  share  in  a  great  lifestyle.    Subscribe  to  our  newsletter  to  stay  up  to  date  with  migration  matters.    

 6th  May  -­‐  21st  July  

       

 www.spanishfilmfestival.com  

   3rd  May  –  21st  July    

 

 

“Transcending Borders” gives visual form to the developing cross-cultural relationships between South Korea and Western Australia. www.lwgallery.uwa.edu.au

   1st  May  –  18th  May    

 

perthcomedyfest.com.au

9th  May  –  11th  May    

 

http://www.perthinternationaljazzfestival.com.au/program/

 

Get your culture fix!

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   31st  May      

 

 http://www.celebratewa.com.au/state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art-­‐music-­‐festival.aspx  

 25th  May  

           

http://www.hbfrun.com.au    

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Last  month  Modern  Migration  Australia  reported  on  the  overly  onerous  and  detailed  Form  80  requirements.      The  Department  of  Immigration  and  Border  Protection  has  now  changed  the  requirements,  yet  again.  As  MMA  reported  last  month,  Applicants  had  to  provide  30  years  of  travel  and  place  of  residence  history.  With  the  most  recent  changes,  applicants  are  now  only  

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required  to  provide  10  years  of  past  addresses  and  travel  history.    However,  complete  (life  long)  education  and  employment  details  are  still  required.    DIBP  has  however,  made  it  clear  that  anyone  applying  for  a  refugee/humanitarian  visa  must  still  provide  the  30  years  of  travel  and  residence  information.      We’ll  keep  you  updated  on  any  further  changes.    

UPDATE:  More  changes  to  Form  80  

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 The  High  Court  of  Australia  has  handed  down  a  landmark  decision,  which  could  affect  migration  forms,  and  the  information  applications  are  required  to  provide  on  their  gender.      In  March  of  this  year,  the  HCA  held  that  laws  in  NSW  permit  the  registration  of  a  gender,  other  than  male  or  female.  This  four  year  legal  battle  is  a  win  for  the  trans-­‐gender  community  and  could  change  what  information  applicants  are  obliged  to  provide  when  applying  for  visas.      Other  states  in  Australia  are  also  being  urged  to  recognize  personal  identification  and  eliminate  the  former  “male  “  or  “female”  options  in  official,  government  documentation  and  forms.    The  ACT  recently  passed  a  law  recognizing  a  third  category  of  sex  and  the  Commonwealth  is  rolling  out  a  set  of  guidelines  for  government  departments  to  also  allow  similar  recognition.  

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However,  this  new  “non-­‐specified”  category  could  pose  some  interesting  challenges  for  migration  processes.    

The  Sydney  Morning  Herald  commented  this  “historic  decision”  would  have  “  far  reaching  implications  for  institutions  and  individuals  across  the  country.”  More  specifically,  this  HCA  decisions  raises  questions  over  how  the  Department  of  Immigration  and  Border  Protection  will  process  partner  visa  applications,  when  applicant  choose  the  “not  specified”  box  on  forms.      

We  will  keep  abreast  of  this  issue  as  it  plays  out;  look  out  in  future  MMA  news  editions  for  more  information.  

High  Court  Gender  Ruling    

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PHOTO  CREDITS      PAGE  1    “Perth  and  Other  Places”  (2011)  Accessed  at  http://perthandotherplaces.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/i-­‐drive-­‐through-­‐south-­‐perth-­‐most-­‐days.html      PAGE  2  “Women  on  the  Fence”  Blog  accessed  at  http://womenonthefence.com/2013/02/01/women-­‐on-­‐the-­‐fence-­‐wins-­‐ninjamatics-­‐2012-­‐canadian-­‐weblog-­‐award/    PAGE  3:  Shutterstock  “Australian  immigration  stamp  in  passport”  by  Tomas  Pavelka  accessed  at  http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-­‐31164808/stock-­‐photo-­‐australian-­‐immigration-­‐stamp-­‐in-­‐passport.html    PAGE  5:    Adventure  World  Photo,  accessed  at  http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/LocationPhotoDirectLink-­‐g255103-­‐d565240-­‐i33040802-­‐Adventure_World-­‐Perth_Greater_Perth_Western_Australia.html    Perth  Now  “Perth  binges  on  Fringe  World”  Picture  by  John  Leonard  accessed  at:  http://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/perth-­‐binges-­‐on-­‐fringe-­‐world/story-­‐fnbj5s1a-­‐1226267075751    “Fringe  Festival  Perth  Australia”  photo  by  Andrew  Vaughan  Smith  accessed  at  http://www.ark3.com/2013/02/fringe-­‐festival-­‐perth-­‐australia-­‐some-­‐night-­‐views/    “Rooftop  Movies,  Northbridge”  Vegan  Sparkles,  Rebecca  Weller  accessed  at:  http://vegansparkles.com/2012/04/03/rooftop-­‐movies-­‐northbridge/    City  of  Perth  “Perth  City  Get  to  Know  Me”  accessed  at:  http://visitperthcity.com.au      PAGE  7:    High  Court  of  Australia,  accessed  at  http://intranet.ballaratsc.vic.edu.au/learning/imagebank/images/can/lake_burley_griffin/3645_011.jpg      The  views  and  opinions  expressed  are  those  of  the  authors  and  do  not  necessarily  reflect  the  position  of  Modern  Migration  Australia  Pty  Ltd.    ©  Modern  Migration  Australia  Pty  Ltd