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译文：移民申请者两年内陷入搁置状态
2010年1月4日星期一
唐林律师行
在Peter Mares于2009年11月13日采访移民部长之前，Peter Mares于2009年10月30日首先采访了对CSL出台后造成的技术移民审理积压向第一个向媒体曝光的Zuleika Arashiro博士和移民代理公会理事从事技术移民工作的代理Mark Webster先生。唐林律师行对此采访进行了全文翻译，以期读者能更好地了解积压问题的前前后后。毕竟，没有积压，不会出台一个改革纲要文件，把出台具有回溯力的法律当做移民改革的意向。
此文英文地址。
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/nationa ... s/2009/2729104.htm#
移民申请者两年内陷入搁置状态 2009年10月30日
Peter Mares: 最近几天，公众的注意力都投向了78名乘坐海关船舶来澳寻求庇护的人们。的确，在公海上发生的一些闹剧总是能够抢到头条，但这却把我们的注意力从澳洲移民计划的其他发展变化中移开。而恰恰是这些变化有可能从本质上改变我们的国家。
去年年底，移民部长Chris Evans公布了一个“紧缺职业列表”，列出了澳大利亚一些非常紧缺的职业，并宣布具备这些技能的移民者能进入优先审理程序。今年3月，部长修整了紧缺职业列表，上个月他又进一步对永久居民申请的优先审理程序做了一些调整。
这一结果导致许多移民者要面临至少2年的等待后，他们的申请才能被审理到。
我们邀请了悉尼移民代理、现任澳大利亚移民机构行业委员会委员，Mark Webster先生来到我们的现场，为我们谈谈移民政策现状。
Mark Webster先生，欢迎来到《国家利益》栏目组。
Mark Webster：谢谢，Peter, 大家好！
Peter Mares: 同时，坐在我身旁的还有来自墨尔本的Zuleika Arashiro博士，从巴西来澳读书，在La Trobe大学取得了博士学位。她本人也受到这些变化的影响。Zuleika Arashiro，欢迎您。
Zuleika Arashiro：大家好，感谢本节目给我这个机会来到现场。
Peter Mares: Mark Webster先生，目前技术移民的队伍有多长？
Mark Webster：目前，有140,000人正在排队，每年移民局批准签发65,000个普通技术移民签证，这就意味着在这个系统内的申请者至少要等上两年的时间。对于那些在紧缺职业表中的申请人们，他们已经很快的被分配到签证官进行审理了。但对那些不在紧缺职业表中的申请人们，没有人能告诉他们要等多久。可能至少两年，也可能更长。
Peter Mares:您是说在澳大利亚境内和境外的申请人们吗？
Mark Webster：是的。
Peter Mares:所以包括在澳取得学位的学生，也包括那些在英国或是其他国家的家庭申请移民到澳洲，对吗？
Mark Webster：是的。在岸申请的国际留学生和离岸申请人几乎是一半对一半。在澳洲境内申请的人们——他们大部分是国际留学生——可以在澳洲一边持有过桥签证，一边等待。
Peter Mares:他们能工作吗？
Mark Webster：他们持有过桥签证时，享有一切工作权利，但是对他们的其他行为有很大的限制。譬如说，他们要想离开这个国家可能就有些麻烦。
Peter Mares:如果他们想离开这个国家，必须持有另外一种签证。
Mark Webster：是的，他们需要所谓的——当他们递交申请，他们获得的是“过桥签证A”。若想离开这个国家需要获得“过桥签证B”。他们只有获得过桥签证B，不然他们就要被困在澳洲。而且他们还需要提供很充分的离开的理由。比如说，他们结婚或者家庭近亲属结婚。
Peter Mares:他们还是需要在3个月内回到澳洲，因为如果他们在澳洲境外逗留超过3个月，他们的签证就会过期。
Mark Webster：是的。他们人在澳洲是获得签证的条件之一。如果他们离开这个国家太长，移民局就会说，你不在澳大利亚，而本人在澳是做出决定时的要求。抱歉我们将拒绝你的申请。
Peter Mares:那我们再回到紧缺职业列表上（CSL），我希望在这上可以有一个非常清楚的认识。如果我现在申请，而我的职业在CSL上，我实际上就能排在队伍的前面；而那些已经递交申请的人，就必须等待更长的时间，对吗？
Mark Webster：这个系统正是这么运作的。每个在CSL上的申请人的审理都可以优先于其他人。你可能已经递交申请，已经在那等了12、18个月了，但是你不会被分到移民官审理你的案件，直到在CSL上的每一个人的案子都审理完了。
Peter Mares: Zuleika Arashiro，您现在的情况怎么样？
Zuleika Arashiro：我是在2009年的2月份递交的申请，我考虑过一段时间后才决定递交申请的，当时他们告诉我，我将需要等上6到9个月的时间。
Peter Mares:当您在递交申请时，他们告诉您6-9个月后他们就会对您的申请作出决定吗？
Zuleika Arashiro：是的，基于我的其他朋友的经历，我算了下实际上可能会需要一年的时间。是的，大概6月份的时候，我发现我将要等上更长的时间，很有可能要超过18个月。然后，我持过桥签证B离开澳洲回到巴西，呆了三个月，但是基于过桥签证B的限制，我必须回到澳洲。等我回来我发现，从现在起，我可能还要等上至少两年。
Peter Mares:您是怎么发现的？是移民局联系您，告诉您“我们感到抱歉，您现在要等待的时间不止是6个月或9个月，而是至少两年吗”？
Zuleika Arashiro：不是，是非常随意的。实际上我发现这个新的消息是在我刚回到澳大利亚后，9月份的最后一个星期，我浏览了移民局的网站，想看看我是不是要告诉移民局我已经回到澳大利亚了。当时我看到有新的政策，我点开文件后发现的。
Peter Mares:就是说是因为您浏览了他们的网站，您发现这个队伍在壮大，您等待的时间也在延长。移民部本身是没有联系过您、告诉您的？
Zuleika Arashiro：没有，没有，因为我以前联系过移民部，我知道可能要等的长一些，但是2011年的估算日期，是我在网上发现的。
Peter Mares: Mark Webster先生，移民部以这种方式不告诉您到底发生了什么，这正常吗？
Mark Webster：有时候他们会写信给那些受影响的人，但这是非常例外的，而不是常规，事实上，他们的政策变化的非常快，如果他们那么做的话，那他们几乎每周都要写信给你。
Peter Mares: 如果人们有一位像您这样的移民代理人，我猜您一定会通知他们，告诉您的客户的，对吗？
Mark Webster：绝对的。我们今年一直在疯狂的给我们的客户发邮件，因为他们几乎每周都会改变政策。目前移民前景是非常的不确定，很难预测未来，像审理时间，甚至是一些人的移民资格。
Peter Mares:现在我也得说，就移民计划而言，移民部长有绝对的权利决定就移民计划而言什么是符合澳洲的国家利益，因此如果他觉得澳大利亚需要化学工程师而不是面点师，那我们就应该顺理成章地优先审理他们。
Mark Webster：你说的很客观。但有一点需要指出的是：你越是小心翼翼的想为移民计划选择最佳的途径，它就会愈加的变形。我们因此已经遇到了许多问题。例如，在CSL之前就有个移民职业需求表（MODL），这个表列出了我们需要移民者从事的所有职业，以填补我们这些职业的需缺。如果你的职业在这个MODL上，你也会因此得到一些额外的加分。现在的状况是因为像厨师、发型师这样的职业在MODL上，你会发现，许多澳大利亚学校像如雨后春笋般的涌现出来，开设发型师和商业厨师课程。然后，成千上万的国际留学生最终选择了这些课程，出台CSL的初衷主要就是为了更正移民计划中产生的一些畸形现象。
Peter Mares: CSL优于以前的MODL表，这就意味着所有那些学习厨师和发型师课程的毕业生就成为了排队的主要人群。
Mark Webster：他们的确是这些排队的人群。我是说——如果您看一下国际留学生人数的增长，你再看一下高等教育产业的增长，看看大学里，学生的人数的增长—3%，5%。您再看看商业厨师和发型师的职业培训产业，增长了约25%-30%。因此，基于移民设计的考虑，许多国际留学生都注册学习了这些课程，这些课程本该能让他们满足申请永居身份的条件，给他们提供一个好的机会的。
Peter Mares: 现在这恰恰令他们无奈的加入了排队的队伍。Zuleika Arashiro，申请移民不便宜，是吗？
Zuleika Arashiro：是的，不便宜。如果你要请一个移民代理做申请总共就要支付约6000元澳币。我是自己做的，全程下来花了4000元澳币。
Peter Mares: 因为签证申请费本身就需要花费大概2500元澳币，是吗？
Zuleika Arashiro：是的。然后，你还需要做很多体检、犯罪记录检查、英语测试。仅仅是表达自己的意见，你知道的，我在澳洲取得了博士学位，可我仍然需要再做英语测试，这个费用大学为300元澳币左右。所以，所有这些要求的测试、检查、证明书书总共算下要花约4000元澳币。
Peter Mares: 如果你等了一年以上，你就得重新再做一遍，你要重新再做身体检查，犯罪记录检查吧？
Zuleika Arashiro：这是个很好的问题。我得问下Mark, 因为我是这样认为的。我估计我需要再重新做，因为在2或3年内它们都不再有效了。
Peter Mares: Mark，在这种情况下，必须要每年做体检吗？
Mark Webster:非常正确。如果你是位国际留学生，在你递交申请前，你就得递交体检和犯罪记录检查。这些人别无他选。而移民局也知道大部分的人需要再重新做，因为这些证明书文件的有效性只有12个月。
Peter Mares: 要是有人说，好了，听着，我不想再等了，能退给我2500元澳币吗？
Mark Webster: 移民局已经表示他们不会退回申请费。
Peter Mares: 这里是ABC广播的《国家利益》栏目。今天，我们的嘉宾有注册移民代理Mark Webster，从La Trobe 大学获得博士学位的Zuleika Arashiro博士。我们正在探讨移民澳洲的普通技术移民申请中的大批积压问题。Mark, 我想谈一下这些对人们的生活造成了什么影响。
Mark Webster: 噢，这个影响是巨大的。这些人的生活前景是不确定的。对国际留学生而言，有大约，我想下，40,000-50,000人的申请正在排队，等待审理。这些人都持有过桥签证，他们能因此在澳洲工作，这固然很好，但是他们在持有过桥签证时想获得一份真正的专业级别的工作机会是非常渺茫的。
Peter Mares: 是因为他们在澳大利亚的身份是非常不确定的吗？
Mark Webster: 雇主不知道他们的申请将来是否会被拒，所以，在大多数情况下，他们持有过桥签证时是无法取得一个永久的、全职的职位，所以他们是处于一种不确定的生活状态的。
Peter Mares: Zuleika Arashiro，这也是您的生活经历吗？
Zuleika Arashiro：正是。我一直比较幸运的找到了几个临时性的研究工作，但是我做这类工作已经基本上长达一年了，有时3个星期、有时1个月、有时2个月，仅此而已。
Peter Mares: 所以找到一份与自己的专业技能对口的、持续稳定的职位是很难的。
Zuleika Arashiro：非常难，尤其是我的专业。有些是与政府相关的职位，他们都要求至少是永久居民身份，没有永居身份，是非常难的，我甚至都无法申请这些职位。
Peter Mares: Mark Webster先生，还有一个潜在的问题是让你排位上升的最好的途径就是获得雇主的担保，但这使那些持有过桥签证的申请人们在老板面前就会处于弱势地位，是这样吗？
Mark Webster：是这样的，如果你想获得雇主的担保，雇主需要提供大量的文件。而你一旦获得担保，如果你持有的是临时性的签证，你实际上就被锁定为这个雇主工作。只有在新的雇主愿意担保你的情况下，你才可以换工作。你持有这份临时签证时，你只能为这个雇主工作。你也有可能获得雇主担保的永久签证，但是大多数学生都是不符合资格的，因为你需要有至少三年的工作经验。
Peter Mares: Zuleika，您是否知道在您的朋友中，有没有受到老板剥削的？
Zuleika Arashiro：有的。我想政府知道，每个人都知道这种情况很常见的，那些受剥削的学生和人们常常是无酬工作、长时间加班，就是为了获得雇主的担保，这就是现实，我从不认为这是个秘密。
Peter Mares: Mark Webster先生，离岸申请人中也有这样的情况。在我们的这期栏目为公众知晓后，我曾收到一些人的邮件。他们中的大部分人在英国，他们写道，因他们以为即将获得签证定居澳洲，他们已经开始着手准备了，比如说卖掉了房子。现在他们知道可能要等上2年或者3年的时间，也有一些人，在这两三年内，他们的孩子就要超过18周岁了，就会独立了，如果他们还要去澳洲，那么他们家庭就要被拆散了。
Mark Webster：确实存在这些情况。许多人即将获得签证。他们做了健康检查、品格检查，有的还支付了担保金等等。因为审理顺序优先的改变，现在他们中的许多人都被拽到比以前还靠后的位置。不幸的是，移民局现在不能对他们的申请作出决定，即使审理的程序已经完成。是的，他们中的许多人已经卖掉自己的房子，我有许多客户都遭遇到这种情形，他们现在临时找房子先住着，根本也不知道他们何时才能取得签证定居澳大利亚。
Peter Mares:还有个问题，你是否遇到这样的一些人，他们因为知道排队等的时间很长，所以才申请永久居民身份的。如果他们取得过桥签证就能够在澳洲工作，他们会想，那好吧，我申请，反正移民局要三年后才能作出审理决定，在这三年中，他们就可以呆在澳洲生活、工作。
Mark Webster：是的，因为签证官在两三年内甚至都不会看你的申请。他们只是做初步的浏览，但是能提供你过桥签证，允许你能在澳洲呆上很长、很长的一段时间。我们看到了一些申请人可能会这么做，因为这是好事，你知道，他们能够工作，在澳赚的钱也会比回国赚的多，可以把钱寄回家。但不幸的是，你也能看到一些无德的运作者还不停地承诺说，我会帮你们取得签证，我会帮你们取得永久身份，他们递交了申请，也知道在未来的两三年内是不会有结果的，也不会走出困境的。
Peter Mares: Zuleika Arashiro, 您有什么打算吗？
Zuleika Arashiro：我是想尽快的做决定，因为实际上我收到一些南美洲的代理发来的一些邮件，他们仍然在发邮件鼓励移民澳大利亚，这真令人担心，因为我不确定受他们鼓励的人们是不是清楚现状。我想我的决定基本上会试着在两个月内寻找我这个领域的工作，找不到，我就会回巴西。
Peter Mares: 那您就会损失不少阿，对4000澳币说再见，然后回巴西？
Zuleika Arashiro：是的，至少我决定要讲出来，因为我还有选择。但是我知道有些人的状况更糟，他们没有选择，在那种情况下，我想着就成为了侵权问题，不是个案问题，而至少是一个解释的问题：需要向公众解释为什么我们没有权利取回申请费用或者在澳洲境外等候。
Peter Mares: Mark Webster先生，我也从移民局那里看到了一些数据显示这个队伍会变得更长。他们预计明年或者现财政年度可能会再有120,000个申请递交。你说为什么移民局不直接挂上“关门”的标牌，说我们将不再接受更多的申请，直到我们把手头的积压问题解决了？
Mark Webster：CSL的出台是一件很有狡猾的一招。这是一个权宜之计。出台了这个列表，他们实际上没有改变任何人的资格或者任何人所得到的分数。所以，他们会说：你们会得到签证的，但是，可能，最终会得到的。
Peter Mares:我们不知道需要等多久。
Mark Webster：不知道。所以，他们实际上是在利用程序来改变签证申请的要求，我觉得这样做是不合适的。我认为，他们应该给人们一些清楚的信息，就资格和经历方面，告诉人们哪些人是澳大利亚想要的人才，哪些人是澳大利亚不需要的人才。
Peter Mares:其实，这样说可能会更好：比如说，好吧，我们在改变规则，我们打算接纳较少的人才，至于那些递交了申请的人们，我们感到很抱歉，你们不会申请成功的。
Mark Webster：是的。我愿意讨论一下应该有什么规则。但是在被告知这些规则的情况下，我更愿意知道这些规则是什么并且明确地告诉人们他们在这个程序中能得到什么。而现在，我感觉很不好，因为我仅就程序时间问题都不能给以明确的答复。
Peter Mares: Mark Webster先生，非常感谢您能参与我们的《国家利益》节目。
Mark Webster：谢谢。
Peter Mares: Zuleika Arashiro，同样欢迎您。
Zuleika Arashiro：谢谢。
Peter Mares: 今天的嘉宾Mark Webster先生是Acacia 移民公司的创始人和经理，移民行业具有代表性的权威行业机构澳大利亚移民机构委员会委员。另一位嘉宾Zuleika Arashiro刚刚在La Trobe大学完成博士学位，她有两个硕士学位，其中一个硕士学位由美国某大学授予的，她也是国际贸易谈判方面的专家。您会在《国家利益》的网站的链接上找到她的文章，描述了她在在线期刊New Matila的个人经历，您也会找到相关故事的其他链接。
附：英文采访原文。
Peter Mares: Over recent days public attention has been focused on the fate of 78 asylum seekers aboard an Australian Customs vessel. Fair enough, drama on the high seas is always going to capture headlines, but it can distract us from other developments in Australia's migration program that may shape the nation in more fundamental ways. Late last year, Immigration Minister, Chris Evans established a 'critical skills list', a list of occupations in high demand in Australia, and he announced that migrants with those skills would receive priority visa processing. In March this year, the Minister trimmed that critical skills list, and then just last month, he made further changes to the priority list for assessing applications for permanent residency. The result is that many skilled migrants now face a wait of at least two years before their applications will even be considered. To explain what's going on, I'm joined from Sydney migration agent, Mark Webster, who's on the Board of the peak industry body, the Migration Institute of Australia.
Mark Webster, welcome to the National Interest.
Mark Webster: Thank you, Peter, hello.
Peter Mares: And with me in Melbourne is Dr Zuleika Arashiro who completed a PhD at La Trobe University and came to study in Australia from Brazil, and she's been personally affected by the changes. Zuleika Arashiro, welcome to you.
Zuleika Arashiro: Hello, thank you for having me here.
Peter Mares: Now Mark Webster, how long is this waiting list now, for the skilled migration program?
Mark Webster: Well, at current times there's about 140,000 people in the queue, and each hear, they grant about 65,000 general skill visas, so that means that there's at least two years worth of applicants in the system already. For the people on the critical skills list, they're being allocated very quickly and processed very quickly. But for the people that aren't on the critical skills list, nobody can tell you how long it's going to be. It will be at least two years, and probably a lot longer.
Peter Mares: And we're talking here about both people inside Australia and outside Australia?
Mark Webster: Correct.
Peter Mares: So students perhaps who have completed a degree here and then applied onshore or families maybe in the UK or other countries who have applied to move to Australia?
Mark Webster: That's right, and there's about a 50-50 split of applications from international students versus people who are overseas. So the people that apply from within Australia - and they're mostly international students - get to stay in Australia on a bridging visa whilst they're waiting.
Peter Mares: And they can work?
Mark Webster: They have full work rights on their bridging visas, but they do have significant restrictions on what else they can do. For instance, it is a little bit tricky for them to leave the country.
Peter Mares: They have to get another visa I think if they're going to leave the country.
Mark Webster: That's right, they need what they call - they get a 'bridging visa A' when they lodge, and to leave the country they need a 'bridging visa B' and they're effectively trapped in Australia unless they can get one of these 'bridging B' visas, and they need to show a good reason for travelling. For instance, they're getting married, or a close family member's getting married.
Peter Mares: And they have to come back within three months because if they stay out of Australia longer than three months, then their application lapses.
Mark Webster: That's right. They actually have to be in Australia as a condition of getting their visa. So if they leave the country for too long, the Department can say well, you're not in Australia, that's a time of decision criteria, sorry but we're refusing your application.
Peter Mares: And just to go back to the critical skills list, I want to be absolutely clear here. If I apply now and I'm on the critical skills list, I essentially go to the head of the queue and all these people who've had their applications in already, they just have to wait longer?
Mark Webster: That's exactly how the system works. So everybody on the critical skills list gets processed before anybody else. So you could have your application in and it might have been in there for 12, 18 months, you won't be allocated then till everybody that's on the critical skills list has been processed and granted.
Peter Mares: Zuleika Arashiro what's your situation?
Zuleika Arashiro: Well I applied in February, 2009. It took me a while to decide but then I put the application in. By that time I was told that it would take some six to nine months.
Peter Mares: So when you put your application in, they said, six to nine months before we make a decision'?
Zuleika Arashiro: Yes, I was calculating actually a year, based on the experiences of other friends. Yes, and by around June I found out that it would take much longer, probably more than 18 months. Then I left to Brazil for three months under the 'bridging B' visa, but had to come back under the restrictions of the 'bridging B' and yes, basically when I came back I found out that I would have to wait at least 2 years from now.
Peter Mares: And how did you find that out? Did the Immigration Department contact you and say, 'Look, we're sorry, it's not going to be six months or nine months now, it's going to be two years or more?'
Zuleika Arashiro: No, it was quite random. I actually found out about this new direction because when I first arrived [back] in Australia, in the last week of September, I checked to the website of the Immigration [department] to know if I had to do something to inform Immigration that I was back. Then I saw 'what's news', and I opened the document and found out about it.
Peter Mares: So it's only because you went to the website that you found out that this queue had grown and your waiting list had grown. The department itself didn't contact you to tell you?
Zuleika Arashiro: No. No I knew that it would take a little bit longer because I contacted the department before, but this estimate date of 2009 for 2011, I only found out in the website.
Peter Mares: Mark Webster is that usual, that the department doesn't tell you what's actually happening in that way?
Mark Webster: Well sometimes they will write to everybody that's affected, but that's very much the exception rather than the rule, and the reality is, they're changing the rules so quickly, they'd be writing to you almost every single week.
Peter Mares: And if people have a migration agent like you, I guess then you would get informed and you would tell your clients, would you?
Mark Webster: Absolutely. And we've been emailing our clients like crazy this year, because they've changed the rules literally every single week. The situation in the immigration field at the moment is very much up in the air, and it is very difficult to predict things like processing times, or even whether somebody is going to be eligible.
Peter Mares: Now I should put it to you that it's the Minister's absolute right to determine what's in the interests of Australia in terms of the migration program, so if he feels that Australia needs chemical engineers rather than pastry chefs, well fair enough, we should process them first.
Mark Webster: That is a fair comment, except that the more that you try to cherrypick the migration program, the more distorted it becomes, and a lot of the problems that we've arrived at, have been because of cherrypicking. For instance, there's a list called the Migration Occupations in Demand List, which preceded the Critical Skills List, and this was supposed to be all the occupations in such short supply that we just needed immigration to fill those shortages. And so you received a lot of extra points because you're on the Migration Occupation in Demand List. Now what happened is that occupations such as cooks and hairdressers were on that list, and so what you found was that all these colleges started springing up in Australia offering, you guessed it, hairdressing and commercial cookery courses. And so thousands and thousands of international students ended up doing those courses, and this Critical Skills List, the genesis of it is largely to correct these distortions which had been created in the migration program.
Peter Mares: The Critical Skills List essentially trumps that previous list and what that means is that all those graduates of those cookery and hairdressing courses, they're essentially the people in this queue.
Mark Webster: That's exactly who's in the queue. I mean there's - if you look at the growth in international student numbers, you look at the growth in the tertiary sector, you look at universities, the growth there is pretty much along the population - 3%, 5%. You look at the grown in the vocational sector which is commercial cookery and hairdressing, the growth is more like 25% to 30%. So a lot of the international students have, based on what the immigration settings were, enrolled in these courses which should have given them a good chance of qualifying for permanent residence.
Peter Mares: And now it just puts them on a waiting list. Zuleika Arashiro, this isn't cheap, is it, this business?
Zuleika Arashiro: Well not really. I think I would estimate about $AU 6000 of you are actually hiring an agent. I did it by myself so that would be about $4000 - the whole process
Peter Mares: Because the visa application fee itself is now about $2500 thousand?
Zuleika Arashiro: Yes. And then you have to do a lot of medical exams, police checks and English test again. Just to comment you know, I got my PhD in Australia and I was still required to do the English test again, and that cost about $300-something, yes. So all these exams and certificates that you've got to provide would end up costing about $4000.
Peter Mares: And if you wait more than a year, you've got to do them again, your health check and your police check have to be done all over again.
Zuleika Arashiro: Well that's a good question. I'd like to ask Mark, because I imagine so; I imagine we would have to do everything again because within two or three years they won't be valid any more.
Peter Mares: Is that the case, Mark, that you have to pay for medical tests every year?
Mark Webster: That's absolutely right. And if you're an international student, you have to do the medicals and the police checks before you lodge. There's no choice, and the department knows that for most people, they'll have to do them again because they're only valid for 12 months.
Peter Mares: And what if someone says OK, look, I don't want to be on the waiting list any more, can I have my $2,500 back?
Mark Webster: The department has indicated that they will not refund the application fee.
Peter Mares: This is The National Interest on ABC Radio National. My guests are Mark Webster, a registered migration agent, and Dr Zuleika Arashiro who's a PhD graduate from La Trobe University. We're discussing the massive backlog in applications for general skilled migration to come to Australia. Mark, I wanted to talk to you about the impact this has on people's lives.
Mark Webster: Oh, it's massive. These people are in limbo. For international students, there's probably about let's see, 40-50 thousand applications which are still waiting processing. These people are on bridging visas which is great, you can work on that, but the chances of you getting a real professional level job whilst on a bridging visa are very low.
Peter Mares: Because your status in Australia is so uncertain?
Mark Webster: Employers don't know whether your application is going to be refused tomorrow, so you can't get a full-time permanent position on a bridging visa in most cases, so their lives are on hold.
Peter Mares: Zuleika Arashiro, is that your experience?
Zuleika Arashiro: Oh yes. I've been lucky to get casual research, but I've been basically doing casual research for the whole year, like three weeks, a month, two months, and that's it.
Peter Mares: And so to get an ongoing position in line with your skills, that's hard.
Zuleika Arashiro: It's hard especially because of my field. Some of the positions would be government-related positions and they require at least permanent residency, so without that, it's very hard. I can't even apply.
Peter Mares: And Mark Webster, there's another insidious problem here which is that the best way to improve your chances of moving up the queue is to get sponsorship from an employer, but that puts visa applicants, people on bridging visas in a very kind of vulnerable position in relation to their bosses, doesn't it?
Mark Webster: Well that's right. If they want to get sponsored by the boss, the boss needs to provide a lot of documents and so once you get sponsored, if you're going for a temporary visa you're actually locked in to working for that employer. You can change, but only if the new employer wants to sponsor you. You can only work for that employer whilst you're on that temporary visa. It is possible to go for a permanent employer-sponsored visa but most students are not eligible, because you need at least three years of work experience.
Peter Mares: And Zuleika, do you see this amongst friends who are exploited in the workforce?
Zuleika Arashiro: Yes, look, I think the government knows and everybody knows that this is happening, that there has been a lot of exploitation of students and people who are working, underpaid and over hours, just to get the sponsorship, and that's a reality, I don't think it's a secret at all.
Peter Mares: There are also, Mark Webster, implications for offshore applicants. I've had a number of emails from people since it became public we were doing this story, most of them in the UK, saying they've done things like sell their house because they thought they were about to get the right to come to Australia, and now they're told they might wait two or three years, or people who say in two or three years my kids will be over 18 and they'll be independent, we'll have to split the family if we come.
Mark Webster: That's absolutely true. A lot of people were just about to get their visas. They'd done all their health and character [checks], they'd in some cases, paid assurance of support bonds etc., and then because these processing priorities have just changed, they're now, a lot of them, a lot lower down in the queue than they used to be. So the department is unfortunately now unable to finalise those applications, even though the processing is complete. And yes, a lot of them have sold their houses, I've got a lot of clients in that situation, and they're in temporary accommodation in a situation where they literally have no idea when they're going to get their visa for Australia.
Peter Mares: There's another issue here, and that is that you could have people applying for permanent residency because they know the waiting list is so long, As in if it gets you a bridging visa and you can work in Australia, and you think, oh well, I'll apply, and it might take three years for the government to make a decision, that's three years they could stay in Australia and work.
Mark Webster: That's right, because a case officer will not even look at your application for two or three years. They'll do some initial screening, but providing you get through that, you're going to be here on a bridging visa for a very, very long time. And we'll see a lot of applicants who might be tempted to do that, because that's a good outcome, you know, they can work and they'll be earning better money than they would back home, send it back to the family, but unfortunately you may also see some unscrupulous operators making promises that can't be kept and saying 'I'll get you work visas, I'll get you permanent residence', lodge the application knowing that it's not going to succeed and they won't have the fallout from that situation for another two or three years.
Peter Mares: Zuleika Arashiro, what have you decided to do?
Zuleika Arashiro: Well I just want to make a quick comment because I actually got emails from these South American agents and they are still sending these emails to promote immigration to Australia and that's really a concern, because I'm not sure people are being told what's the current situation through these kind of agents. My decision is basically I think I decided to try for about two months to get a job in my field, but otherwise I'll just be going back to Brazil.
Peter Mares: So you'll cut your losses, say goodbye to $4000 and move home to Brazil?
Zuleika Arashiro: Yes, unless I think I've decided to speak because I do have this option but I know there are people in much worse situations who don't have the option, and in that case I think it's a problem of rights violation really, not a problem of an individual case but a problem of at least an explanation, a public explanation of why we don't have the right to get a refund or wait overseas.
Peter Mares: Well Mark Webster I've seen figures too from within the Immigration department suggesting the queue is going to get longer: they anticipate another 120,000 applications next year, or in this current financial year. Why doesn't the government simply say, you know, put up the 'closed' sign and say we won't take any more applications till we've worked through the current backlog?'
Mark Webster: Well that's the tricky thing about the Critical Skills List. It's very much a band-aid solution. They haven't, in introducing this list, actually changed anybody's eligibility or how many points anybody gets. So all that they're saying is that you'll get the visa but, maybe, eventually.
Peter Mares: We don't know how long it'll take.
Mark Webster: We don't know. So they're really using process to change the requirements for the visa, and I just don't think it's appropriate. I think you've got to give people clear signals about who we want in Australia and who we don't in terms of qualifications and experience.
Peter Mares: So it would be better in fact to say, OK, we're changing the rules, there are fewer people we're going to take and all of you who applied we're sorry, you're not going to make it any more.
Mark Webster: That's right. I'd like to have a discussion about what the rules should be, but given what the rules are, I would prefer to know what they are and just to tell people clearly what to expect in the process. And at the moment, I feel very uncomfortable because I just can't tell people what to expect in terms of processing times.
Peter Mares: Mark Webster, thank you very much for joining me in The National Interest.
Mark Webster: Thank you.
Peter Mares: And Zuleika Arashiro, thank you, too.
Zuleika Arashiro: Thank you.
Peter Mares: Mark Webster is the Director and founder of Acacia Immigration and he's on the board of the Migration Institute of Australia, the peak body representing the migration advice industry, and Dr Zuleika Arashiro, recently completed a PhD at La Trobe University. She also has two Masters degrees, one from the US and she's a specialist in international trade negotiations. You'll find a link on The National Interest website to an article she wrote about her situation for the online journal New Matilda, and you'll find links to other resources relevant to this story.
Give us your thoughts by clicking the Have Your Say button on the website or by calling the feedback line 1300 936 222. And we'll see if we can get Immigration Minister, Chris Evans to talk about this issue on next week's program. |
发表于 4-1-2010 15:33:07
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