Following a rigorous tendering process our firm was selected by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to provide immigration advice and application assistance under the IAAAS.

If you qualify, please contact us to discuss your matter.
The Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme (IAAAS) funds selected registered Migration Agents to provide:

(1) Application assistance to:

• protection Visa (PV) applicants in immigration detention
• disadvantaged PV applicants in greatest need (including Temporary Protection Visa holders) in the community and
• disadvantaged non-PV applicants in greatest need in the community.

(2) Immigration advice to disadvantaged members of the community in greatest need.

Assistance and advice is funded by the Commonwealth at no cost to the applicant.

Application assistance

Application assistance is provided to eligible applicants to prepare, lodge and present applications for visas. It also includes application assistance to prepare the merits review application should primary application be refused and to explain the implications of visa decisions made by the Department and relevant merits review tribunal. IAAAS services are not, however, provided where an applicant appeals to the Federal Court or where an applicant seeks the Minister's intervention under section 417 of the Migration Act 1958.

Immigration advice

Immigration advice is provided to eligible members of the community who are seeking to:

• prepare and lodge their own visa applications
• extend or to vary the conditions of their visas and
• sponsor applicants.

Eligibility criteria

Detention:

All people in immigration detention who seek to apply for a protection visa are offered IAAAS assistance

Community:

Disadvantaged persons in greatest need in the community in Australia are eligible for IAAAS services.

A 'Disadvantaged Person' is one who:

(a) is in financial hardship and

(b) is disadvantaged on account of:

• non-English speaking background: where English is not the primary language in the client's country of origin, or
• cultural background: where they are unable to obtain relevant assistance considering cultural sensitivities such as gender issues or
• illiteracy: in relation to their native language and/or principle language in their country of origin or
• remote location: this is defined as outside any Australian State capital city, and excludes areas with known Registered Migration Agents or
• physical or psychological disability, which includes the physical and psychological disability from past torture and trauma or
• physical or psychological harm resulting from domestic violence.
The IAAAS is not intended to provide universal assistance to all visa applicants. The protection visa process for example has been structured to obviate the need for asylum seekers to retain professional assistance to pursue their claims. IAAAS service providers are selected, amongst other things, on their capacity to focus assistance on those cases in most need.

The assistance provided by IAAAS should not be confused with assistance provided by Legal Aid Commissions. All inquiries for legal aid services should be directed to those organisations or to offices of the Commonwealth Attorney General's Department in Australia.

For a free no obligation discussion contact us: advice@fblawyers.com.au or telephone +61 3 9642 5855.