1000 Partner Visa Cancellations!

This is what the Australian news is saying, and it's put some Down Under Visa clients into a panic!

One of the fine tabloids has this:

FOREIGNERS in fake relationships with Australians have been stripped of their visas as the migration system is swamped with people trying to get residence here through marriage.

(Herald Sun 27/01/2014)

Strong and scary words, no doubt. And it has some of our clients in a panic, as it looks like some jackbooted crackdown is sweeping through the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) and tearing loving couples apart.

But please note the articles talk about 1,000 being cancelled since 2010. There would have been around 200,000 partner visas processed in that time, so 1,000 is around 0.5%. A bit of a storm in a teacup!

And note that the article says "since 2010". It has nothing to do with the Abbott Government "getting tough".

Now, the Department DID apply Public Interest Criteria 4020 (PIC 4020) onto all family stream visa applications in July 2013 (pre-Abbott). That was indeed some "getting tough", but rightly so. PIC 4020 means that an application can be banned due to:

1. Fraudulent documents

2. False statements

Provision of either of these means:

1. Application refused

2. A 3 year ban before you can apply again

So it's a serious Regulation, no question about it. And it's something that all applicants should be very wary of, especially in countries like Philippines where there can be a bit of "moral flexibility" when it comes to facts.

Should the rest of you panic? If you are liars and fraudsters, yes definitely. If not? Then no! Relax!