Migration Amendment (Regulation of Migration Agents) Bill 2019
Summary
Introduced with the Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Amendment (Rates of Charge) Bill 2019, the bill amends the Migration Act 1958 to: remove unrestricted legal practitioners from the regulatory scheme that governs migration agents; allow eligible restricted legal practitioners to be both registered migration agents and restricted legal practitioners for a period of up to two years; enable the time period in which a person can be considered an applicant for repeat registration as a migration agent to be specified in delegated legislation; remove the 12-month time limit within which a person must apply for registration following completion of a prescribed course; clarify that the powers under Part 3 of the Act are exercisable by the minister; enable the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) to refuse an application to become a registered migration agent where an applicant has failed to provide information or answer questions in relation to their application; require registered migration agents to notify MARA if they have paid the non-commercial application charge for their current period of registration but give immigration assistance otherwise than on a non-commercial basis; and provide that the definitions of ‘immigration assistance’ and ‘makes immigration representations’ include assisting a person in relation to a request to the minister to exercise his or her power under the Act to revoke a character-related visa refusal or cancellation decision.
On 26 December 2019 the Victorian Immigration Solicitors Alliance: VISA made the following submission to the Committee Secretariat Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600.
It was an important submission that lead to a significant change to the law and an historic step towards the development of a better and fairer immigration system and protection of refugee & migrant rights.
If you would like to read the full submission made by VISA to the Australian Senate Committee please the Parliament of Australia Library:
file:///C:/Users/AR%20LAW/Downloads/Sub02_Victorian%20Immigration%20Solicitors%E2%80%99%20Alliance%20(3).pdf
(to view – copy link and paste into a new browser)
