Posts with tag: migration
South Africa By Candlelight
Africa, sometimes described as the "dark continent" was never darker than on the evening of 17 April 2012. More specifically at 7 PM at the Endless Horizons Hotel in Umhlanga.
The electricity went down about 3 PM that afternoon and as the minutes became hours the realisation began to dawn on me that there was a real possibility that as the hotel did not have a generator, I might not have electricity for the seminar that evening.
Notwithstanding the advice from the electricity company that it would only take a couple of hours for the fault to be remedied the electricity did not come on line and I had to present a seminar by candlelight. I have been to some remote places to present seminars [including Zimbabwe] but that was a first for me.
I found out subsequently that there was a fire in one of the transformers and a large swathe of northern suburbs Durban was without power.
The candlelight glow did add a nice ambience to the seminar. Little consolation for those seated in rows 2 onwards who had to view our dvd and PowerPoint presentation from my laptop. I think the audience’ sentiment could loosely be translated as “now you see what we have to put up with".
I don't need to travel abroad to do my job. I can effectively communicate with clients from within Australia by Skype and e-mail and I specifically travel to present seminars so that audience members can get an idea as to who I am. This irony wasn't lost on me as I had to shine a torch on my face so that the audience could see what I looked like.
I started every consultation in the days following the seminar by introducing myself as Myer Lipschitz, the guy who presented the seminar.
Thanks to the HP Probook S Series laptop’s battery I managed to present the DVD and PowerPoint presentation with about 60% of its battery life. Imagine what this kind of technology could do for South Africa?
For one person who attended the seminar and had a subsequent consultation with me the power cut presented some relief. At the consultation she confided to me that she attended the seminar with some trepidation and was fraught with anxiety as so many patriotic South Africans are who almost reluctantly attend these migration seminars.
She was praying for a sign that she was making the correct decision in considering immigration to Australia only to find that the seminar had to be held by candlelight. It was just fortunate that the sign was in the form of a power cut rather than hijacking!
I was touched by the spirit in which the audience embraced the concept of a seminar by candlelight and accepted the experience as part of life in Africa. This generosity of spirit is part of the reason why I enjoy my trips to South Africa.
I’m just about to return to Melbourne after a two week trip to South Africa and although I miss my wife on these trips if she does have any notions of a candlelit dinner on my return she can forget it!
As South Africans are fond of saying “tot later” (until later), more precisely 14 June when I will be back in South Africa for another round of seminars, this time with torch in hand.
Changes to Australian Returning Residence Visa Policy
The only thing constant, regarding immigration policy, is change and there are several significant changes to Australian immigration policy that have recently taken place or will take place in the forthcoming months.
This blog is the first of a 3 part series of weekly updates that provide a brief overview of some of the more significant changes and they include:
1. Validity period of Resident Return Visas
2. Changes to the way in which Australia selects its skilled migrants ie those that are not dependent upon offers of employment
3. Changes to pathways available for Employer Nomination Scheme and Regionally Sponsored Migration Scheme (pathways that exist for those who do have offers of employment in Australia)
Return Resident Visas - the insurance policy just got shorter
Overseas applicants fall into two distinct groups:
1. Those wanting to leave as soon as possible (“get me the hell out of here”) and
2. Those with golden handcuffs that enjoy the material benefits of life but are not blind to problems that may occur in the medium to long term and are looking for an insurance policy.
The changes to the Return Residence Visa will not affect those in group 1 above but will impact upon those in group 2 above.
Until 15 February it was possible to obtain a five-year Residence Visa whilst abroad and then to obtain five-year Return Resident Visas (subclass 155) at five yearly intervals if one could prove substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties with Australia which are of benefit to Australia.
This was an attractive insurance policy for those shackled to the home country with golden handcuffs and we have processed applications for second Return Residence Visas for clients who haven't spent very much time in Australia during the preceding 10 years.
Obviously this lack of commitment to Australia has proven to be an issue for the Minister of Immigration because on 15 February applicants for Resident Return (Subclass 155) visas who have spent less than two out of five years in Australia before making their application will be granted visas valid for only one year. These applicants still have to meet the “close ties to Australia” criteria mentioned above.
I can see the logic behind the change. With more and more skilled migrants relying upon state sponsorship it doesn't make much sense if state governments audit their economies annually, produce lists of skilled occupations in demand and make sponsorship decisions based on those criteria only to find sponsored migrants making their ultimate move up to 15 years from grant of the visa.
As a consequence of this change I would suggest to those thinking "insurance" to view the insurance policy as follows:
Time to process visa + 5 years + a potential further year if "close ties" can be established.
The insurance policy mentioned above applies to independent 175 visa applicants (called independent because they are not sponsored by family members nor state governments) and 176 visas (sponsored by either family members or state governments) but not 475 temporary residence visas as they are subject to a different timeframe.
Most applicants will have to consider moving to Australia after a period of six years from date of filing their residence visas and this is still a generous timeframe especially when you consider that countries like New Zealand require applicants to make the move within 3.5 years of grant of the residence visa.
Australia still offers a generous insurance policy, it’s just not quite as generous as before.
Next week I'll be focusing on the changes to the way in which Australia selects its skilled migrants ie those that are not dependent upon offers of employment due to be implemented on one July under a policy called SkillSelect.
Forthcoming free seminars – SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg:
Thursday 12 April 2012 – Michelangelo Hotel at 7pm
Consultations : 13, 14, 15, 23, 24 and 25 April in Auckland Park.
Durban:
Monday 16 April 2012 – Endless Horizons Hotel at 7pm
Consultations : 17 and 18 April at the Endless Horizons Hotel
Cape Town:
Thursday 19 April 2012 – Southern Sun Newlands Hotel at 7pm
Consultations : 20 and 21 April at the Commodore Hotel
To book seats for our free seminar please go to :
http://immagine-immigration.com/seminars/south-africa/
To book a consultation please email Ruth on ruth@immagine-immigration.com. Cost applies for consultations.
Botswana
If you would be interested in meeting with Myer in Botswana in April please email Ruth to register your interest (ruth@immagine-immigration.com).
Best wishes
The IMMagine Australia Immigration Team
2012 - Seminars, Policy and Tennis...
Happy New Year and can I take this opportunity of wishing you all the very best for 2012. The year has started off with a bang for us here in Melbourne – the world appears to have itchy feet, particularly in Europe and South Africa.
My team and I will be giving a series of seminars over the next few weeks at which we will be outlining the big changes coming to Australian immigration policy. For friends or family that wish to attend, dare I say this is a not to be missed opportunity.
Johannesburg - 15 February - Click here to register >>
Durban - 20 February - Click here to register >>
Cape Town - 23 February - Click here to register >>
Singapore - 3 March - Click here to register>>
Malaysia - 10 March - Click here to register>>
Although my school days are far behind me I remember the first week back at school. Invariably we had to do an essay in English on "what I did on my school holidays".
Because I spent a great deal of last year on planes, trains and automobiles presenting seminars in Singapore and South Africa I did absolutely nothing during my holidays apart from over indulge in the things that I love most; good food, good wine and good company - Melbourne abounds with all of that.
I find that South African businesses tend to close earlier in December than those in Australia. Probably because the school term ends earlier in South Africa (around 7 December) whereas the Australian school term ends approximately 20 December.
As a result most people in Australia tend to take their holidays shortly before Christmas or else in January. Businesses tend to become fully operational in Australia much later than Singapore and South Africa.
Although the Singapore school term finishes in mid-November, because of the expected work ethic I'm not sure how many of my Singapore clients manage to have a decent vacation. I think that a lunch break is the most that many can hope for.
The best weather in Victoria generally arrives in January rather than November and December and this acts as a further inducement to have one's annual break in January rather than December.
A big part of summer in this city is the Australian Tennis Open. With the onset of the Tournament and the heat of the beautiful summer Melbourne acquires a festival atmosphere. The mixed bag of weather we can get pre Christmas is replaced by long hot sunny days and the city comes alive. The trams and trains are filled with tennis fans from a multitude of nations.
However because cities like Sydney and Melbourne are so multicultural player support does not have to originate from abroad.
Juan Martin del Potro complained to the umpire about rowdy crowd behaviour in his loss to Marcos Baghdatis in Sydney. Australia has large Greek and Cypriot communities that have traditionally supported Baghdatis. Del Potro is reported to have said the following to the umpire:
"I don't know where Cyprus is, if it's close to Australia or not," Del Potro told reporters. "But many guys come to here to see his game and follow his tennis”.
Cyprus you may be aware is not particularly close to Australia.
Melbourne is reported to have the largest Greek community outside of Athens and every time Baghdatis plays in Melbourne it's like a home crowd for him.
In a wonderful two weeks Melburnians from all walks of life come out to celebrate this marvellous game.
I'm passionate about tennis and January in Melbourne is always about the heat and Australian Open time for me.
On a more back to work note there are major changes on the immigration horizon here in Australia.
There are two potential migrants need to be aware of.
State Sponsorship lists have been released and these have seen many occupations added (and a few subtracted) from the states of Queensland, Australian Capital Territory and South Australia. The ACT lists released this week were due out in July 2011. Better late than never I guess…..
These changes have resulted for example in trades being added by Queensland which open up the possibility of emigrating to Australia without needing a job offer first.
Welcome news indeed.
If you wish to read the lists you can do so by selecting the states below:
- Australian Capital Territory – because the ACT website will only be updated later this week, if you would like a copy of the list please email me: myer@immagine-immigration.com
- Queensland - 176 (Residence Visa)
- Queensland - 475 (Temporary Visa)
A significant policy change that will occur later this year (expected to be 1 July) is a change from the current fixed pass mark of 65 points for points tested general skilled migration visas (those that don't require offers of employment) to a floating pass mark system with variable pass marks depending upon the demand for an applicant’s nominated occupation. Those familiar with New Zealand policy settings will see a convergence here!
This system will apply to all applicants who submit residence visas after 1 July.
We are advising all of our clients, wherever possible, to submit their residence visa applications prior to 1 July because inevitably when policy changes there will be winners and losers.
I will be updating readers further of the 1 July policy change as and when more information becomes available.
I have always thought of New Zealand and Australia as complementary immigration destinations. New Zealanders and Australians like to exaggerate the differences between the two countries but to an ex-South African (and a New Zealander) like myself there are lots of similarities between the two cultures and I tend to regard Kiwi’s and Aussies as cousins. My business partner, Iain MacLeod from Immagine New Zealand would like to believe distant cousins (along the lines of Cro-Magnon v Neanderthal) but I am not so sure.
The Kiwis have a joke- ‘What do you call cultured Australian?”
A New Zealander…
Nothwithstanding the joke, many potential migrants to the two countries also consider them complementary destinations and would consider settling in either depending upon which one gives permanent residence with the least amount of grief.
Many people have false preconceptions as to the ease of migrating to Australia and New Zealand and I'm often asked the question as to which country is easier to get into.
The short answer some people will be eligible for one but not the other. It depends on so many factors but the beautiful thing from the perspective of Immagine Australia and Immagine New Zealand is we can now help you identify which and then help make it happen for you.
This is because I have spent the last quarter of 2011 schooling my colleagues in our Auckland office on Australian General Skilled Migration. This is vital to many of you who wish to live there but otherwise require job offers to get into New Zealand. Many people will qualify for Australia without needing the job and once you have your permanent residence in Australia you can land with your residence visa in Australia, get on the next plane, fly to New Zealand and you are automatically granted permanent residence there. All without filing a formal residence visa application to New Zealand.
Those Kiwis are nothing if not cheeky – using Australia as a back door!
Feel free to e-mail us if you would like an assessment of your immigration options on myer@immagine-immigration.com
From Myer Lipschitz - IMMagine Australia
Will the real Mr Lipschitz please stand up?
It's often the little things that make one feel at home in a new country. Yesterday I was at the local pharmacy waiting for a prescription to be filled when the pharmacist said "prescription for Mr. Lipschitz". I approached the pharmacist at the same time as another gentleman of a similar age. We looked at each other, smiled and then burst out laughing.
What are the chances of two people with the surname of Lipschitz being at a pharmacy at the same time? After spending most of my life in a small town in South Africa and then in New Zealand I had grown accustomed to the fact that I might very well be unique in terms of my surname. In my early years I had come to think of it as God's cruel joke and longed to meet someone called Bumface who would be lower on the surname pecking order than I.
When I moved from Vereeniging to Johannesburg to attend university I did come across a few more Lipschitz’s and one also got to hear of those that could not bear the heat such as Ralph Lauren who changed his surname from Lipschitz to Lauren. To be fair "an original Lipschitz creation" does not have the same sophistication as "an original Lauren creation".
Whilst on the subject don't bring up my father's cousin who incurred the ire of the Lipschitz clan by changing his surname from Lipschitz to Lipworth. I suspect every Lipman, Lipworth and Lipton is a turncoat. But please forgive me if I digress, I am carrying 49 years of baggage in this department.
The other Mr. Lipschitz must also have been carrying a fair bit of baggage judging by his reaction. It was a cathartic moment for both of us. I felt like putting my arms around him and shouting, "Landsman what happened to you?”
I don't imagine that this kind of experience is unique to only those with the surname of Lipschitz. Melbourne has such a rich diversity of cultures that I'm sure the same thing is happening to Mr.Dung from Vietnam , Mr Wang from China, Mr Dick Ramsbottom from England and Mr Haasbroek (rabbit pants) from South Africa . It is one of the things that I love about Melbourne and made me feel instantly at home.
Love and Migration
Perhaps I'm showing my age but for many of my generation the movie "Green Card" was the ultimate migration movie.
I'm sure you know the plot but if not, the character played by Gerard Depardieu wants to stay in the United States and enters into a marriage of convenience with the character played by Andy McDowell to secure a Green Card to enable him to commence a job that he's been offered. She enters into the marriage to be able to keep her apartment [which is for married couples only].
Gerard’s character has his comeuppance during his interview with Immigration and Naturalization Service when he cannot identify her brand of cold cream.
You could be forgiven for thinking that the moral of the story is if you are thinking of a partner visa to spend some time studying your partners cosmetic cabinets in more detail but the actual point is don't use fraudulent means to apply for visas. I'm sure a good migration lawyer could have secured the appropriate visa by legitimate means. Perhaps it's time that scriptwriters wrote in a storyline for a Brad Pitt type migration lawyer. Not that I have any resemblance to BP or am considering a career change.
With a more selective immigration policy and tougher student/permanent residence pathways partner visas [relationship-based visas] have never been more popular. In fact the Australian Federal Government has set aside 44,000 places [as many as the independent General Skilled Migration category] for partner visas in the recent budget announcement.
Partner visas include applicants who are engaged, formally married, in a de facto relationship [same-sex or heterosexual] with an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
The term "de facto" is unfamiliar to many of our readers but generally means a common-law marriage where the partners have been living together for 12 months or more in a genuine stable relationship which is likely to endure.
Partner visas generally fall into one of the following categories:
Prospective marriage -- also known as the fiancée visa. This visa is for a person who is engaged but not yet married to Australian citizen or permanent resident. This is the "try before you buy" concept that allows overseas migrants to enter Australia for the purposes of marrying their Australian fiancé's. The marriage must take place within nine months.
Spouse [provisional] -- this visa is for a person who is married to, or in a de facto relationship with an Australian citizen. The visa is provisional and can lead to permanent residence, generally once the Department of Immigration and Citizenship are satisfied that the couple is living together in a genuine stable relationship after two years.
Spouse -- this is a permanent visa for a person who is married to or in a de facto relationship with an Australian citizen permanent resident.
The tighter migration laws referred to above together with the fact that the "relationship register" operated in many States in Australia [which means that de facto couples who register their relationship don't even have to live together for 12 months before they can apply] have meant that a greater degree of vigilance is required on the part of Australian citizens/permanent residents.
The following are some warning signs for the unwary Australian/permanent resident:
- Although you could have been blessed with good genes if the migrant finds you irresistible and she is half your age, beware;
- If you met on the internet on any site with the terms “Russian Brides” in the URL, beware;
- If your paramour is a student about to finish a course of study in Australia who uttered the words “oh damn” on 8 February last year (when the student policy changed), beware;
- If she suddenly decides to open a joint bank account, sign a joint lease, cancel her postal box and have all of her mail directed to your common address, suggests joint travel or any of the other evidence required to support a de facto partnership application beware, you could be set up.
Relationship visas might be seen as the ultimate "shortcut" to securing permanent residence in Australia but immigration officers are not naïve. Relationship visas have amongst the highest decline rate of all visa applications in Australia. Approximately 40% are declined and not simply because applicants neglected to check her brand of cold cream!
We ensure that our clients apply for relationship visas for the right reasons. Not for the purposes of a "quick fix" in terms of immigration policy but rather because there is a genuine desire on the part of both parties to enter into a long-term relationship with migration to Australia being a by product of the relationship.
Australia Increases Migration Quota
Unlike the calendar year, Australia’s immigration year runs from 1 July to 30 June. As we fast approach the migration ‘New Years Eve’ it appears as if the Australian Government will be dispensing some new year’s cheer by increasing the migration programme by 16300 places taking total planned migration to a total of 185 000 which is consistent with net overseas migration figures for the year ending September 2010.
The majority of the new places have been allocated to the Skilled stream comprising Employer Sponsored, General Skilled Migration Visas (points tested) and Business. With Australia’s economy expected to grow by 4% percent for the next year and unemployment rate at 5 percent and expected to fall to 4.75 percent, the increase in the immigration quota is seen as necessary to maintain Australia’s growing economy.
The strength of the Australian economy provides a special challenge for the Government in designing an immigration policy that will provide Australian employers with much needed foreign expertise, and at the same time, still remain true to the tough stance on migration adopted by Julia Gillard in her election platform.
Clearly, Australia must develop an immigration policy aimed at delivering the skills required by Australian employers to result in greater economic performance. There remains, however, on the part of employers and recruitment consultants, an aversion to consider migrants who don’t have Residence Visas. One only has to look at websites such as www.seek.com.au to confirm this fact. Therefore, most employers would rely upon migrants who qualify under General Skilled Migration programme (the points tested visas that don’t require offers of employment) to satisfy skills shortages. This group of migrants arrive in Australia with Residence Visas in their passports and then commence their search for employment once they arrive in Australia as Permanent Residents. This is clearly the preferred model of recruitment on the part of employers and recruitment agents.
The good news is that of the 16,300 extra places 10,150 have been allocated to the Skilled Independent GSM Visa. As the name would suggest this is a type of migrant who qualifies for Permanent Residence in Australia based on a points score without needing sponsorship by a family member or State Government.
The bad news is that, in order to submit a Independent GSM visa you need to be on a select list of occupations namely Schedule 3 of the Skilled Occupations List. If your occupation is not on Schedule 3 but appears on Schedule 4 of the Skilled Occupations List you need to obtain State Sponsorship if you intend submitting a General Skilled Migration Visa. You also need to meet the pass mark. There is a far greater number of occupations that appear on Schedule 4 but not Schedule 3 and the disappointing news is that the quota for State/Territory sponsored visas has not increased from 24,000.
The Minister of Immigration will be announcing a new points assessment test for the General Skilled Migration Visa (including Independent and State/Territory sponsored) and it remains to be seen whether this new immigration model will give the Minister of Immigration more Professors and fewer Hairdressers which was the stated aim when a new GSM policy was announced. We expect to receive the new policy in June, before its implementation on 1 July 2011.
