Angry about immigration policy

[Usenko]

Since most of you are not Australians, this is probably nothing more than an impotent declaration of rage, but I'm saying it anyway because I have to say it somewhere.

Last week I discovered that my favourite lecturer at Bible College has been given until the end of the month to leave Australia because of visa issues (namely, he thought he had one type of visa, but it turns out he had another type, which meant that when he came home after visiting his grandchildren he accidentally violated his visa provisions).

This is the fourth person I know personally who has fallen foul of the Immigration department. All but one have been invited to leave the country[1]. All of them have been people who were working hard and making serious contributions to Australia, and in all cases they had made attempts in good faith to do the right thing with regard to their visas, only to get bad advice from somewhere (not sure who's giving out bad visa advice, but it seems to be a growing problem).

To me it seems logical that a law that prevents good people from making a contribution in your country is by definition a bad law! Surely to goodness if the only problem with someone staying in country is some paperwork, then fix the paperwork rather than deporting them!

[1] The fourth case was my cousin's new husband, who she'd had a whirlwind romance with when he came to Australia for missionary work. It was quite entertaining to see the Immigration department vs my cousin Libby. They were foolish to even try it. Butter, meet white hot chainsaw.

[fiksal]

I am no fan of border control bureaucracy and how they serve. They seem to treat people poorly, citizens or foreigners.

[Morkonan]

Since most of you are not Australians, this is probably nothing more than an impotent declaration of rage, but I'm saying it anyway because I have to say it somewhere...<story><sic>...

You're not alone in your outrage.

Unfortunately, politicians in countries moving towards much stricter immigration policies are getting elected and re-elected. Few people care about decency and ethics, let alone basic morality, when confronted by the terrifying specter raised by many unethical politicians of the "bug eyed monsters" that are "foreigner peoples that look different."

Is there an advocacy system in Australia or some way you can speak on someone's behalf to the Immigration officials? Local government people/representatvies that could be used as an avenue for a solution that could be contacted? Though, I seriously doubt many "politicians" would go on the record in helping out a "foreigner" these days. :/

Yeah, I'm angry about it, too. Sure, "illegal" things should be "illegal." But, when it's clearly a movement towards the general oppression of immigrants and valuable foreign workers that hold legitimate Visas, it's close to becoming an atrocity. The trappings of radical nationalism include the oppression of people that the majority feel, for whatever reasons, "do not belong."

In the US, the focus is more against "unskilled" immigrants. Virtually every country has some sort of basic requirements for legal immigration that improves the applicants chances if they will not likely be an additional burden on the host country's resources. ie: indigent In the US, many tech companies actively fight against immigration laws that are unduly harsh, since they have a large number of employees from other countries that have skillsets the average American may not have.. because we're stoopid an' stuff. Universities fight as well, as they have lots of foreign students looking for education in skills/disciplines to take back to their home countries as well as Visa'd professors with unique experiences and knowledge.

So, for some aspects of this in the US, private industry has risen to protect their interests, which is a good thing and helps offset "some" of the worst ideas of pro-nationalist politicians. And, it's those types of politicians that probably wouldn't qualify for those jobs filled by foreign workers... since they're stoopid an' stuff.

All in all - I don't like the way things are looking where that's concerned. Trying to create islands of nationalistic, racial, or cultural "purity" doesn't have a good history... When the rules and the law fail to achieve those goals, often more destructive tools are turned to by the rabid mob.

[Usenko]

I learned more about the situation yesterday. The visa issue really boiled down to the fact that the college had changed its name over the years, and that therefore according to the bureaucrats they should have filed a new visa sponsorship application.


Really?

You're deporting a native-born English speaking Lecturer with a PhD, who is in a senior position in a college (because you CAN'T GET workers with his qualifications in this area from Australia!!!!) because of that? You're willing to cripple an Australian educational institution for a mistake that minor?

It beggars the imagination.

[Morkonan]

I learned more about the situation yesterday. The visa issue really boiled down to the fact that the college had changed its name over the years, and that therefore according to the bureaucrats they should have filed a new visa sponsorship application. ...It beggars the imagination.

It's "Teh Gubbermint."

It's refreshing to know that your's isn't any more sensible than mine.

This should be a surmountable problem, but he's going to have to rush to get it fixed. Even if it's a stupid SNAFU, the order to leave is NOT. So, he's going to have to get it done to get that expulsion taken care of before he's in violation of that. No, it doesn't make sense, but that's because it's "Teh Gubbermint."

[Usenko]

It's not a surmountable problem at the moment, because there's an election coming up in June, and the government wants to be shown to be taking a hardline stance against visa fraud.

Yes, they're calling this sort of thing visa fraud. It's not, mostly. It's mostly visa mistakes. But as things stand there is no mercy being shown; there is an appeals process, but that's only certifying that correct procedures have been followed. There seems to be no interest in whether the decision (legally correct or not) was just in the first place.

[Morkonan]

It's not a surmountable problem at the moment, because there's an election coming up in June, and the government wants to be shown to be taking a hardline stance against visa fraud.

Yes, they're calling this sort of thing visa fraud. It's not, mostly. It's mostly visa mistakes. But as things stand there is no mercy being shown; there is an appeals process, but that's only certifying that correct procedures have been followed. There seems to be no interest in whether the decision (legally correct or not) was just in the first place.

Is there any hope that, once this runs its course, he won't be subjected to the same rigorous or difficult process to re-apply or get re-issued a Visa? The possible avenues of approach all seem to be mutually exclusive.

Call a representative, they can't afford to help.

Call a journalist to do a news article, but that may elevate the problem and serve as a focus point for radical reations. (ie: Keep your head down, stay low and slow, and maybe they won't shoot you...)

Go through the process without a fuss, but then end up just like people who can't possible get a Visa due to current political conditions.

Any "advantage" he has right now doesn't exactly play out for him as a real advantage, it seems. My sympathies - He's in a crappy place with not many viable options unless someone gives him a break. And, it doesn't seem like there's a lot sympathy for people in his situation, either. I hope an avenue towards a desirable solution opens up for him.

PS- Could the college/university write a formal letter explaining the situation? Something that he could present in a non-confrontational way, say as something he would like "officially entered into his file for future reference" or something? Is there some association of schools of this nature that could issue such a letter on his behalf? Collectively? They have a very real stake in this and it's obviously a "technical error" that is being turned into a political situation. Something someone could do "officially" to get someone to act, but that may not escalate the problem to the point where whoever is in charge has to put their head up and get pegged by political snipers.

Note: Sometimes, things like this where someone is trying to get an "official" to intervene in an obvious "SNAFU" are best handled by unofficial means. IOW - An earnest phone call to such an individual by another individual with the respect, relationships, or clout to command attention or sympathy. It's untraceable, not officially recorded and there is no official letter or paper-trail. It helps those with the power to act to stay out of the limelight where a more official route may push them towards having to act in the opposite way. ie: For instance, in the US we have things like "Boards of Regents" that oversee accredited University Systems within States. These Boards do not necessarily have to all be made up of professors/educators, but often are. They are largely transparent, not really in the limelight that much. But, they do have a commanding presence when they do act, even in an "unofficial" capacity. Similarly, some Universities have tremendously powerful Alumni Associations that often have very influential contacts. Just thinking out loud about potential advantages he could have that do not present a "Declaration of War" situation for any official who actually could effect a solution.