IMMIGRATION UPDATE – AUSTRALIA
Update on Sponsorship Obligations
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has recently announced updatedamendments to sponsorship obligations.
The two obligations which cause most concern to employees and their assignees are thereturn travel costs and showing equivalent terms and conditions. Please find below anextract from the revised Policy that details how and when records of these obligations mustbe kept.
Return travel costs
Regulation 2.82(3)(a) applies to standard business sponsors, religious worker sponsors,special program sponsors or a party to a work agreement and requires that the person mustkeep the following records:
- The written request for payment of return travel
- A record of when the request was received and
- A record of how the sponsor complied with the request (including the costs paid, whothe costs were paid for and the date of payment which is maintained in a manner thatis capable of being verified by an independent person).
The Department considers an independent person is a person who is free from influence orauthority of the sponsor, who can establish the correctness of a record on the basis of thepresented facts.
All of the records must be kept in a reproducible format. No record needs to be kept for morethan five years.
Equivalent terms and conditions of employment
Regulation 2.82(3)(c) applies to standard business sponsors or a party to a work agreementand requires that the person must keep:
- A record of money paid to the primary sponsored person
- A record of the money applied or dealt with in any way on the primary sponsoredperson’s behalf or as the sponsored person directed
- A record of agreed non-monetary benefits provided to the primary sponsored personincluding the agreed value and the time at which, or the period over which, thosebenefits were provided
- A record of terms and conditions of employment of equivalent workers within theworkplace
- A record of tasks performed by the primary sponsored person and the location(s)where the tasks were performed
- If a party to a work agreement, the sponsor must keep records specified in the workagreement.
The following records must be maintained in a manner capable of being verified by anindependent person:
- Records on how the sponsor complied with a request for payment of return travelcosts
- Records of money paid to the primary sponsored person
- Records of the money applied or dealt with in any way on the primary sponsoredperson’s behalf or as the primary sponsored person directed.
The Department’s position is that cash payments are generally not capable of being verifiedby an independent person. If a sponsor chooses to pay sponsored persons in cash, theonus is on the sponsor to ensure that they keep records of such payments. To avoid anydoubt, sponsors are strongly encouraged to use salary payment methods such as ElectronicFunds Transfers.
Please contact Jane Simpson for further information.
Jane Simpson
NSW Manager, Relocation Services
Tel: (61) 2 96457700
Email: [email protected]
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It is inevitable that there will come a time in our lives when we will need to part with and store our precious household items for the short or long term.
The top 5 reasons people need storage are:
- Moving overseas – moving overseas can be expensive, particuarly in you pack and move furniture and personal effects you don’t need. Moving house overseas provides a great opportunity to cull and sort to reduce your furniture removal costs. Storage is the perfect short or long-term solution for your cherished belongings and are safely waiting for you upon your return.
- Renovating – or expanding your home is an exciting project. The anticipation of remodelling your home or adding space opens a whole new level of possibilities. Renovations do however entail a lot of preparation even before the actual hard work begins. Store your belongings safely out of the way during the renovation process by using secure storage. You will have peace of mind knowing your goods are in the safe hands of our removalists.
- Taking an extended holiday – as much as you know you should be relaxing, there will probably be a little part of you stressing, knowing you’ve left behind valuable items in the home. Our homes all contain valuable or sentimental belongings and thieves may try to break in and steal these even if security systems are in place. Why not put your valuable items into a temporary storage facility for your peace of mind? (more…)
You might be buying a home overseas to live in, as an investment, or even as a holiday home. Whatever the reason, there are certainly a few key points you will need to consider prior to this commitment, aside from style of course! Spend time to consider these 5 points:
- Firstly, you will need to know what you intend to do with the house you’re purchasing. This will help determine where you choose to buy, the type of property and how much you’re willing to spend. For example, if looking to buy a home to live in yourself, you will most likely be led by your emotional responses to the area and look of the home, more so than the price. Having a firm idea of why you want the property and what you want to get from it in the long term will make it easier to narrow your search.
- Before you start looking at individual properties, make sure you are 100 percent sure about the country and region you’re looking at. Whether you’re intending to live in the property or not, it’s always better to have visited the area beforehand. If possible, spend time researching and speaking to locals or other foreigners who live in region. Check out local town halls, restaurants, sports facilities etc. Always look into the property market in the area your considering. Is the value of housing going up or down and are there any factors which could significantly alter the value of your property over time?
- When purchasing a property, it isn’t uncommon to experience delays and unexpected additional costs. Therefore, knowing exactly how you’re going to be funding your purchase is important. Before you make any firm decisions, determine a realistic budget. Factor in all costs; this includes things like getting the utilities connected and the furnishing / decorating for your property. In the event of an emergency, it is always handy to have back-up funds for a flight home. Having an idea of the average cost of a flight just in case will help you set aside funds for this.
(more…)
So you’ve read all the important serious information relating to your move to Australia.
But here is a more-relaxed, view on the Aussie way of life and a peek into the Aussie culture.
So what about the day-to-day Aussie lifestyle stuff, we would say ‘how about having a crack’at learning a bit more about the ins and outs of the Aussies, how we speak and what we do.
Australia prides itself in its multiculturalism, but, despite the large number of different languages spoken, the predominate language is English. The problem is that the Australian variant of English could be considered quite ‘slangy’ and somewhat abbreviated at the best of times. A new arrival may initially struggle to make sense of a conversation given we offer an array of typical Australian Slang in the vast proportion of our dialogue.
But don’t fret, us Australian’s are a good humoured bunch and will happily help you on your way if you’re lost or confused – just be wary of the sprinklings of our sarcasm, we don’t even realise we do it at times and it is completely harmless mate!
Our accents can be thick with Australian idioms, but you’ll soon notice that we seem to abbreviate a great deal of our chatter, here are a few examples:
|
Aggressive = Agro |
Afternoon = Arvo |
Barbeque = Barbie |
Breakfast = Brekkie |
|
Electrician = Sparky |
Chicken = Chook |
Cockatoo = Cocky |
Budgerigar = Budgie |
|
Good day = G’day |
Can of beer = Tinnie |
Honestly = Struth |
See you later= See ya |
|
Perfect = Spot On! |
Well done = Goodonya! |
Hello = G’day Mate |
Tomato Sauce = Dead Horse |
|
Mosquito = Mozzie |
Blow Fly = Blowie |
Bricklayer = Brickie |
Carpenter = Chippy |
|
Sunglasses = Sunnies |
Woman = Sheila |
Australian = Aussie |
Ambulance = Ambo |
The 3 common moving mistakes and how to avoid them!
Mistake #1 – Leaving moving tasks until the last minute
Unless you are a seasoned mover, it is not uncommon to underestimate tasks that need to be done before the moving day, such as packing, planning, etc. The trick is to start early! Download our Moving Checklist and start checking off all the things you will need to get done. Try and start working through your to do list at least one month prior to moving day. Remember to dismantle or disassemble such items as trampolines, BBQ’s, swing sets etc well ahead of time. If you don’t wish to perform these tasks yourself, ask your removalist to provide a quote to have this done for you.
Preparing well-ahead of time for your removal will not only save you time but will also save your sanity and keep your stress levels to a minimum. A well-planned move will allow you to feel in control and enable you to remain calm and efficient leading up to and on your moving day. A good removalist company will guide you and support you during the planning stage and take control of your requirements on your scheduled pick-up and delivery days.
Mistake #2 – Using non-removal moving boxes
WridgWays has spent many years refining and perfecting our range of professional removal boxes and they are specifically designed for moving household goods. The carton range includes purpose-built boxes including; teachest size cartons that are ideal when packing kitchen plastics, toys, bedding and general goods. Book cartons, as the name suggests, are designed to hold books and are deliberately smaller to ensure minimum weight and perfectly shaped for this purpose. We have a further 10 carton styles in our range including Plasma TV cartons, Portable wardrobes, utility cartons and more to accommodate every household item you can imagine. If we feel a special or delicate item requires further protection, we will even build a wooden crate exclusively for this piece.
If packing non-fragile items remember to allow plenty of time for this task and remember to label every box with a brief content description and which room you wish the box to be placed upon delivery. This will save time for you and your removal team. Importantly when moving overseas, never use supermarket cartons that have been used for food stuffs as this may cause delays through Quarantine or Customs plus they are just not a good choice as above-outlined.
Mistake #3 – Using a non-accredited removal company
When it comes to moving your precious belongings and household furniture, securing the cheapest quote will not provide you with the premium service you need and deserve. Professional removalists such as WridgWays, spend time and money ensuring their removalists are trained and efficient on every removal, year in, year out. WridgWays proudly holds accreditation to and membership of numerous professional organisations such as AFRA (Australian Furniture Removals Assoc), FIDI, Australian and International Standards, Environmental accreditations and many more. Our high standards and professional accreditations are your assurance of a premium removal service from start to finish. Don’t compromise a stress-free professional move for the sake of a few dollars by using a cheap, unreliable moving van or company. It is simply not worth the risk and may leave you with out-of-pocket expenses if your goods are damaged or items are lost.
Ask you removal company if they hold accreditations and professional memberships, be sure they are reliable, and their staff members are professionally trained.
Contact WridgWays or freecall 1800 225 916
