Search This Blog

Monday, 16 July 2012

International Event Coordinator Network (IECN)

Visa requirements assistance for event organisers and participants when travelling to Australia for conferences, meetings and special events.



The IECN provides free advice on visas to event organisers and participants of the following types of events:
Note: The IECN cannot assist you with personal events such as graduation ceremonies, birthday parties, weddings or attendance at interviews or exams. If your travel to Australia is for these purposes, refer to the following links.
See: 
Visitors
Visa Wizard

Sunday, 15 July 2012

Business Talent (Permanent) (subclass 132) visa


Features This visa has two streams.
The Significant Business History stream is for affluent owners or part owners of a business who want to have a major management role in a new or existing business in Australia.
The Venture Capital Entrepreneur stream is for people who have obtained at least AUD1 million in funding from an Australian venture capital firm.

Requirements
Applications are by invitation only. To be invited to apply, a person must lodge an Expression of Interest, be nominated by a state or territory government, be less than 55 years of age, and

have personal and business assets of AUD1.5 million (AUD400 000 must be net assets in the business), and have a business turnover of AUD3 million, or

have obtained at least AUD1 million in funding from an Australian venture capital firm for a promising high value business idea.


Friday, 13 July 2012

Celebrate citizenship


Canadians are proud of their citizenship. We value the rights and freedoms and accept the responsibilities that this status gives us.

Learn about what being a citizen of Canada means:

Get Involved

Canada Day
To celebrate Canada Day, we organize special citizenship ceremonies in communities across Canada.
War of 1812
To recognize the War of 1812’s impact on Canadian history, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will mark the bicentenary with activities and educational resources.
Citizenship Week
The third week of October is a time for all Canadians to reflect on the value and meaning of citizenship.
Holding a Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremony
Show your commitment to Canada by reaffirming the Oath of Citizenship at a ceremony.
Find Citizenship Ceremonies
Search our database for upcoming citizenship ceremonies by date or location. Most ceremonies are open to the public.
Host a Citizenship Ceremony
Find out how community groups can host a citizenship ceremony to welcome new Canadians.

Learn More

Education and Activities
Find citizenship information, ideas and activities for educators, youth leaders and interested Canadians.
Rights and Responsibilities
Learn about your rights as a Canadian citizen and the responsibilities they bring.
Cultural Access PassCanada’s newest citizens can now discover our history, people, institutions and parks for free. (Institute for Canadian Citizenship)

Thursday, 12 July 2012

Consultations


Citizenship and Immigration Canada regularly conducts public consultations on issues that affect Canadians. Through consultations, the department gains a greater understanding of the perspectives of a wide range of citizens, stakeholders and experts to help inform program and policy decisions.

This section provides information on ongoing and past public consultations.


Regulatory Consultations

Ongoing Consultations

Past Consultations

For More Detail log on to www.premiersintl.com

Join Us on Facebook

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) for Organisations

Logon to VEVO
To logon to VEVO you will need to use your unique Login ID and Password.

Register for VEVO

To access the VEVO facility, please read all of the information about VEVO and complete the online registration form.

Registration processing times

The current processing time for registration is two business days. If you have not received a response after two business days, please contact the department using the email address provided in your registration confirmation email.

What is VEVO?

VEVO for organisations is a free online facility that allows Australian employers, education providers, financial institutions and government agencies to check the visa status and entitlements of a visa holder.

Categories and registration types

Information on other client groups and VEVO categories is available.

Employers and labour supply companies should register for the work entitlements category only. This category enables the registered organisation to check the work entitlements of a prospective employee.
Education institutions should register for the study entitlements category. This category enables educational institutions to check the study entitlements of students. Educational institutions should also register for the work entitlements category if they are an employer.
If your organisation has a need to use VEVO for a purpose not identified contact the department and you will be assisted with your registration.

An instructional video to help you through the VEVO process is also available.

Visa holders can also use VEVO to check their current visa details.

To make an enquiry using VEVO, your browser must support 128 bit encryption. You can check your browser if you experience problems connecting to these services.
See: Online Services – Browser Requirements

Important items to note

Organisations need to be aware of the following:
  • Organisation based outside Australia cannot register for VEVO. Foreign governments in Australia will not be given access to VEVO.
  • Access to VEVO is provided according to your business needs.
  • VEVO does not verify a visa holders identity or confirm if the document presented is genuine.
  • VEVO will not display the name of the visa holder as recorded in our systems. Organisations are encouraged to enter the name as per the Visual Inspection Zone of the passport.
  • Visa holders do not require a visa label or stamp to be placed in their passport.
  • Only holders of non-Australian passports can be checked. VEVO will not allow details of Australian passports to be entered.

Information required to perform a search in VEVO

Before undertaking a search in VEVO you will need the visa holders foreign passport.
Note: You should check the personal details page of their passport and other documents to verify the person’s identity.
You will then need to obtain (and retain) the visa holders permission to undertake a VEVO check to view their visa details. Using the person's passport, you must enter the following information as it appears in the passport into the VEVO enquiry screen:
  • family name
  • given name
  • date of birth
  • passport number (for PLO56 holders please enter ‘PLO56’)
  • passport country of issue (for PLO56 and DFTTA holders enter country of citizenship).

PLO56 holders

Visa holders may not hold a passport or a valid travel document and have been issued with an identity document commonly referred to as a PLO56. As this document does not have a unique number, VEVO may not be able to display the visa status or entitlements of the visa holder. Should you receive an error message stating 'The Department has not been able to identify the person', please complete the online referral form within VEVO or use the departments Faxback service.
See: Visa entitlement verification faxback service

New Zealand citizens

As part of the 1973 Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangements, New Zealand citizens who do not hold a valid visa for travel to Australia can apply for a Special Category visa (subclass 444) on arrival.
Employers are reminded that if you are seeking to employee a New Zealand citizen who is outside Australia at the time of the VEVO check, you may receive a negative response. When using VEVO for New Zealand passport holders, please ensure that the person is in Australia at the time of checking their work entitlements.

Password reset information

Once you logon to VEVO, you can change your password or update your contact details by selecting the links which are located in the top right corner of the enquiry details screen. Your password needs to be updated every 28 days.

Once you are registered, your VEVO account will never expire. If however your account is inactive for 90 days or you have locked your account (failed login attempts) it will be suspended.
If you have forgotten your password, locked your account or your account has been inactive for 90 days or longer, contact the department.
See: VEVO – Help and assistance
Important: When contacting the department, you must be the original account holder in order to reset your VEVO password. You will be asked a series of identity verification questions before your password is reset, including the secret question you recorded when registering your account.

Visa entitlement verification faxback service

For those employers in a regional area where internet services are not available, the department offers a toll-free Faxback Service that provides written confirmation of a visa holder’s entitlement to work in Australia. The Faxback service can also be used in the event that VEVO is not available.
Note: The processing time for the Faxback service is five business days. If you have not received a response after five business days, please contact the department.
See: VEVO – Help and assistance
To use the faxback service, complete the Authority to Obtain Details of Work Rights Status form and fax to the department.
See: Authority to Obtain Details of Work Rights Status ( 31KB PDF file)

Community Status Resolution Service

For people who employ or seek to employ someone who has overstayed a visa or been granted a Bridging visa E, the department's Community Status Resolution Service (CSRS) can provide information and help to resolve a person’s immigration status.
See: Community Status Resolution Service (CSRS)

VEVO - Help and assistance

The departments Employer Immigration Hotline can help you to:
  • check the meaning of work and study condition codes. The department will not give specific information as it relates to a client. We will only be able to provide assistance in understanding work or study condition codes as they relate to employing or enrolling a visa holder
  • understand your obligations under the Employer Sanctions Legislation
  • discuss your VEVO registration requirements
  • reset your VEVO password.

Please read all available information before commencing your VEVO search. If you are experiencing difficulty within the system, most fields have help that can be accessed by clicking on the  symbol.
If this help does not meet your needs or you require general information or wish to provide feedback, you can contact the department.

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

Information for callers to the telephone line set up following sinking of two asylum seeker vessels on 21 and 27 June



The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has closed the dedicated information collection telephone line it operated following the sinking on 21 and 27 June of two asylum seeker vessels on their way to Australia.
Many people telephoned the department and sent information seeking information on their relatives or friends who they believe may have been on one of the vessels.
In accordance with Australia's privacy laws, the department is not able to release information about people who have arrived in Australia seeking asylum.
All people who survived the sinking have telephoned a relative or friend to let them know of their arrival on Christmas Island. They have also been issued with a telephone card which they can use to telephone other relatives or friends.
In a small number of cases we have been able to match the names of survivors with the names of people sent to us. We have advised the survivor about the person asking about them and encouraged them to call.
The information provided to the department has been sent to police agencies and to the Western Australian Coroner who is conducting an investigation into the incident.
It will be up to the Western Australian Coroner to release identities of the deceased once coronial processes are completed.
The Australian Red Cross (in partnership with International Red Cross and Red Crescent counterparts) is also assisting in providing tracing services for survivors and the immediate family members of passengers aboard the vessels, and is supporting the Australian authorities in their investigations into those believed to be missing or deceased.
As this incident occurred at sea Australian authorities may never be able to confirm the identities of all victims. Investigations into these incidents are complex and the outcomes and findings may not be known for many months. The Department is unable to provide further details at this time.