The new parent visa and its confusing condition
Plus, a story of migrant job discrimination and a report backing temporary migration.
Hello and happy Friday!
Last week’s Friday Migration Memo prompted someone to get in touch about one condition on the new parent visa. The exchange led to the story below.
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What’s the go with condition 8550?
Condition 8550 applies to the new temporary parent visa, subclass 870. It’s very strict, as it requires the visa holder to inform the Minister of planned changes to user names and online profiles.
The Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils and the Migration Institute of Australia were both critical of its application, as I discovered. Here’s the story, which was picked up by the Daily Mail and SBS.
The weird thing is? The Home Affairs website is silent on the last two points under the condition:
And a response from the Department explicitly stated the condition “does not include Instagram or other social media usernames or online profiles”.
So what’s the go?
With 15,000 places per year, this visa represents a significant cohort. I’ve followed up with the Department about exactly what the condition means. Let’s see what they say.
People of Australia
"It's very, very frustrating. Especially when you keep getting all the rejections - you just want to say you're sick and tired of applying for a job.”
-Yousuf Karimi
Here’s an important story from Gloria Kalache and Claudia Farhart about discrimination against migrants in the job market.
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What else happened this week?
Policy
A new report from the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) sought to address fears temporary migration had damaged professional opportunities for Australians. It also included recommendations for the temporary skills shortage scheme, focusing on three goals:
• Restoring the stability and predictability of the scheme,
• Improving transparency of the scheme, and
• Realising administrative efficiencies.
Rosemary Bolger from SBS found the local tech sector mostly supported the CEDA findings.
Tech industry website CRN also drew on the report to highlight the need for improvements within the TSS program (though the headline is a little misleading).
In a similar vein Stockhead, a website for share traders, interviewed a tech founder and a director at DMA Migration who want to make it easier for local business to access global talent.
Elsewhere, economist Chris Richardson from Deloitte Access Economics said Australia should welcome extra population growth.
"We need to do it right and have the infrastructure spending to match, but if we do that, you actually get living standards going up for everybody, the new arrivals and the people already here."
Anthony Galloway in the Herald Sun reported of speculation Labor may support new laws ($) that make it easier to cancel visas of people convicted of offences. If Labor does, it would mean the Government would not have to lobby crossbenchers over the changes.
The Lowy Institute Interpreter looked at the tension around migration’s public narrative.
People
After a four and a half year fight to stay in Perth, the Plumridge family has returned to the UK after losing their legal battle.
Paul Karp from The Guardian reported that Peter Dutton approved a plan to bring a refugee child to Australia after lobbying from Nauru, despite warnings from his department that it would be seen as a contradiction of the policy not to resettle people in Australia who came by boat.
A 23-year-old man who fled war-torn Afghanistan six years ago has died at a Melbourne immigration detention centre. Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious.
The world
Kiwi financial site Interest found New Zealand’s population growth from migration seems to have settled at around 50,000 a year.
The Sun in the UK reports that Boris Johnson refused to confirm whether he will cut immigration if he becomes Prime Minister.
“What I want to see with immigration is control. I’m not going to get into numbers with you.”
-Boris Johnson
American news organisation NBC News reported that “Trump's drumbeat on immigration is heard in Europe, Australia”. It’s a bad headline though - the story does not show Australia following Trump’s “drumbeat”. Instead it notes Australia’s border policy and points-based systems have long been in place.
Christopher Knaus in The Guardian covered an international report into modern slavery mostly praised Australia’s efforts, but noted our “restrictive and discriminatory migration policies” were a concern.
Next week, Parliament returns to Canberra. Bills around medical evacuations and visa cancellations are likely to be discussed. Immigration Minister David Coleman is back from leave. And I’ll be looking at the rise in bridging visas.
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Have a great weekend and catch you next Friday.