Check Special Requirements For Offshore Visas With The Embassy's Or Consulate's Website
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Check List Using The Regulations As A Template eg - Spouse Visa
Get Enough Sleep
Visa Application And Associated Costs
Preserving Records
Record Keeping And Management - How Long Do Documents Have To Be Kept?
Initial Requirements Regarding Accepting A Retainer
Failure Of Proper File Management Can Lead To Suspension As A Migration Agent
Interpreters
Confidentiality & Notifying The Client Of Complaint Procedure
Give Your Client A Copy Of Everything
Give Your Client The Bad News Immediately
Take Care While On Holidays
Clients & English
Check Special Requirements For Offshore Visas With The Embassy's Or Consulate's Website
Don't Accept Immigration's Assertion That Decisions Have Been Made Properly
Have No Fear Of Appeals
Never Advise Your Client To Make Life Changing Decisions Prior To The Grant Of A Visa & Trust Your Instincts
Before You Set The Fee With Your Client And Before You File A Visa Application
Oral Instructions
What Can Go Wrong If You Don't Record Your Mail Properly
Prepare Your Client For The Oath
Ideas For Chronologies For Client Files
Immigration Goes Into Hibernation On 30 June Each Year
Australia Closes Down Between Christmas & New Year
Have An Industrial Strength Office Set Up At The Office And At Home
What Is A Permanent Residence Visa?
Practice Together Or Practice In Groups
A Proper Email Account And Email Management
Undercharging And Undercutting On Fees
Positioning And Pathways And Fees (Putting All One's Eggs In One Basket)
Email & Fax Communication & Errors With Credit Cards Emerge As Troubling Issues
Preparing A Client For Merit Review Hearings Or Interviews With DIBP
Accountants And Migration Law
Passport
Berenguel - Sometimes Time Of Application Criteria Can Be Met At Time Of Decision
Bare Faced Liars & The Fraudsters
Everyone's Doing It
Bridging Visas
Visas Remain Current Until Midnight
Immigration Closes At 4pm
Looking After Secondary Visa Holders In A Visa Cancellation Process
Applying As A Secondary Visa Applicant Onshore When The Primary Visa Applicant Is Offshore
Being Illegal
Essential Prerequisites For A Ministerial Discretion Application
Last Lunge Applications
State And Territory Sponsorship
Addresses
Believing The Client
Follow Up
Make Peace With The Tax Office
No Obligation On Immigration To Chase Up Information Or Documents From Migration Agents Or Lawyers Representing A Client
Errors In Visa Applications
Spouse Visas - Unexplained Large Deposits of Money
Managing No. 8503 On Tourist Visas
Medical Consent
Statutory Declarations
Merit Review
Tax Deductibility of Migration Advice
LEGENDcom
Dates On Documents And Names On Documents
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Take A Statement
Case Management Software
Work Rights
Student
Check All Past Visa Applications
Revealing Convictions
Visa Holders Being On Their Best Behaviour
Email Communication With Immigration - Delete All Strings
No Without Prejudice Conversations With Immigration
Accounts Managements
What Is A Secondary Visa?
Identify Australian Citizens Who Support An Applicant
Communications
Schedule 1 Criteria
Second Thing To Do On Starting A File - Download The Relevant Part Of The Law
First Thing To Do When Starting Any File - Identify Any 'Rights Destroying' Deadlines
Lodging Paper Applications
Social Media & Smart Phones
References
Disputes About Parentage And Children
Helping People Pass The English Tests
Managing Emails
What Is The Pomodoro Technique?
Immigration Telephones Client
When Is A Visa Application Made In Australia
Apply For A Visa In Australia
No Visa Application Is An Island
The Hammock Principle
In all forms of advocacy one has to put oneself in the shoes of the other side so as to properly understand their position. Let’s look at the situation with China. The issue with China generally is authenticity of documents and genuineness of applications. It is a statistical fact that there are huge numbers of false documents and bogus applications made from China.
Therefore one has to be absolutely meticulous with all documents – everything must be 100% accurate and be capable of verification. One visa applicant recently had a business card with an incorrect area code for his business telephone number – this was supplied to Immigration in support of the authenticity of the application. When Immigration tried to call the applicant on that number Immigration was unsuccessful and immediately therefore Immigration suspected the business card was bogus. The client should have ensured that his business card was accurate and that every document submitted to Immigration is accurate.
Clients need to be briefed that they will be subject to random verification via unannounced site visits and phone calls without notice.
Clients need to treat such verification procedures seriously and with deference given that much bogus information and documents make into visa applications in China. What your client has to do is to convince the decision maker that your client is not in the bogus category.
(Details of the special evidentiary requirements for various visas will be found at the website for each Australian embassy. Overseas posts are moving away from the requirement to comply with country specific checklists however it is recommended that you check the Australian embassy website for any special evidentiary requirements.)
Obviously with difficult countries like China, the client should not make arrangements for travel to Australia until the visa is granted.
Continuing on with China, all business visa applications for China applicants are handled in Hong Kong. The Consulate has a special set of policies on these business visas.
Again these guidelines have to be followed to the letter.
Finally if you have set up links with say the head of the post at a particular embassy, if that person changes, often the history of that relationship also dissolves. It probably means you have to start again. It means you would have to set up another meeting with that person and provide a dossier on your past dealings so that the new person knows you are genuine. The same will apply if you have set up links with a particular officer.