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Archive for November, 2009

 

Is taking a Citizen Test a barrier?

The new Australian citizenship test which assesses prospective new citizens on their understanding of Australian civics and the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship commenced recently.

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said the new test is based on the pledge of commitment that new Australians make when becoming citizens.
Topics include Australia’s democratic beliefs, laws and government as well as the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship.
The 20 multiple-choice questions in the new test have been written in plain English and will be conducted in English only. All test questions have been drawn from the testable section of the revised citizenship test resource book, Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, which was launched in September.
‘The new test is not a general knowledge quiz about Australia,’ Senator Evans said.

‘We want people applying for citizenship to understand the values of Australian society, our democratic beliefs, our rights and our system of law and what it means to be an Australian citizen.
‘All prospective citizens should understand those concepts so all of the questions in the new citizenship test focus on the commitments that new citizens make in the pledge.’
The new test was developed after an independent review of the old citizenship test last year found that it could be improved by focusing on the pledge of commitment.
People will now need to answer 75 per cent per cent or 15 of the 20 questions correctly to pass – up from 60 per cent under the old test. However, the mandatory questions have been removed to make the test fairer.

All questions are now equally important and a person can no longer answer 19 out of 20 questions correctly and still fail the test because they answered one of the three mandatory questions incorrectly.
A citizenship course is also under development to help a small group of disadvantaged people, who for a range of reasons, such as limited literacy and schooling, are likely to struggle when preparing for and sitting a formal computer-based test.
‘This will ensure that we encourage people to become citizens without the test being a barrier,’ Senator Evans said.
Thursday, November 26th, 2009 Immigration Australia 1 Comment

 

New Aussie International Student Visa Measures

New visa measures to assist international students.

The Australian Government is introducing new measures to assist overseas students affected by the closure of an international education provider.

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said that from 1 January 2010, overseas students who require a new visa to complete their studies at another school or college will be exempt from paying the $540 student visa application charge.

Senator Evans said that although most students will be able to complete their studies on their existing student visa, some may need to enrol in a new course that finishes after their existing student visa expires and will require a new visa.

Twelve education providers have closed in 2009, affecting about 4,700 students.’In situations where an education provider can no longer offer a course, the government’s primary concern is the welfare of the student,’ Senator Evans said.

‘We understand that these situations are not the fault of the student and the introduction of a fee exemption will ensure they are not shouldered with an additional financial burden.’

In the interim, students will be able to apply to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship for a refund of their visa application fee if they’ve been affected by the closure of an education provider in 2009 and have had to apply for a new student visa.

Senator Evans said the government is also increasing the minimum financial requirements for overseas students to ensure they can meet their living costs while in Australia.

From 1 January 2010, prospective overseas students will need to demonstrate that they have access to at least $18 000 a year to fund their living costs in Australia, instead of the current $12 000.

The new figure better reflects student costs in Australia and is consistent with information published for international students in Australian Education International’s (the international arm of DEEWR) ‘Study in Australia’ guide.

Living costs are one component of the financial requirements for a student visa. Students must also have sufficient funds for tuition fees, travel costs and costs of any dependents.

‘It is important that students understand these financial requirements are only the minimum amount required for a student visa,’ Senator Evans said.
‘International students can supplement their income through part-time work in Australia but the primary purpose of a student visa is to study and students should not rely on part-time work to meet their expenses.

‘Prospective students are encouraged to conduct their own research so they can make an informed decision about what study in Australia will cost.’

DIAC will also make an assessment of whether the funds demonstrated by students will be available to them while they are in Australia.

‘The Australian Government values international students and is determined to make sure they have a rewarding and successful study experience in Australia, without financial hardship,’ Senator Evans said.

The latest measures will be implemented through regulation change later this month subject to approval by Parliament and the Governor-General.
The changes will support the enhanced integrity measures for the student visa program announced in August this year.

Those measures included:
upgrading the interview program to build a strong evidence base around fraud removing or restricting eVisa access for some agents where there is evidence of fraud or inactivity restricting access to eVisa for some segments of the caseload if analysis demonstrates restricted access would allow for better control of fraud.

The measures target parts of the student visa caseload in India, Mauritius, Nepal, Brazil, Zimbabwe and Pakistan.

Since these enhanced integrity measures were introduced, there has been an increase in the number of applications being withdrawn, from five per cent in July to 17 per cent in September.

And to date, more than 150 agents have had their eVisa access suspended due to evidence of fraud or inactivity.

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 Visas No Comments

 

10 Most Popular Things to do in Brisbane

Guest Blogger:Gagandeep Singh

Brisbane the capital city of Australian State Queensland is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Australia (after Sydney and Melbourne).

Brisbane is situated at the South East Corner of Queensland and tourism and plays a major role in Brisbane Economy.
Whether you want to learn about ancient culture, enjoy adventure sports, interact with wild life or just want to spend some Quality time with your Family – Brisbane has lot of things for you.

In this article I would be listing the Top 10 Things to do in Brisbane:
Tandem Skydiving: – Tandem Skydiving with Brisbane Skydivers is a great way to see beautiful sights of Brisbane from the Top. You don’t need to have any Previous experience of Skydiving and can easily do this with the help of High Qualified Specialist Skydiver attached by rope. The drops mainly take place from the height of 10,000 – 14,000 ft, between the Glasshouse Mountains and Moreton Bay, and the landing is at Beautiful Sutton Beach.

Brisbane Whale Watching: – If you want to see big Fishes then Brisbane Whale Watching Tours is must for you. The Best Time to see Whales is from June to November. Tours are organized at Moreton Bay, which is one of the best whale watching spots in the world. Sightings of whales are guaranteed, in addition to other marine animals such as Dolphins, Green turtles etc.
Story Bridge Adventure Climb: – A 2.5 hours climb on Brisbane Story Bridge is a unique kind of adventure climb for everybody. It is one of the three bridge climbs available in world. It’s open 7 days a week and you can select a climb time – Dawn, day, twilight and night climbs. The views at top are quite amazing and includes large sand Islands in East, Glasshouse Mountains in North, Mt coot-Tha in west and Lamington National Park visible in South.
Fraser Island Eco Tour: – Fraser Island is one of the largest sand Island in existence with rainwater forests and freshwater lakes where you can swim and relax away from the crowd of people. Fraser Island is a home of more than 200 species of birds and animals. The island contains some wonderful walking tracks which would enable you to enjoy the beauty of this unique island. You can also hire a 4WD to see the island at your own pace.
Exploring Tamborine Mountains: – Tamborine Mountain is located South of Brisbane. It is a 28 Km-square Plateau that rises over 500 meters from the surrounding countryside. There are seven National parks with beautiful walking trails passing through Rainforest Regions, cliffs and waterfalls. Gallery walk is another major attraction of Tamborine Mountains which is a street of Cafes and souvenir shops.
Feeding Kangaroo in Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary: – Founded in 1927, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is one of the Top 10 Zoos in World and the World largest and First Koala Sanctuary. It is the Brisbane’s premier tourist attraction. The entrance to the Sanctuary is from the Brisbane River where you can arrive by private taxi,car or bus. Visitors will see the large variety of Aussie wildlife in their Natural conditions and can also cuddle Koala or feed free roaming kangaroos.
Riverlife Adventure Centre: – Riverlife Adventure Centre provides you with a large range of adventure and recreation activities. You can enjoy kayaking on Brisbane River, learn to rock climb on kangaroo point cliffs or just cycling on Brisbane 20 Km inner city bikeway. Riverlife Adventure Center has lot of things to do for everyone.
Visiting Southbank Parklands: – Southbank Parklands was built during Expo88 and opened for public from 14 years. It is located on south bank of Brisbane River and has lot of attractions: Wheel of Brisbane, QPAC Cultural Centre, The Museum, and the Queensland Art Gallery.

The Parkland contains lot of restaurants and also known as the Mecca of Coffee shops, where you can enjoy coffee flavors from every part of world.
Brisbane Forest Park: – Established in 1973, Brisbane Forest Park is located at the western part of Brisbane adjacent to Mount-Coot Tha reserve. Visitors can enjoy Great lookouts and Waking tracks. You can enjoy Aussie Wildlife here which includes Australian native birds, a Platypus, Sugar Glider, Wallabies, Pademelons, Wombat, Yellow-bellied Glider.
City Botanic Gardens: – If you want to spend some Quality Quite time away from busy streets of Brisbane, then you can Visit Brisbane City Botanic Gardens located at Garden Point on the Brisbane River. The Gardens are open 24X7 for tourists and locals and are free of charge. The Garden contains many rare botanic species. The other points of interest are City Gardens Cafe and Walter Hill Foundation
Gagandeep Singh is working for Brisbane Australia, which is a complete blog dedicated to information about Brisbane Hotels, Travel and Tourism.
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 Brisbane No Comments

 

What’s New? The French community in Brisbane is moving

The heart of the French community – Alliance Française – is moving to a bigger and better location.

If you are new to Brisbane and are searching for a French community, language class, social or cultural event, from the beginning of 2010 the Alliance Française can be found at 262 Montague Road, West End.

The new location will enable the Alliance to expand and offer further benefits and services to the community of members and students.

It will have an improved cultural space which can be devoted to:
  • art exhibitions,
  • performances,
  • cine and book club,
  • wine and cheese tasting,
  • entertainment, etc,
Monday, November 16th, 2009 Uncategorized No Comments

 

Australia~ A nation in the building.

In order to move away from the monarchy, Australia would have to become a republic, and in this case the country would need a constitution.

The following web-site is proposing one:

www-personal.edfac.usyd.edu.au/

And here is the Senate’s General Constitution:

aph.gov.au/

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 Australian Culture No Comments

 

Brisbane’s Muliticultural Festival – Been & Gone!

Go Next year if you missed it!
Why should you go? ~ A few reasons it is worth a visit.

1. It’s a free annual event, held at a good location – Roma Street Park lands, Brisbane City Centre.

2. It’s a show case of stands and stalls with lots of ‘settling in to Australia’ resources e.g. Language schools, community groups, immigration support awareness campaigners ( some goodie bags!).

3. There are festival events – music & dance, the arts, children’s activities.

4. Food Stalls – eat your way around the world!

Monday, November 9th, 2009 Australian Culture No Comments
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