In an interesting article from The Guardian today, the secret life of British High Commission workers across the world was revealed to be... well, not so secret after all.

Many of them have taken to writing candid blogs about their experiences, ranging from the British embassy official in Kiev writing about a "troupe of Ukrainian folk dancers performing outside the embassy" in protest at their UK visa refusal to the governor of the Cayman Islands uploading pictures of a group of green iguanas that had taken residency on the embassy's roof.

They're described as 'blogger ambassadors', with over 30 diplomats now writing blogs after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provided them with the means to share their experiences with the web.

Leigh Turner, the recently appointed ambassador in the British embassy in Kiev commented: "For the last 20 or 30 years there's been public diplomacy. The aim is to influence the opinion in the country you are in. You can do it through making speeches, giving newspaper interviews and doing British Council stuff. Writing a blog is just a natural extension of that. It's also fun."

It's a far cry from the days when an ambassador's only means of communication was the humble telegram, but it's certainly encouraging to see British diplomacy evolve with the digital age.

- Tom Blackett is Online Editor for the UK Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Tired of hearing reports of MPs cheating tax payers? Exhausted by the constant claims that we're living in 'broken Britain'? If so, then it might be time to start thinking about New Zealand immigration, as the 'Land of the Long White Cloud' was named the world's least corrupt nation earlier this week. 

New Zealand topped Transparency International's list of 180 countries, displacing Denmark from the top. The aim of the list is to rank 180 countries on a scale of zero to 10 according to 13 independent surveys (with 0 being perceived as 'highly corrupt' and 10 as having 'low levels of corruption').

The top five countries and their scores were as follows:

1. New Zealand - 9.4
2. Denmark - 9.3
3. Singapore - 9.2
4. Sweden - 9.2
5. Switzerland - 9.0

Still feeling the fallout from the furore over MPs' expenses, Britain only just scraped into the top 20, coming 17th in the list with a score of 7.7. However, it could have been worse; on the other end of the scale were countries left unstable or impacted by war and ongoing conflicts, with the list giving the bottom five countries and their scores as follows:

1. Somalia - 1.1
2. Afghanistan - 1.3
3. Myanmar - 1.4
4. Sudan - 1.5
5. Iraq - 1.5

Commenting on the list was Huguette Labelle, chairwoman of Transparency International, who said: "Stemming corruption requires strong oversight by parliaments, a well-performing judiciary, independent and properly resourced audit and anti-corruption agencies, vigorous law enforcement, transparency in public budgets, revenue and aid flows, as well as space for independent media and a vibrant civil society."

So, while the chief appeal of New Zealand might still be its epic landscapes, gorgeous beaches and laid back lifestyle, it's also nice to know that when you apply for a visa to work in New Zealand, it's a little less likely that your taxes will end up paying for a politician's duck house.

- Tom Blackett is Online Editor for the New Zealand Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

It's been almost two months since 23 September's changes to the visa processing priorities, and applicants are still reeling from them; unsurprising, considering that thousands of people who were within weeks or months of receiving an Australia visa grant have now been told that they will have to wait until 2012 for their application to be finalised.

It was a move by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) that we described as "badly researched, ill conceived, poorly managed and a step backwards for Australian immigration policy" in this blog, which seems to be an opinion shared by many of the applicants affected by the changes.

In fact, some are so frustrated by DIAC's "extremely unfair practice" that they have set up an online petition to protest the changes. Click here to see it for yourself, or read on for Frank Claassen's introduction to the petition:

"On September 23 2009, the Australian Department of Immigration & Citizenship announced its new list of processing priorities for the General Skilled Migration program effective immediately. Unlike prior changes, the latest changes have been applied to all GSM applications, both unallocated applications and applications already allocated to Case Officers and in the process of being finalized.

We feel the implementation of these changes to applications already in the process of being finalized to be an extremely unfair practice and respectfully ask the department to reconsider this decision. We ask that DIAC apply fair practice and not penalize applications already in the process of being finalized.

It is unfair to make applicants wait even longer when we are so close to the end of what is a most stressful experience and have already spent thousands on medicals, police clearances and other associated costs which will now go to waste and probably have to be redone.

Many of us have been involved with the immigration process for very long periods, some close to two years or more. Each time we get close to getting our visas, the rules change and our families are placed under further undue stress and we have to continue living in limbo.

This petition is also in support of the petition against the changes that were implemented in January 2009 which have negatively affected applications lodged under the 2007 - 2008 rules, which can be viewed here."

While it's always encouraging to see the Australian immigration community band together like this, DIAC aren't in the habit of bending to public pressure (as Minister of Immigration Chris Evans emphasised in his recent radio interview, where he stoically defended the department's actions).

Sadly, with DIAC under pressure from other governmental departments and Australian bodies to more tightly target Australia’s skills needs with the General Skilled Migration program, it seems unlikely that the petition will become anything more than a cathartic way for frustrated applicants to let their feelings on the changes be known.

However, with the soon to be announced MODL review set to make sweeping changes to Australia immigration, hope is still on the horizon for the thousands of affected applicants. While it seems very unlikely that the September 23 changes will be reversed, the MODL review could provide a new pathway for affected applicants, or at least provide more applicants with access to priority processing. Unfortunately though, any positive updates to the Australian migration process will only be made as and when DIAC are ready.

- Tom Blackett is Online Editor for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

While the Australia visa processing delays are big news to us and our clients, the news hasn't really permeated mainstream media. However, it was gratifying to hear Australian Immigration Minister Senator Chris Evans questioned by presenter Peter Mares on ABC radio's 'The National Interest' programme last Friday.

You can listen to it for yourself by clicking here; the entire interview is just under 15 minutes in length, and is recommended listening for anyone caught by the Australian visa processing changes (although Senator Evans' statement that "it's not a delay in processing, it's a prioritising" is unlikely to provide any relief to applicants who have had their application 'prioritised' until at least 2012).

The interview was full of interesting quotes from Senator Evans including his statement that there are now approx. 30,000 onshore and 105,000 offshore visa applicants delayed as a result of the processing priority changes), but see below for some more choice quotes from the Australian Immigration Minister:

Senator Evans on the status of applicants caught by the processing changes:

"They're not on hold. What people do is they apply for permanent migration to Australia, and they're assessed, and we determine, based on the needs of Australia and our priorities, who gains permanent migration. We operate the scheme in support of the national interest so people may be facing longer waits in some occupations but others are getting quicker treatment if they're in occupations which are necessary for the growth of our economy."

Senator Evans on the changes to priority processing and the long waits many visa applicants are facing:

"They've always had to wait. We determine the size of the migration program. Quite frankly, if we decide that it's going to be 10,000 people next year, they might be waiting 20 or 30 years. We're trying to give them an indication on the current policy settings and current levels of migration on when they're likely to have their application considered. Applying to migrate to Australia doesn't give you the right to migrate to Australia."

Senator Evans on the possibility of refunds for General Skilled Migration applications:

"I've asked my department to have a look at whether we can't we can do something in terms of people who've have paid application fees but seek to discontinue their application, because I do think the current system doesn't do well in that area." 

(Minister Evans later clarified his position, stating that that the government is "not in the position to give refunds as the legislation prevents it" but stating that they "keep accepting applications from people who don't qualify" and they are looking at alternative systems so "people aren't paying the money up front".)

It will be interesting to see if Senator Evans provides any further comment on the current Australian visa processing priorities situation, although an announcement regarding the MODL review changes should be made relatively soon, which might finally provide potential migrants with an understanding of what to expect from the Department of Immigration in the future.

- Tom Blackett is Online Editor for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Knowing what to do with your pension when you emigrate to Australia can be one of the hardest decisions to make. However, read on for professional advice from Adam Roderick of pension and finance experts Prism Xpat:

Right, you are moving to Australia and there is a lot to do. It’s all finally going to happen now and you need to sort out the most important things first (jobs, schools, houses) and take short cuts wherever you can. Unfortunately, one shortcut many people take is to accept the apparently common view that UK pensions should just be moved to Australia without being given too much thought. In the current financial climate though, this is one shortcut you might just regret!

This current common view is almost a complete turnaround since just three years ago, when most people and advisers would not even consider giving up the valuable terms and conditions provided by UK employment pension funds. 

A possible reason for this change of heart is Australia has recently dropped all superannuation (their word for pension funds) taxes after age 60. However, the retirement taxes weren't that high anyway, so a more likely reason is that many advisers (despite the Financial Service Authority's best efforts) still seem to operate a "salesy" approach to advice and get commissions only if their customer moves money (hence why many of them are still advocating a transfer regardless of the migrant's specific situation).

What do I need to know?

What migrants need to know is that there are important subtle factors with pensions that will have a significant effect on their final retirement income. For example, over a 25 year period just a 2% extra investment return each year, after tax, will mean 50% more retirement income to live off! That could mean enjoying $30,000 per year instead of just getting by on $20,000 per year for the rest of your life.

Did you know Australian superannuation funds have annual taxes on the investment returns within the fund each year? Or that Australian funds tend to have much higher annual charges than UK employer or stakeholder funds? You may have heard that even simple UK funds (money purchase funds) can have terms that provide a guaranteed income in retirement.  These impacts can easily turn the tables on whether or not a cross border pension transfer is worthwhile. The list goes on and on...

What is my Critical Yield?

A Critical Yield tells you: "What investment return would my new fund need to earn between now and retirement, to be high enough to provide an income equal to what my employer’s fund will pay me?"

The Financial Services Authority suggests only high risk takers should consider a pension transfer unless the critical yield is under 7% per annum. By this, I mean that the mandatory "Transfer Value Analysis" that must be done would need to produce a result where you would only need 7% returns each year (or less) to buy an annuity equal to your final salary fund’s promise. 

If you're interested in taking this route, then good luck but it is extremely rare that you’ll see critical yield calculations this low in the current market. Generally you’d need much higher returns to beat your final salary income. 

What to do?

Despite all these examples, there are situations where it can be valuable to proceed. To avoid all the confusion you need to obtain top quality advice in analysing your pension scenario.

For more information on the key rules, including what happens if you miss Australia’s 6 month window for a tax free transfer, please use our online financial assessment or call +44 (0)845 450 4004.

- Prism Xpat is a trading style of Xpat Ltd which is authorised & regulated by the Financial Services Authority. They are a partner of Australian Visa Bureau, an independent company specialising in helping applicants emigrate to Australia.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Opening an Australian bank account is one of the most pressing things for any new migrant to do upon arriving in Australia, and Rebecca Jolis from the National Australia Bank (NAB) has news of a new update for their customers:

NAB announced on 15th October it would be abolishing more bank fees on customer accounts. Fees to be abolished include current $4 and $5 monthly account service fees on NAB’s most popular everyday personal transaction accounts: Classic and e-Banking.

There is no asterisk, no disclaimers and no rule requiring customers to make a minimum monthly deposit. The fees will be abolished with effect from January 22, 2010.

Monthly account service fees are one of the most unpopular fees charged by banks, and commonly cost customers between $3 and $10 a month, or up to $120 a year, and more than 860,000 NAB customers will benefit from the decision to abolish these fees.

Today’s announcement means monthly account service fees will be abolished or waived for around 97% of all NAB personal transaction account customers.

Monthly account service and a range of transaction fees will also be abolished on 10 other transaction and savings accounts with effect from January 22, 2010.

This will mean the only personal transaction account with a monthly account service fee will be NAB’s premium Gold Banking product which provides extra benefits like purchase protection, overseas travel insurance and no NAB fees on overseas transactions.

If you would like more information on banking in Australia or opening an account before you leave the UK, please contact the NAB Migrant Banking team on 0208 6149 320 or email migrant.banking@eu.nabgroup.com.

- NAB are a partner of the Australian Visa Bureau, an independent company specialising in helping migrants with their Australia visa application.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Could it be the 21st Century return of the "10 pound pom"? The price makes it seem too good to be true, but the £10 flight to Australia offer being promoted by STA Travel is 100% genuine, although some are still confused as to how they can take advantage of this astonishing deal.

For the uninformed, on Wednesday, 5th August, 150 one-way Qantas tickets to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane or Adelaide will be put on sale for just £10 from STA Travel. However, there's one small catch; only Australian working holiday visa holders will be eligible for the offer.

How can I be eligible for a £10 flight to Australia?

As the offer's exclusively for working holiday visa holders, the answer's simple; makes sure you've been granted your Australian working holiday visa! While applying is fairly simple with our online visa application, it can take a week or two in some cases for the visa to be granted. Therefore, it's vital that you make your application sooner rather than later if you're keen to get your hands on the deal of the decade.

What does an Australian working holiday visa let me do?

The Australia Working Holiday Visa gives young people between the ages of 18 and 30 from working holiday visa eligible countries the opportunity to have an extended stay in Australia for up to 24 months. 

The visa allows you to make your initial entry into Australia no later than 12 months from the date that the visa was granted. The visa permits you to stay in Australia 12 months from the date that you first enter Australia, and you can then leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you wish during your 12 month stay. However, if you depart Australia during your 12 month stay you are not able to recover the period of time you have spent outside Australia.

Where can I go to purchase a £10 flight to Australia once I have my working holiday visa approved?

The flights are set to be put on sale at the eight following STA promotional branches on Wednesday, 5th August:

• Belfast (92/94 Botanic Avenue BT7 1JR)
• Birmingham High St (222-224 Corporation Street B4 6QB)
• Bristol (43 Queens Road BS8 1QQ)
• Glasgow (122 George Street G1 1RF)
• Leeds (88 Vicar Lane LS1 7JH)
• London Victoria (52 Grosvenor Gardens SW1W 0AG)
• Manchester (Albert Square 86 Cross Street M2 4LA)
• Southampton (6-8 Civic Centre Road SO14 7FL)   

Doors open at 8am, but don't expect to be alone in trying to take advantage of this deal, as keen applicants have been advised to camp out beforehand to be in for a chance at the £10 tickets.

Remember though, even if you're first in line on the 5th of August, you won't be able to purchase the ticket without a valid working holiday visa. Don't miss out on becoming a "10 pound pom"; apply online for your Australian working holiday visa today.

- Tom Blackett is Online Editor for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Just a quick update to notify any Surveyors (ASCO: 2123-13) that the Institute of Surveyors Australia (ISA) has gone into voluntary liquidation (as you can see from the surprisingly blunt note on the top of the ISA website homepage). It's unclear what will happen to surveyors yet to receive their assessment results, but I imagine a solution will be presented by DIAC in due course.

Also, to avoid any confusion, I'd like to make it clear that Quantity Surveyors (ASCO: 2122-11) don't need to worry; they need to have their skills assessed by the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS), who are still in operation

Even though the ISA only assess the skills of Surveyors and a handful of other Australia visa occupations (such as Cartographers), it's still a reminder of the harsh economic times we live in and an example of the difficulties many skills assessing bodies are having to face.

Another of the Australia skills assessing bodies we heard from over the weekend was Trades Recognition Australia (TRA). They made the following statement:

"Changes to Processing Times

From 1 July 2009 Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) will introduce additional quality assurance arrangements to improve the integrity of its assessments. As a result processing times will change.  It is expected that most applications will be assessed within 30 working days."

While it's not as concerning as ISA's news, it's still an indication of the strain that assessing bodies have been put under, especially given that the processing times for TRA skills assessments used to typically be 10 working days for occupations listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand (MODL) list, and 20 working days for all other occupations.

 - Tom Blackett is Online Editor for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

We looked at off-list state nomination as part of yesterday's blog, and covered the approach that Western Australia are taken to this relatively new initiative. Unfortunately, not every Australian state and territory has been as receptive to the process, but most have at least provided an official statement on their approach to off-list nomination.

See below for the official statements on off list nomination from each Australian state and territory:

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Official statement: "Skilled migrants seeking State Sponsorship for an off-list occupation must meet the general Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) skilled visa criteria and the Western Australian State Sponsorship requirements. Greater consideration will be given to applicants who: Have a job or offer of employment in Western Australia in a Skilled Occupation List (SOL) occupation (must be related to the nominated occupation); Have established links to the State - living, studied or have support in Western Australia; Demonstrate that their occupation is in demand in Western Australia; OR Are prepared to live and work in a regional area of the State. Off-list nominations will be assessed by the SMC on a case-by-case basis and the ability of the applicant to meet Western Australia's workforce skill shortages." Note from Visa Bureau: Even though Western Australia have a set criteria for applicants who will be given 'greater consideration', they will still accept and consider other well-presented applications.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA Official statement: "Off-List Sponsorships – Policies for this option are currently being finalised.  When the Policies and Procedures have been completed they will be published on our website.  No information is available and applications are not being accepted at the moment."

QUEENSLAND Official statement: "The Queensland Government is now able to nominate applicants for some occupations that do not appear on the Queensland Eligible Skills List. The Off-List Nomination Program has been developed to target skills needed for: Queensland priority industries; Research priorities; OR Other specialised areas of priority for Government. Nominations will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants must meet the general Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship skilled visa criteria as well as Queensland state nomination requirements. The application must be accompanied by a firm, long-term job offer by an employer in one of the targeted areas. The application must also include: The employer's description of the proposed or current employment; AND A written declaration by the employer that the skill is likely to be in demand over the long-term. Please note: Queensland off-list nominations will only be considered for occupations in high demand that meet the above criteria."

NORTHERN TERRITORY Official statement: "Such ‘Off-List’ nominations will be considered if: Your skilled occupation is listed on the Northern Territory’s Occupation Shortage List (www.migration.nt.gov.au), or you are otherwise able to demonstrate your employability in the Northern Territory;  You have successfully completed a migration eligible two year course at any Charles Darwin University campus in the Northern Territory; OR You have strong demonstrable family, friendship or other connections in the Northern Territory."

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY (ACT) There have been no official statements or announcements made by the Australian Capital Territory pertaining to off-list nominations. However, should they make an official decision on how off-list nomination will be used, it will most likely be made available on the ACT skilled migration website.

What changes to off list nomination can be expected?

Until all states and territories take a transparent approach to off list nomination, it will always be difficult gauging exactly what their individual position is. Even though all of this information is current as of today, more changes are always possible, especially given how relatively new off list nomination is to the process.

Therefore, we advise that all applicants unsure of which state sponsored Australian visas they are eligible for to check each state and territory's migration site on a regular basis for more information. The casework department is always monitoring the situation, and as a result, we are poised to offer our clients alternative migration pathways as and when they become open to us.

- Tom Blackett is Online Editor for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.