Carina Ford Immigration Lawyers

06/07/2021

Feel free to sign the petition at Change.org - Feel free to sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/the-department-of-home-affairs-help-david-come-and-care-for-his-wife-battling-breast-cancer?cs_tk=Akfn9jYMcOBjSCgX7WAAAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvNbUy9oXWCL4V22iNWIq1ns%3D&utm_campaign=556ae3b00f7e4c3e8d834f04b1e130fe&utm_content=initial_v0_2_0&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_signer_receipt_welcome&utm_term=cs

The decision to slash the cap on international arrivals by 50 per cent is weighing heavily on the more than 30,000 Aussies still stranded overseas.

06/07/2021

Our Managing Associate, Dushan Nikolic, spoke to the ABC about the Australian Border Force's harsh decision to reject a travel exemption to allow our client's husband to travel in to Australia to support her through her chemotherapy.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-04/juliets-husband-is-stuck-in-canada/100265714

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/am/womans-lonely-cancer-fight-while-husband-is-stuck-overseas/13431666

The decision to slash the cap on international arrivals by 50 per cent is weighing heavily on the more than 30,000 Aussies still stranded overseas.

10/06/2021

Carina appeared on the ABC's 7.30 program this evening discussing the latest developments in the Biloela family case with Laura Tingle.

Open in iview app 7.30 Australia's leading nightly public affairs program, bringing you more exclusive investigations and real life stories of extraordinary Australians. Plus a unique perspective on the issues of the day. Presented by Leigh Sales. Mondays to Thursdays 7.30pm on ABC TV + iview

08/06/2021

Thank you for all the messages, emails, prayers, letters to MP’s & help from across Australia offered over the last 24 hours to Tharnicaa and her family. It feels like there is overwhelming support from across 🇦🇺 for their release

21/05/2021

For anyone thinking about getting immigration law advice, this online seminar today at 12 pm may be of interest.

The content on this website relates to Victoria, Australia. It may not be applicable in other Australian states and territories.

19/05/2021

CFIL is proud to announce the promotion of Nina Merlino to Senior Lawyer and Allan Zabrdac to Associate Lawyer as of 1 July 2021.

Nina and Allan are recognized for their outstanding contribution to the firm. They are dedicated , highly-skilled immigration lawyers who are able to assist clients in all areas of immigration.

Congratulations Nina and Allan!

10/05/2021

Student visa work rights

The previous 40 hour fortnightly limit applied during study periods will not be enforced for student visa holders who are working in the tourism and hospitality industry.

The Department is taking a flexible approach to students working beyond the usual work limitations in the following industries:

employed in the health sector, enrolled in a health related course (such as nursing or medicine) and are directed by a health official to assist in the effort against COVID‑19
employed in aged care by an Approved Provider or Commonwealth-funded aged care service provider before 8 September 2020
employed by a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme provider before 23 April 2020
employed in the agriculture sector
employed in the tourism and hospitality sector

05/05/2021

ASHMORE REEF / PORTS-AFFECTED CLIENTS

Asylum seekers who arrived in Australia before 1 June 2013 and were taken to Ashmore Reef, now have a greater ability to apply for protection in Australia, following a landmark judgment by the Federal Court of Australia handed down on Tuesday, 4 May 2021. This cohort of applicants are generally referred to as “Ports Affected” applicants.

Since November 2019 the Department of Home Affairs has been progressively notifying Ports Affected applicants that they have “ministerial approval” to apply for a visa. However, the recent Federal Court’s decision means that this approval is no longer necessary. The likely outcomes of the Federal Court case for this cohort are as follows:

• These applicants will no longer be prevented from applying for a visa without ministerial approval
• if they have not already applied for a protection visa, they may now do so
• if they previously applied for a protection visa and their application was refused on the basis that they were prevented from making an application, the Department of Home Affairs may now be required to process the application
• if they applied for a protection visa before 18 April 2015, they may have the benefit of a different test to determine whether they are a refugee
• when, in the future, any temporary visa they hold expires, they may not need to again seek permission from the Minister to apply for another visa.

Further information can also be found on the Australian Human Rights Commission’s website, who made submissions to assist the court in the Federal Court case, based on human rights principles: https://humanrights.gov.au/about/news/media-releases/media-statement-federal-court-improves-pathways-protection-more-thousand.

If you are impacted by the above decision or are Ports Affected and require legal assistance, please contact the office on 03 9396 0207 to make an appointment to speak to one of our immigration lawyers.

More than 1,000 asylum seekers have a greater ability to apply for protection in Australia following a landmark judgment by the Federal Court on Tuesday. “When a person seeks asylum in Australia, it’s vital that their application be processed quickly, fairly and transparently. This judgment will...

25/04/2021

Important notice for Indian nationals with approved travel exemptions

We have become aware that the Australian government is now cancelling travel exemptions to travel to India that had previously been approved due to the worsening Covid-19 situation there.

The content of the messages we have seen is:

You were previously notified that your request for an exemption from Australia’s outwards travel restrictions was approved under s7 of the Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) (Overseas Travel Ban Emergency Requirements) Determination 2020.

Subsequent to this approval notification, the Australian Government has announced that due to a significant public health risk in India, travel to India poses a significant health risk to the Australian community. The Government has therefore announced that, effective immediately, outbound travel exemptions are no longer available for travel to India, except in extremely limited circumstances.

Until further notice, outwards travel exemptions will only be approved for travel to India in extremely limited circumstances, such as:
• critical workers providing assistance to India’s COVID-19 response;
• people undertaking travel in Australia’s national interest; or
• people seeking urgent medical treatment for a critical illness that is unable to be treated in Australia.

If you have been approved for travel and you are from India make sure to check all correspondence prior to seeking to depart.

Contact our office if you would like to get further advice on this issue.

16/04/2021

The Best Lawyers in Australia 2022 Edition was released today.

Carina Ford Lawyers are proud to celebrate the acknowledgement of Carina Ford who has been recognised as a Best Lawyer in the practice area of Immigration.

This recognition is especially significant following an extremely complicated time for many families and individuals forced to navigate through international travel and migration during a pandemic. Carina has successfully led the firm through these trying times and all through-out, continued to provide solid support to the firm’s clients.

Congratulations Carina!

Best Lawyers is a respected peer review publication within the legal industry. Recognition in this publication is regarded as an honour.

Carina Ford is a Immigration Law attorney in Melbourne, Australia. Read Carina Ford's profile to learn more about them and discover their Best Lawyers rankings.

14/04/2021

Our Managing Associate Leah Perkins spoke to SBS about the impacts of Ministerial Direction 80 on family reunion for refugees in Australia.

A steady stream of men have fled Afghanistan for Australia, but despite being recognised as refugees and granted protection, they have since faced never-ending visa delays for their wives and children to be able to join them. Some have now been waiting, alone, for more than 10 years.

13/04/2021

Travel to and from New Zealand from Monday 19 April 2021

From 19 April 2021, travellers can travel between Australia and New Zealand without having to go into managed isolation. Currently, all Australian states and territories are participating in quarantine-free travel with New Zealand, however this is subject to change depending on COVID-19 restrictions in each state/territory. You should regularly check the requirements of the state you're arriving in before departure.

Normal immigration rules still apply, which means if you usually need a visa to travel to travel to either New Zealand or Australia, you will need to apply and be granted this visa before travel, noting many of the offshore temporary visa pathways to either Australia or New Zealand are temporarily closed or processing timeframes have increased. If you plan to travel to either Australia or New Zealand, you will need to make sure you meet the visa and entry requirements for both Australia and New Zealand before you travel and ensure you have a valid visa to be able to return to either country (i.e, if not an Australian nor New Zealand citizen, you may need to hold an Australian visa with a valid travel facility or a New Zealand visa with multiple entry).

It is important to check the state or territory you are travelling to before departure and register with SafeTravel and Covid19.govt.nz which provide regular updates. If the COVID-19 situation changes in Australia, you may need to enter managed isolation or self-isolation when you return to New Zealand.

Please contact 03 9396 0207 (from within Australia) or +61 3 9396 0207 (from outside Australia) with any further queries or to arrange a consultation to discuss this further.