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The Smuggler – Australia seeks to combat people smuggling.

A fast-paced and dramatic video, The Smuggler, that depicts Australian authorities tracking and arresting people involved in financing and supporting people smuggling activities is the latest installment in the Australian Government’s attempts to shut down people smuggling operations.

The video, along with several others, appears on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s (DIAC) dedicated No to People Smuggling YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/user/notopeoplesmuggling

The Smuggler, shot and produced within DIAC, highlights tough new laws passed recently in Australia to combat people smuggling.

The laws target those who finance or provide support for people smuggling activities as well as provide for strong penalties, underlining the seriousness of these offences.

The new laws contain penalties of up to 20 years’ imprisonment if convicted and also targets those who send money overseas that aids people smuggling with a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

“Those considering seeking asylum in Australia must follow lawful channels and pursue ordered methods of migration,” a DIAC spokesman said.

“There are safe and lawful visa options for people wanting to resettle in Australia, including humanitarian resettlement or sponsorship by relatives already here.

“The Smuggler demonstrates in graphic detail the resources that agencies in Australia have at their disposal to monitor, arrest and ultimately prosecute those involved in people smuggling activities.

“It highlights that authorities monitor and prosecute not just people smugglers and their associates but also people who support these activities such as those sending money overseas to friends and relatives to finance efforts to come to Australia using people smugglers.

“No to People Smuggling is an important tool in the Australian Government’s efforts to discourage asylum seekers from making the dangerous trip to Australia by boat.

“It is proving a successful tool to reach asylum seekers’ families and friends in Australia to highlight the grim realities and risks in engaging with people smugglers.

“The tragic and unnecessary loss of five lives at sea on an Australian-bound vessel in May this year was a grim reminder of the realities of making the dangerous trip to Australia at the hands of people smugglers,” the spokesman added.

Visa 457 Integrity Review

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship has published an integrity report for the visa subclass 457.

In this report the situation has been assessed and a number of recommandations have been listed.

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) have said that they believe the visa 457 is an important source of labour and skills for the ICT sector where shortages are at present, and added however that there should be more levels of skills verification.

The integrity report can be found here: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2008/457-integrity-review-report.pdf

The ACS submission to the review can be found here: http://www.acs.org.au/457submission

Have you had a good or a bad experience with this visa?… leave a comment below.

New Laws Protect Immigrant Workers

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, today welcomed the passage through Parliament with bipartisan support of new laws to better protect temporary overseas workers in Australia.

The Migration Legislation Amendment (Worker Protection) Bill 2008 was introduced after extensive consultation with industry and unions to strengthen the integrity of temporary working visa arrangements including the subclass 457 visa program.

The subclass 457 visa program is an uncapped scheme driven by labour market demand which enables employers to sponsor overseas workers to fill nominated skilled positions in Australia for up to four years.

Almost 60 000 primary visas were granted to overseas workers in 2007-08 and while the vast majority of employers did the right thing, there have been concerns about the incidence of employer breaches in the program.
A total of 192 sponsors were formally sanctioned and a further 1353 employers were formally warned in 2007-08. This compares with 95 sanctions and 313 formal warnings issued in 2006-07.

The new laws will enable specially trained officers with investigative powers to monitor workplaces and conduct site visits to determine whether employers are complying with the redefined sponsorship obligations. The powers will be similar to the powers of workplace inspectors under the Workplace Relations Act 1996.

Employers found in breach of the obligations in the Migration Regulations could be fined up to $33 000 and the department will retain the ability to cancel an employer’s approval as a sponsor or bar them from making further applications for overseas workers.

The new laws will also enable the Commissioner of Taxation to disclose tax information to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in order to ensure correct salary levels are being paid to visa holders.

The Government is consulting the Skilled Migration Consultative Panel, which comprises business and industry groups, state governments and unions, over the development of regulations setting out the obligations of employers of temporary overseas workers.

The recommendations of the recently released Deegan report into the integrity of the subclass 457 visa program will inform development of the employers’ sponsorship obligations.