DIBP refuses to issue visa labels
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Try and keep that old passport with the visa label in it. One day you can show your grandchildren what they used to look like
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By Karl Konrad
Managing Director
Australian Immigration Law Services
From the 1st of September the DIBP has begun refusing to issue visa labels no matter how much money you may be willing to pay for it.
In a move which may upset overseas international airports, the DIBP has moved to a paperless electronic visa data base system where visa labels have now been assigned to the history books.
There is apparently even an app for your mobile phone so you can prove to the Border Force that you are not an unlawful non citizen when they stop you in the streets of Melbourne.
Check out the information on how this all works.
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Eddie Kang - still yet to lodge a plea
| Eddie Kang as he sits outside the court room
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By Jacinta Spiers Journalist for IMMIGRATIONnews Last Friday at the Parramatta Criminal Court, Mr. Kang was denied a request for a further adjournment. Magistrate Bartely seemed fed up with Kang's continual changing lawyers and he noted "the extreme delays" since March of this year. The Magistrate stated "there has been too many delays from the defense and little progress has been made for this case. The next hearing date will be fixed and there will be no further adjournments".
It would seem that Mr.Kang has changed his lawyers about 4 times and each time the new lawyers come along to the court saying they have just been appointed and they need time to go over the huge volume of materials on file.
Kang's current lawyer from Australian Criminal Law Specialists claimed there are "boxes full of files" containing 15 volumes of information and he argued they needed more time to go over the huge amount of documents and to then brief senior counsel. His lawyer claimed "there had been insufficient time to arrange a meeting". In response the Magistrate Bartely told Kang's lawyer he "believed that there has been sufficient time to arrange a briefing. He encouraged the lawyer to "get on it" in a timely manner or choose another senior counsel if these delays were to continue." Kang's lawyer had attempted to gain another adjournment until the 2nd of October but the Magistrate denied his request saying the next hearing will be on the 18th September. All of the legal delays have meant that Mr. Kang has yet to plea "guilty" or "not guilty" to the criminal charges served upon him in March. Even if a plea of "not guilty" is heard by the Magistrate on the 18th of September, it is expected that the trial and ultimate fate of Mr Kang will not be decided until well into next year.
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