AIMCA Hosts Inaugural Meeting
Australian Iran Migration Consultants Associate (AIMCA) held their first public meeting on Tuesday 16 September 2015 at the Australian Iranian Community Organisation, Kendal Street, Harris Park, NSW from 3pm – 6.45pm.
Engineers Australia Presentation
The meeting began with a presentation from Guo Hongwei and lead migration field assessor concerning the Migration Skills Assessment program and its associated policies.
The presenter gave an in depth look at the processes and the protocols of the assessment pathways.
The presenter outlined every step that is to be covered by the assessor and encouraged the Migration Agents to do the same in the preparation of the applicant’s documents concerning the qualifications and the experience of the applicants.
The presentation was so in depth that it raised some very positive responses and questions from those present such as:
- Pre assessment service for applicants
- Prepare and send a proposal outlining particular protocols for Iranian applicants
It was also requested that Engineer’s Australia supply each person present with a copy of the Power Point Presentation.
Iranian Embassy, Australia
AIMCA board of directors visited the Iranian Ambassador to Australia in July 2015 and the discussion that took place with the Ambassador as follows:
- negotiate with the Australian counterparts for reinstating work and holiday visas for Iranians,
- support Iranian community in terms of consular issues such as issuing passport for refugees,
- support our association by informing us of their activities specially in consular section,
- inform us of the process how a non-Iranian can get Iranian visa to enter Iran
- find ways to support Iranians
Robust discussion continued around the issue of unregistered migration agents and those who are registered but are not providing sound migration advice.
The discussion revolved around ‘What Can The Association Do…?’ and the following points and resolve were:
- Education of the industry advice profession
- Education of potential applicants using social media to expose the negative migration profession, both onshore and offshore
- Protection of Applicants from vexatious migration agents
- Migration Agents to be more proactive by the dissemination of material applicable to negative migration agents
- Migration Agents taking personal responsibility for the protection of their profession
- Communication with DIBP by using the DOBIN tool available on the DIBP website
- Writing letters to Coalition Members of the Federal Government and informing them of our concerns, particularly agent’s Federal Member (Where Office is situated, and/or home electorates)
- Writing to both the Federal Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and the Shadow Minister: Personal and the Association
- Preparation of another partition available to Members, Registered Migration Agents and applicants and interested persons
- Preparation of a submission to the Federal minister for Immigration and Border Protection
Siddique Panwala raised some interesting and thought provoking ideas when he suggested that we need to educate, use local and international events to get the message out there in the communities of the nature of using unregistered migration agents and those who are registered but offer negative advice to applicants; he also suggested we need also be aware of the short comings of both financial and time poor short coming and the resources by members to pursue these matters.
Many people at the meeting expressed their concerns regarding this matter and from the general atmosphere of the robust discussion the Association and its members this matter needs to be further addressed.
Volunteers could well be canvassed by the Association to address some of the dot points above.
Anyone willing to put their hand up and commit to writing letters; preparing material for publication; researching the practice of unregistered migration agents both onshore and offshore, researching statistics concerning this practice; writing of scholarly papers that could be published on the Association’s website, invite Ethnic associations across Australia to publish the material, post on social media; start a blog page.
Volunteer by writing to the Association. We need you to make this happen for the betterment of our industry and the safe guarding of all of our good reputations and names.
The photo gallery of the meeting can be viewed at Facebook page of the Association. You can access it through this link
Written by: Fr Allan Hornery, Public Relations Officer for the Association, allan@iran.org.au