AUSTRALIA EMBASSY IN PHILIPPINES WARNED ABOUT THE MARITIME CREW VISA(MCV)SUBCLASS ZM988 SCAM WHERE AGENTS CHEATING INNOCENT PERSONS BY PROVIDING FAKE EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS OF SHIPPING COMPANIES AND OBTAINING ONLINE VISA BY FILING BOGUS DETAILS WHICH RESULTS IN CANCELLATION OF VISA WITH NEITHER ENTRY NOR JOB ONLY DEPORTATION FURTHER BARRING VISA HOLDERS FROM APPLYING ANY OTHER TYPES OF VISA OR PERMIT FOR AUSTRALIA WHICH FINISHED CAREERS The Department of Immigration and Citizenship is warning people of a scam involving the maritime crew visa (MCV). Unscrupulous operators are charging people large sums of money (the equivalent of several thousand Australian dollars), to allegedly arrange an employment contract and visa for employment on maritime vessels travelling to or working in Australia. Some MCV visas are automatically granted online. These agents lure gullible clients by showing them what appears to be valid visas on the departmental website. However, where these visas are obtained based on fraudulent claims these are subject to cancellation. These visas allow entry to Australia as a legitimate crew member on a vessel by sea only. An MCV does not permit travel by air to Australia. A separate visa is required for that purpose. The Australian Embassy is unable to verify employment offers from Australian companies. Job-seekers are strongly advised to verify all job offers using publicly available contact details for the relevant companies. Information on applying for Australian visas is available on the websites immi.gov.au and australia.ph/mnla/Visas_and_Migration2.html. General Information It is an offence under Australian immigration law to provide false documents or make misleading statements in a visa application. In such cases, applications may be refused and visas may be cancelled. In addition, the persons involved may be barred by law from being granted a visa for one to three years. In some cases they may be permanently excluded from Australia. To ensure the best possible client service, we strongly recommend that applicants obtain information and assistance regarding visa applications from either the Visa Office, our service provider PIASI or preferred migration agents. When applying for a visa to Australia applicants should be aware of the following: - If you are involved with migration fraud in any way your ability to apply to travel to Australia will be affected. - Ensure that all of the documentation that you provide with your application is genuine.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 06:06:02 +0000