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Free services for eligible refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian entrants to New South Wales, Australia

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What is a stateless person?

stateless

Statelessness

The Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons terms “Stateless Person” as a ‘person who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law.’

This situation can often take effect relating to many asylum seekers and refugees fleeing their country for fear of persecution or ongoing violence and breach of basic human rights.

555 people in closed detention in Australia identified as being stateless

The Australian Human Rights Commission(AHRC) found that as of “15 May 2012, there were 555 people in closed detention in Australia who identified as being stateless, 114 of whom had been detained for over 540 days”.

Australia does have obligations regarding stateless individual(s) pursuant to the Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. There are guidelines for assessing claims of statelessness, however this is unfortunately not enough to produce an efficient remedy.

The reason is statelessness does not ‘provide for the grant of a visa in response to an assessment that a person is stateless’

Therefore, the global distribution of asylum seekers and refugees exemplifies what the authors of An Introduction to International Relations call the “dilemma that the world is currently facing” and in turn a third category of people has been created: stateless persons.  This fact produces several questions surrounding statelessness and stateless persons.

Effect of statelessness

In its Community Arrangements For Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Stateless Persons, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) highlights the benefits of community placement. The effect of statelessness stresses the position of these people in legal limbo. The AHRC has recommended that there should be a development of formal recognition of statelessness. The rights of stateless persons should also include ways to grant them substantive visas. Thus, the AHRC provides numerous recommendations to rectify issues surrounding asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons.

Case study

Miran Hosny’s article in the New Matilda, ‘Stateless Refugee Caught in Legal Limbo’, tells the story of Ahmad Alhaj, born in Saudi Arabia but ethnically Chadian, who came to Australia seeking asylum.

This case highlights a situation in which a person can be caught in legal limbo. Ahmad came to Australia via plane from Saudi Arabia, where he left due to a life of constant discrimination.

A legal technicality meant the Australian government refused to grant him a protection visa.  As a result, he was immediately detained in Villawood Detention Centre and now faces deportation to Chad (despite the fact he has never been there) merely as a result of his Chadian parentage. This deportation will render Ahmad virtually stateless.

If deported to Chad (and this is very likely), Ahmad will have no support network or means of establishing one especially that he can hardly speak Ratana, the language of  the extremely marginal desert tribe, one of 200 languages spoken in Chad.

Additionally, the human rights record of the Chadian military is negligible, with Amnesty International reporting that most violations go unchallenged, and around 90,000 people are currently internally displaced.

“I am exactly like the Bidouns of Kuwait,” Ahmad stated. “They tell me I’ll get used to it [Chad]. I tell them it’s impossible. I’d rather stay here, die here or get sent to any island than go to Chad.”

Click on the links below for further stories on Australians who are now stateless:

‘Deported Drug Offender Stateless in Serbia’ – Sascha Stevanovic, who came to Australia as a two year old, is living in Serbia with no way of supporting himself, after he was deported from Australia following a lengthy period in prison on drug offences.

‘Australia to deport German-born criminal’ – The federal government defended its decision to deport a German-born Australian resident because of his lengthy and serious criminal record.

‘Stateless Man Fails to Plead his Case’ –  Despite living in Australia most of his life, Mr Robert Jovicic, 42, was deported to Serbia in June 2004 after committing a string of crimes linked to his heroin addiction.

Children seeking refuge in Australia

We’re better than this …

“A movement for ordinary Australians who want both sides of politics to hear us when we say we believe we can do better than we are currently doing when it comes to managing kids seeking refuge.” Bryan Brown.

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We need you!

Free membership with AFFMA now available free-migration-agents-we-need-you

If you are interested in refugee and migration law issues, please sign up for your free membership with AFFMA here.

3 hours pro bono equals 1 CPD

We are an approved organisation by MARA and we need volunteer migration agents! Please contact us if you are willing to help out. Remember that for every 3 hours pro bono work, you will get 1 CPD. We will also start offering face -to-face CPDs from 2015.

Our AGM is scheduled for the end of February / early March 2015 and we are looking for committed people to be on the AFFMA board for 2 years. You could nominate yourself or nominate someone else who must accept the nomination.

The role of President and Vice-President are reserved for pro bono migration agents only. All other office bearers are open for everyone. Click here to start your application.

AFFMA doing the hard yards for refugees

Some refugees have gone through unthinkable atrocities and being at home is not an option anymore.
Some refugees have gone through unthinkable atrocities and being at home is not an option anymore.

 The stories of refugees have a common trait: sorrow

Every year thousands of people around the world migrate to other countries searching for a better future. Some of them have gone  through unthinkable atrocities and being at home is not an option anymore. Their stories have a common trait: sorrow.

Migration Officer and Acting President for the Association of Fee Free Migration Agents Sydney (AFFMA) Joël Gédéon finds it hard  to avoid getting emotional when talking about the many cases that regularly come to his desk.

A former teacher, Gédéon, originally from Paris, started his journey 11 years ago when he came to Australia for a holiday. Influenced by his partner, Gédéon applied for permanent residency that was granted three weeks later due to the shortage of teachers in Australia  at the time.

But this traveller was not prepared to settle in Australia yet. For a couple of years, he lived in Thailand and Malaysia where he had the chance to get involved, and work with, refugee charity organisations.

In 2009, Gédéon returned to Australia where he became a migration agent. He never imagined what destiny held for him and the impact he would have on other people’s lives.

Read more at http://megaphoneoz.com/?p=9274

Fee free advice from AFFMA – free migration agents

What advice does AFFMA provide?

Free Migration Agents provide pro bono migration services for refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian entrants to Australia. - image
Free Migration Agents provide pro bono migration services for refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian entrants to Australia.

AFFMA provides advice to financially disadvantaged people in relation to most refugee and humanitarian visas.

Who can use AFFMA advice services?

Any person in NSW who is financially disadvantaged (before receiving advice from our centre you will be asked to provide some information regarding your financial status) and is an actual or potential applicant, sponsor or proposer for an Australian refugee or humanitarian visa may be able to use AFFMA’s advice services.

How is AFFMA’s advice delivered?

From July 2014 AFFMA has provided fee free immigration advice and assistance to financially disadvantaged people in NSW through the following advice services:

  • Face to face advice
  • Telephone advice
  • Ongoing assistance and representation

AFFMA will consider cases against our guidelines on a case by case basis to determine whether a person is eligible for ongoing assistance.

 

Vision and purpose of AFFMA

 Who can AFFMA help?

AFFMA will provide free immigration advice to financially disadvantaged people in New South Wales eligible for a protection visa - image
AFFMA will provide free immigration advice to financially disadvantaged people in New South Wales eligible for a protection visa

AFFMA provides free immigration advice to financially disadvantaged people in New South Wales eligible for a protection visa. AFFMA is not part of the Department of Immigration or any other Government department. All migration advice given on behalf of AFFMA is given by volunteer Registered Migration Agents.

Our vision and purpose

The main purpose of The Association is to provide a one-stop shop offering a range of services refugees and asylum seekers need to access as follows:

  • Pro bono assistance, by RMAs, in their migration application to the Department of Home Affairs
  • Financial assistance to meet the cost of their migration application, health check and the like;
  • Pro bono assistance in their appeal application to the Refugee Review Tribunal and the Migration Review Tribunal if needed;
  • Advising the target group(s) of their rights and duties under Australian Laws after being granted a Permanent visa;
  • Connect the target group(s) to mainstream services, (eg Centrelink, Medicare, ATO, employment services and mental health services dealing with victims of torture and trauma), as well as settlement service providers through community and local connections and networks in order to create a welcoming environment and opportunities to help with their settlement needs and make the adjustment to living in Australia.

Free migration agents

AFFMA

The Association of Fee Free Migration Agents, Sydney, Inc. (AFFMA) is a new not-for-profit organisation set up to offer pro bono migration services for refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian entrants.- image
The Association of Fee Free Migration Agents, Sydney, Inc. (AFFMA) is a not-for-profit organisation set up to offer pro bono migration services for refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian entrants.

The Association of Fee Free Migration Agents, Sydney, Inc. (AFFMA) is a not-for-profit organisation set up to offer pro bono migration services for refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian entrants.

LOCATION

AFFMA has recently secured a lease for a permanent office in Newtown and is open to the public.

CONTACT US

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AFFMA (Association of Fee Free Migration Agents NSW) | MARA Code of Conduct
AFFMA is currently taking new applications from asylum seekers only.

For any administrative matters, please write to us at PO Box 883, Rockdale, NSW 2216

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