Once you have checked the MARA website to ensure an agent is registered and preferably, a member of the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA), you may wish to consider which of the following attributes are important to you:
- Period of experience as a Registered Migration Agent. This can be seen from the first 2 digits of the Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN). For example, MARN 9252713 indicates the agent was first registered in 1992, the year the current system commenced,
- Experience across all visa options,
- Long agency's history with a proven track record,
- Ability to provide clear, honest and timely answers to your questions,
- Provision of regular status updates at each stage,
- Fast and accurate work,
- Uncompromising commitment to confidentiality.
If these are your priorities, then you are in good company as Southern Cross Alliance ® has been the natural choice for thousands of successful clients since 1989.
On 1 May 2010, Southern Cross celebrated 21 years of service to clients. Our logo and the names Southern Cross Alliance and Southern Cross Migration are registered trademarks protected under Australian copyright law. Beware of any unsrupulous individual claiming to represent us under either name. It is strongly recommended that you always check with us in Sydney to ensure you are dealing with one of our authorised representatives or employees.
Grace Migration
We are very pleased to announce that Grace Migration has now joined the Southern Cross Alliance global network with effect from 1 July 2010.
In combination, we will continue to offer all our clients the highest possible standards of professional service.
Please contact us today for an accurate assessment of your eligibility.
Latest News
1 July 2010
A raft of changes were inroduced effective 1 July 2010. These include new Skilled Occupations Lists for GSM and a new ENSOL, forms & DIAC fee changes and changes to Subclass 457 and the Employer Nomination Scheme.
We are currently awaiting the release of the State Management Plans (SMP's), expected sometime in September 2010.
For further details, please contact one of our Registered Migration Agents or refer to the DIAC website at www.immi.gov.au
Saturday 8 May 2010
The Australian Government announced that the lodgement of offshore General Skilled Migration (GSM) applications is suspended until 1 July 2010. A proposed Skilled Occupations List (SOL) has been released but, the final version is yet to be announced.
More information is required from the Government before prospective offshore skilled applicants can determine their eligibility to lodge an application on, or after, 1 July 2010.
For more information, please contact us or check the DIAC website:- http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/whats-new.htm#q
Friday 30 April 2010
The Government is considering the report from Skills
Following is the Media Release of the speech by Senator Evans explaining the changes to the skilled migration program delivered at the Australian National University.
Migration reforms to deliver Australia's skills needs
The Rudd Government is reforming the permanent skilled migration program to ensure it is more responsive to the needs of industry and employers and better addresses the nation’s future skill needs.
The reforms will deliver a demand rather than a supply driven skilled migration program that meets the needs of the economy in sectors and regions where there are shortages of highly skilled workers, such as healthcare, engineering and mining. The major reforms to the skilled migration program are:
20 000 would-be migrants will have their applications cancelled and receive a refund.
All offshore General Skilled Migration applications lodged before 1 September 2007 will have their applications withdrawn. These are people who applied overseas under easier standards, including lower English language skills and a less rigorous work experience requirement. It is expected about 20 000 people fall into this category. The department will refund their visa application charge at an estimated cost of $14 million. Average applications cost between $1500 and $2000 and most contain more than one person.
The list of occupations in demand will be tightened so only highly skilled migrants will be eligible to apply for independent skilled migration visas.
The wide-ranging Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) will be revoked immediately. The list is outdated and contains 106 occupations, many of which are less-skilled and no longer in demand. A new and more targeted Skilled Occupations List (SOL) will be developed by the independent body, Skills Australia, and reviewed annually. It will be introduced mid-year and focus on high value professions and trades. The Critical Skills List introduced at the beginning of 2009 which identified occupations in critical demand at the height of the global financial crisis will also be phased out.
The points test used to assess migrants will be reviewed to ensure it selects the best and brightest.
Potential migrants gain points based on their qualifications, skills and experience, and proficiency in English. The current points test puts an overseas student with a short-term vocational qualification gained in Australia ahead of a Harvard-educated environmental scientist. A review of the points test used to assess General Skilled Migration applicants will consider issues including whether some occupations should warrant more points than others, whether sufficient points are awarded for work experience and excellence in English, and whether there should be points for qualifications obtained from overseas universities. The review will report to Government later this year.
Certain occupations may be capped to ensure skill needs are met across the board.
Amendments to the Migration Act will be introduced this year to give the Minister the power to set the maximum number of visas that may be granted to applicants in any one occupation if need be. This will ensure that the Skilled Migration Program is not dominated by a handful of occupations.
Development of state and territory-specific migration plans.
Individual state and territory migration plans will be developed so they can prioritise skilled migrants of their own choosing. This recognises that each state and territory has different skills requirements. For example, Western Australia may have a shortage of mining engineers while Victoria may have a requirement for more architects. Under the new priority processing arrangements, migrants nominated by a state and territory government under their State Migration Plan will be processed ahead of applications for independent skilled migration.
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said the new arrangements will give first priority to skilled migrants who have a job to go to with an Australian employer. For those who don’t have an Australian employer willing to sponsor them, the bar is being raised.
‘There are plenty of occupations where there is an adequate supply of young Australians coming through our schools, TAFE colleges and universities to take up new job opportunities. They must be given the opportunity to fill these vacancies first,’ Senator Evans said.
‘But there are some occupations where there will be high demand for skills. Hospitals can’t go without nurses, country towns can’t do without a local GP and the resources sector increasingly needs skills.
‘These latest changes will continue reforms already implemented by the government and result in a more demand-driven skilled migration program that attracts highly skilled migrants to Australia to work in areas of critical need.’
The government recognises that the changes will affect some overseas students currently in Australia intending to apply for permanent residence.
Those international students who hold a vocational, higher education or postgraduate student visa will still be able to apply for a permanent visa if their occupation is on the new Skilled Occupations List. If their occupation is not on the new SOL, they will have until 31 December 2012 to apply for a temporary skilled graduate visa on completion of their studies which will enable them to spend up to 18 months in Australia to acquire work experience and seek sponsorship from an employer.
The changes will in no way impact on international students coming to Australia to gain a legitimate qualification and then return home.
See: Changes to Australia's skilled migration program
If you are concerned about these changes and how they may affect you, please see: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/whats-new.htm#a or contact one of our Registered Migration Agents.
Listed trade occupations are now subject to new work experience or skills assessment requirements as well as increased IELTS English Test scores effective 1 January 2010. For more information, please contact one of our Registered Migration Agents.
UNDP Human Development Report ranks Australia as the world's second best country in which to live, after Norway - http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics
Australia's population reaches 22 million on 1 October 2009, largely due to immigration.
On 23 September 2009, the Minister announced revised Processing Priorities together with likely processing times. Applications lodged prior to this date and not yet finalised are affected as are applications lodged on or after 23 September 2009.
Recent changes to General Skilled Migration include the Critical Skills List (CSL), as revised 16 March 2009. For information about these changes, please contact one of our Registered Migration Agents or refer to the DIAC website at: www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/critical-skills-list.pdf