Migration agents in Australia are to face tough new levels of professional skills as part of a plan to improve the service that they give, it has been announced.
There will be a reduction in red tape for agents with exemplary records, fully qualified lawyers will no longer have to register and new entrants will come under stricter rules.
The changes follow an independent review into the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) whose recommendations the Australian government is now going to implement.
Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Michaelia Cash, said the implementation of the review's findings will reduce unnecessary red tape and improve outcomes for consumers of migration services who are often amongst the most vulnerable in the community.
The report by Dr Christopher Kendall 2014 includes 24 recommendations which will be brought in throughout 2015 and the code of conduct for migration agents will be reviewed.
'Implementation of key recommendations will ensure that registered migration agents continue to have the necessary skills by strengthening requirements for entry into the profession and improving arrangements around professional development,' said Cash.
'Changes such as these recognise that migration agents are providing important and complex advice to their clients. We will also reduce the regulatory burden for those agents who have a proven record of good standing by streamlining re-registration processes,' she added.
It is also proposed that lawyers who are subject to relevant State or Territory legal authorities will no longer have to register with the OMARA. 'Lawyers are already subject to one of the strictest regulatory regimes of any profession,' Cash said.
OMARA will also become part of the DIBP. 'This will achieve operational and administrative efficiencies that will benefit the sector overall. While matters of misconduct will continue to be managed by the OMARA, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection will work with the Attorney General's Department to establish a process whereby allegations of serious misconduct are adjudicated by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal,' Cash explained.
She added that the implementation of the review's recommendations will commence later in 2015 following further consultations with stakeholders.
There will be a reduction in red tape for agents with exemplary records, fully qualified lawyers will no longer have to register and new entrants will come under stricter rules.
The changes follow an independent review into the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) whose recommendations the Australian government is now going to implement.
Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Michaelia Cash, said the implementation of the review's findings will reduce unnecessary red tape and improve outcomes for consumers of migration services who are often amongst the most vulnerable in the community.
The report by Dr Christopher Kendall 2014 includes 24 recommendations which will be brought in throughout 2015 and the code of conduct for migration agents will be reviewed.
'Implementation of key recommendations will ensure that registered migration agents continue to have the necessary skills by strengthening requirements for entry into the profession and improving arrangements around professional development,' said Cash.
'Changes such as these recognise that migration agents are providing important and complex advice to their clients. We will also reduce the regulatory burden for those agents who have a proven record of good standing by streamlining re-registration processes,' she added.
It is also proposed that lawyers who are subject to relevant State or Territory legal authorities will no longer have to register with the OMARA. 'Lawyers are already subject to one of the strictest regulatory regimes of any profession,' Cash said.
OMARA will also become part of the DIBP. 'This will achieve operational and administrative efficiencies that will benefit the sector overall. While matters of misconduct will continue to be managed by the OMARA, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection will work with the Attorney General's Department to establish a process whereby allegations of serious misconduct are adjudicated by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal,' Cash explained.
She added that the implementation of the review's recommendations will commence later in 2015 following further consultations with stakeholders.