international student rally for justice

International Students Rally for Justice
We are a group of international students who are extremely concerned about the unfair and unjust treatment of international students in Australia. We feel that we have been misled, in that we have been charged large amounts of money for the education we are receiving in Australia and the rules for the outcomes we are hoping to achieve are being changed. We would like to raise the following specific concerns:

Issue:
“Recent changes to migration policy settings and their adverse impact on existing international students in Australia.”

Purpose of Rally:
The purpose of the rally is to against the unfair and unjust treatment of the Government and Department of Immigration and Citizenship to the existing international students.

Rally:
On 3rd June 2010 (Thursday) at 10:30am, there will be an international students rally at George St, Sydney (the opposite of Town Hall Station) in front of Sydney Town Hall. The rally is for all international students from different educational institutions and courses. We invite you all to join us and pass the message to your surrounding people.

Do not miss this opportunity to make your voices heard!

Expected Transitional Arrangements:
We request the Government to arrange the following transitional arrangements for the existing international students:
· To extent the implementation date of new skilled occupation list to minimise the impact on existing international students.
· If the new skilled occupation list would come into effect from 1st July 2010, there should be exemptions for the existing international students in terms of General skilled Migration (GSM) Program.
· To extent the timeframe of Skilled – Graduate (Temporary) visa (subclass 485)
because ‘18 months’ visa is not enough to secure an employer sponsorship.
· To reform the visa subclass 457(as it is the only pathway to get employer sponsorship) in terms of Minimum Salary Threshold ($45220). Each occupation should have their own Minimum Salary Threshold (Based on their Industry Awards);
· Or introduce a new visa subclass, where existing international students will have more options and time to prove their skills based on their education.

N.B: Please check the Attachment

Sakib
Event Coordinator
All International Student Association(AISA)
Ph: 0424044205
Email: http://au.mc1135.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=sakib99@hotmail.com or http://au.mc1135.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=aisa.sydney@gmail.com
Web: http://www.aisa.asn.au/



posted by wei chao

MULTICULTURAL WOMEN`S SUPPORT GROUP

ARE YOU FROM IRAQ?

POSITIVE PARENTING ;SUDANESE COMMUNITY

FREE MIGRATION ADVICE

sharing and learning

what does mrc do?

MULTICULTURAL WOMEN`S GROUP

FREE ENGLISH CLASSES

SUDANESE PLAYGROUP

what`s on in the hills holroyd paramatta MRC

THE CENTER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HOLROYD CITY,BMS MERRYLANDS HEALTH CENTER GRANVILLE TAFE AND HOLROYD LOCAL AREA COMMAND IS ORGANISING CARNIVALE 2010 ON THE 21 MARCH TO CELEBRATE THE HARMONY DAY.

WHEN:SUNDAY 21ST MARCH 11 AM TO 4 PM.
WHERE:HOLROYD GARDENS.

ATTRACTIONS:CULTURAL PERFORMANCES
TALKING TENT
KIDS ACTIVITIES
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
AND A LOT OF FUN AND EXCITEMENT.

new in australia:tips from immigration department

Having arrived as a skilled or family migrant, or a refugee or humanitarian entrant, there may be many new things for you to adjust to in your new country. 'Settlement' is the process of adjustment you experience as you become established and independent in Australia.

Some migrants feel settled quite quickly, perhaps within six to 12 months. For others it may take some years. How quickly you settle into your new environment may depend on a range of factors, such as your English ability and your level of health, and whether you came as a skilled or family migrant or as a refugee. If you have visited Australia in the past and you are familiar with this country and society or if you join the work force quickly, you may settle quite quickly.

the immigration department recommends the newly arrived immigrants to do the below mentioned 7 things:


1. Apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) : http://www.ato.gov.au/
Do this first. To receive an income in Australia, you need a Tax File Number (TFN).

2. Register with Medicare :http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/
The Australian Government provides help with basic medical expenses through a scheme called Medicare.

3. Open a bank account
In Australia, most income including salary or wages and government benefits are paid directly into a bank account. here is a list of some banks.
commonwealth bank : http://www.commbank.com.au/
national bank : http://www.nab.com.au/
bankwest :http://www.bankwest.com.au/
westpac bank :http://www.westpac.com.au/
st. george bank :http://www.stgeorge.com.au/
arab bank :http://www.arabbank.com.au/

4. Register with Centrelink : http://www.centrelink.gov.au/
Centrelink is a government agency which delivers a range of services to the community.

5. Register for English Classes http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/help-with-english/amep/
Communicating in English is very important and the key to your successful settlement.
it is free and can give the new residents of up to 510 hours of free classes.

6. Enrol Your Children in School
Under Australian law, children must attend school until they are 15 years old.

7. Apply for a Driver's Licence www.rta.nsw.gov.au
Information on gaining a driver's licence.
these are the basic things ,the immigration website has a lot of advices on settlement ,simply follow the link:http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/settle-in-australia/
my tips is start getting in contact with the community services organisation in your place .they always have programmes, services or at least information for you.

parents and young people

holroyd city council

the hills shire council

paramatta city council

the hills holroyd paramatta migrant resource center

This is the migrant resource center that covers the area as mentioned by name the hills shire council,holroyd council and paramatta council.Baulkham Hills Holroyd

Parramatta Migrant Resource Centre Inc.
Street Address:
Level 6, Macquarie House, 169 Macquarie St. PARRAMATTA 2150
Postal Address:
PO BOX 1081 PARRAMATTA 2124
Telephone:
(02) 9687 9901
Fax:
(02) 9687 9901
Email:
enquiries@bhhpmrc.org.au
Description of Service:
Information and referral service - the MRC uses specially trained workers to assist migrants and refugees arriving in Australia from a non-English speaking country. Migrants and refugees are helped in their own language, to make greater use of local community and government organisations to solve their immediate settlement needs.
Community Settlement Services (CSS) - MRC staff include : Bangladeshi and Burmese workers, who provide settlement information and referral services. supporting the needs of newly arrived Bangladeshi and Burmese migrants, refugees and humanitarian entrants. Assistance is provided on housing, education, health, immigration and employment. Somali speaking workers to assist Somali speaking migrants, refugees and humanitarian entrants, by addressing their settlement needs, providing casework, referrals and other support services.
Ethnic Community Groups - the MRC liaises with specific communities to provide an ethno-specific service. Workers provide casework, group work and conduct information sessions to clients in their own language. The following ethno-specific workers are available at MRC: Arabic (Wed), Filipino, Bengali (Thurs), French (daily), Bosnian (daily), Somali (Thurs & 2nd Fri), Burmese (Mon,Tues,Thurs), Spanish (Wed), Cantonese/Mandarin (Mon), Portugese (Fri), Singhalese (Thurs), Dari/Farsi (Tues &Thurs), Romanian (daily), Tagalog (Mon).
Caseworkers also help with: general information on services offered and contacting appropriate staff, in the various organisations; advice on service rights and obligations in the organisations, help in how to present particular settlement problems, and in negotiating to achieve an appropriate response; direct assistance in using the organisation, including help in filling out forms and understanding terminologies.
General services include: A bilingual settlement casework service; Information on basic services; Advice on settlement problems; Referral to government and other services in the local government area; Free use of conference rooms/sessional offices for community groups; Regular English language classes; Regular First Aid courses; Migration agents/solicitors to give advice regarding immigration matters (by appointment only); Tax help for people on low income (seasonal between July – October); Open Access/ Job club program for newly arrived migrants; Free use of MRC facilities such as: computers, phone, photocopier and fax when looking for work; Specialist Migrant Placement Officer's (SMPO) provide information and advice regarding employment (by appointment only); Access to information sessions on a variety of settlement issues such as: health, education, immigration, housing and social security.
Office Hours:
9am – 5pm Mon to Fri
Area Serviced:
Baulkham Hills, Holroyd and Parramatta LGA’s

http://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/uploadedFiles/Website/Community_Directory/Multicultural_Services/BaulkhamHillsHolroydParramattaMigrantResourceCentre.pdf