As a continuation to the issue of making false statements and the consequences (ie. PIC 4020, and 3 year bans), here are a few of the things we at Down Under Visa have had to deal with lately. No names mentioned, and to anyone who recognises themselves please understand that we’re trying to educate and to prevent others from doing these things.
Jobs and tourist visas
We had a case where we realised the applicant had lodged a previous tourist visa and claimed she had a job to make herself appear more stable. That’s what that expression “material particular” means (see previous post HERE), ie. that the false statement could influence the decision.
We were about to lodge another application when we realised that she actually was never employed. That meant a false statement was made before, and when they compared the previous application to the current one (which there was a high chance that they would), we had to delay the lodging of the new application until a year has passed since she held the visa.
We had another where she was worried that a short stint at bar-work would make them think badly of her. Fortunately in this case the applicant DID ask me, and I was able to assure her it was not an issue to be concerned about. Caught it before it became a problem!
Children
Had another one similar to the above where we discovered when preparing a partner visa application that the applicant had lodged previous tourist visa applications and stated that she had no kids when in fact she did have them. We don’t know for certain whether this was due to thinking they would frown on her as a single mum or because someone had advised her against it. In some cases applicants have tried to hide kids from their sponsor too. In this case it’s meant a long wait before being able to apply.
False information on birth certificates
We discovered today that a birth certificate for a child had been submitted with the father’s name omitted, and the details of her marriage omitted. She was married when the child was born, but estranged when the birth was registered (registered very late). She probably thought it was OK because the father was probably not in the picture, however it’s still a false statement. We can’t submit it like that.
Can Down Under Visa “look the other way”?
No, definitely not. We have a Code of Conduct for Registered Migration Agents that we work within, and we are required to always act within the law. And we are also required not to knowingly support false statements. Our Registration = our livelihood. We may be very fond of our clients, but we can’t and won’t risk our ability to feed our kids for anybody.
And honestly, even if we were included to “look the other way”, the Embassy are remarkably smart about things like this. And they have agreements with various government departments that allows them to make checks about personal details. Visa application forms contain a box where you give them permission to do this if they feel they need to, so never think you can outsmart them.
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