Immigration slams 'poor' Manus centre

THE Immigration Department has made a scathing assessment of its own temporary processing facility on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, calling for it to be urgently replaced with a permanent site, as a second asylum-seeker vessel was detected off the mainland.

In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry established by Special Minister of State Gary Gray to determine what infrastructure upgrades are necessary on the reopened Pacific Solution site, the current facilities on Manus Island were heavily criticised.

"The temporary centre is cramped and recreation facilities are limited and in a poor state," the departmental submission reads.

"There is no reliable power supply, limited potable water to the facility and the buildings and tents have a very short life expectancy."

It was also slammed for being located in a low-lying swampy area that encourages mosquito breeding.

Immigration officials have raised concerns that despite pedestal fans being provided in tents, temperatures are soaring to 38C, triggering behavioural problems among the detainees.

They fear the conditions in the centre will "increase risk of self-harm (and) mental health problems" and have called on Labor to replace the temporary site with "urgency".

The highly critical description of the conditions on Manus came as a second asylum-seeker boat was detected about 28 nautical miles off the West Australian coastline, a week after 66 Sri Lankans sailed into Geraldton harbour on a donated fishing vessel.

Customs and Border Protection yesterday confirmed that a WA police boat helped to intercept the asylum-seeker vessel, which was carrying 72 passengers.

Several of the passengers were transferred to Broome for medical treatment, while the remainder were sent to Christmas Island for health and security checks.

The boat was detected by a Customs and Border Protection surveillance plane on Sunday, and boarded by authorities from HMAS Ararat about 28.5NM -- just over 50km -- northwest of Broome.

Acting opposition immigration spokesman Michael Keenan attacked Labor for delaying legislation to excise the mainland from the migration zone, saying this was the second boat in less than two weeks to make it close to the mainland.

"This is yet another embarrassment for the government in a week that has already seen an asylum boat make it all the way to Geraldton undetected and another vessel arrive in Flying Fish Cove on Christmas Island undetected," he said.

The majority of the 66 asylum-seekers aboard the Deutsche Bank fishing boat which sailed into Geraldton harbour last Tuesday continue to be interviewed at the Christmas Island detention centre.

Source  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/immigration-slams-poor-manus-centre/story-fn9hm1gu-1226621094676

Australian employers, visa holders and applicants warned about migration changes

Immigration officials are keen that everyone from employers, visa holders and those considering moving to Australia should be aware of skilled migration options and the new laws and penalties that have been introduced recently.

Be visa aware, that is the message that is being sent out as outreach officers visit a series of locations to explain the significant changes to the employer sponsored skilled visa programme which were introduced in July of last year. The main changes are centred around SkillSelect, an online service that connects Australian employers with potential skilled migrants and streamlines the pathway to permanent residence for people already working in Australia on temporary skilled 457 visas.

Officials from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) believe it is important to educate businesses about their responsibility for checking to ensure that workers they employ are allowed to work in Australia. It has information on new laws recently passed by Parliament which introduce civil penalties and infringement notices for employers or suppliers of illegal workers.

Officials are vociferous in tracking down offenders and immigration compliance officers have, in the last few says, located 14 illegal workers and visa over stayers in a series of compliance operations in the New South Wales Illawarra and Southern Highlands regions. A total of nine men and five women were discovered to be unlawful. They indicate the range of different countries where immigrants come from with the group comprising of five Malaysians, six from China, and one each from Italy, Thailand and Vietnam. Eight of them were detained and transferred to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre, where they will be removed from Australia at the earliest opportunity and six were granted bridging visas with strict conditions.

A number of the operations were conducted in response to community information provided to the department’s telephone dob-in line. While information was also received through other sources investigations into the circumstances of the employment of the illegal workers are still continuing.

    Quote from AustraliaForum.com : “14-02-2013 – Compliance officers from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) today located 11 illegal workers at a residential property in the northern Perth suburb of Girrawheen.”

Meanwhile, in a separate operation at private premises in the Sydney suburb of Canley Vale immigration compliance officers located five unlawful non-citizens. Two couples, from Malaysia and China, were detained and transferred to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre pending their removal from Australia while a Malaysian woman was granted a temporary bridging visa. ‘Employers should be aware it is a criminal offence to knowingly or recklessly allow a person to work illegally or to refer an illegal worker for work,’ a DIAC spokesman said.

It wants employers to be aware that the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) service is available for them to check the relevant identification details of prospective employees, with their consent, to quickly confirm if they are eligible to work in Australia. Employers convicted under Commonwealth legislation of employing illegal workers face fines of up to $20,400 and two years’ imprisonment while companies face fines of up to $102,000 per illegal worker.

According to DIAC figures in 2011/2012 almost 2000 people were caught working illegally in Australia. ‘This activity continued across the country this financial year with a further 1,029 illegal workers found to December 31,’ the spokesman explained.

Source  http://www.australiaforum.com/information/immigration/australian-employers-visa-holders-and-applicants-warned-about-migration-changes.html

Australia's immigration processes "procedurally flawed"

Refugee activists say they are horrified by the case of a Chinese man, who has sought protection in Australia after allegedly escaping torture in his homeland.

The Falun Gong practitioner's case was backed by the United Nations, but the Australian Government has not accepted the findings.

Correspondent: Karen Barlow

Speakers: Mr Chen, Falungong practitioner and asylum-seeker; Veronica Spasaro, refugee advocate, Balmain for Refugees

BARLOW: (sfx Chinese) The scars are fading, but the man who wishes to be known as Mr Chen can't forget.

CHEN: I was beaten while they handcuffed me by the bars.

BARLOW: Mr Chen practices Falun Gong.. the spiritual discipline outlawed in China since 1999. Its strong following, independence from the state and incitement of so-called disturbances were seen as a threat to the communist party.

CHEN: When I was detained by police I was beaten by the police with an electric stakes and fists and I was also burnt by the cigarettes.

BARLOW: In one case, Mr Chen says he was detained for 16 days.. and tortured every day and told to renounce his beliefs and give up the names of those who practiced Falun Gong with him. He says his home was ransacked, his belongings taken and he was beaten heavily..

CHEN: After I was released it took me about one month to recover. My whole body was really beaten up.

BARLOW: Mr Chen fled China in 2004 and came to Australia for protection (CUT: in 2004), leaving his wife and two sons. There's a grandson he has never seen. Supporters say a negligent migration agent mishandled his case. Mr Chen was ordered to a hearing, but the migration agent never told him to attend.

Veronica Spasaro is from Balmain for Refugees

SPASARO: In fact, that meant by the time he had exhausted all procedures in the domestic processes, he'd never actually been interviewed in person about his claim or his evidence

BARLOW: This led to an eight-year legal limbo and fears of deportation.

SPASARO: We'd exhausted every avenue.. we were convinced there was a grave injustice about to be made.

BARLOW: Mr Chen 's case was taken to the United Nations' Committee Against Torture in New York, which ruled last November that deportation would "Breach article 3 of the UN convention against torture.. " and that Australia's immigration processes were "..procedurally flawed."

The Australian Government response was to.."Not necessarily accept the conclusion" of the UN committee.

Veronica Spasaro spearheaded the UN effort on Mr Chen's behalf. .

SPASARO: When we read that response we were really appalled and horrified, actually.

BARLOW: Mr Chen's supporters say he suffers from trauma not only from torture and persecution in China... but from the eight year process of trying to stay in Australia.

It appears he now has to restart the process for protection."

THE Australian Permanent Mission to the UN wrote that the government was considering whether Mr Chen could "make a further application for a protection visa."

Veronica Spasaro says the response is opened ended.

SPASARO: The horrifying part really is, the possibility that he may in fact be given the opportunity to re-apply for protection, and of course if the last opportunity has taken eight years to play out, the next opportunity could also take eight years potentially.

BARLOW: A spokeswoman for the Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor says Mr Chen's claims and the findings of the United Nations Committee Against Torture will be given due consideration." Mr Chen just wants to get on with his life, which he says he won't have if he is returned to China.

CHEN: A lot of Falun Gong practitioners are tortured to death so this may happen to me as well.

BARLOW: He is also very concerned about his family back home.. he says he has been informed on by fellow detainees in the Villawood detention Centre in Sydney.

CHEN: Some deported back to China already.. they told the police I was still practising Falun Gong. The police threatened my family that I should go back to China soon, quickly . And last year in November my wife was detained for about 4 to 5 days.

BARLOW: Mr Chen's been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

CHEN: I have no choice. I am afraid of going back to China.

BARLOW: So it is life in limbo.. for Mr Chen.

Source  http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/asia-pacific/australias-immigration-processes-procedurally-flawed/1116572

State's policy push on population stalls

SOUTH Australia's Labor government abandoned its promise to create a population policy in "co-ordination" with the federal government in the weeks after Julia Gillard deposed Kevin Rudd and torpedoed his "big Australia" push.

The development of a population platform for South Australia was launched in association with a policy being formulated by federal Labor in 2010, with minister Tom Koutsantonis charged with putting a final proposal to cabinet by the middle of 2011.

He told parliament that the national policy would "inform, and be informed by, South Australia's revised policy".

But although Population Minister Tony Burke released a national strategy in May 2011 -- without a target -- the promised South Australian review and policy never materialised.

Mr Koutsantonis yesterday refused to comment on whether his review was ever completed, or if a policy position was ever presented to cabinet for approval.

Premier Jay Weatherill also did not answer those questions, but in a statement said the "government's commitment to create a population policy was made under the former (Labor) premier".

"My focus is on where population growth is directed within South Australia and how we can live sustainably," he said.

"In particular, we are encouraging a substantial increase in population in the CBD and in regional towns."

He said that since taking over the premiership from Mike Rann in 2011, he had identified that "migration is a key driver of economic growth" and he was "actively pursuing South Australia's fair share of the migration intake".

This follows revelations last week in The Australian that the state Labor government was among the biggest users of the 457 visa program that Julia Gillard has vowed to reform because of employer "rorts".

The Premier yesterday said South Australia's state strategic plan had set a population target of two million by 2050, and the state had already met an interim target of 1.64 million people by 2014.

Ms Gillard has been opposed to any population policy being driven by a single, arbitrary number. Mr Rudd, when he was prime minister, said he believed in a "big Australia" but the government's position changed when Ms Gillard took over in June 2010.

The Coalition's population policy includes a target of 29 million by 2050.

Mr Koutsantonis was to have appointed a steering group and a team of population experts to assist his review. The state's last detailed policy on population, Prosperity Through People, was published in 2004, and predicted a population decline to 2030 because of falling fertility rates, the ageing population and SA's low share of international migration.

Opposition economic development spokesman Martin Hamilton-Smith said the state's population only grew by 1 per cent last year and questioned whether SA Labor's policy was rebuffed by Ms Gillard.

Source  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/states-policy-push-on-population-stalls/story-e6frgczx-1226614458735

Labor's 457 visa push disgraceful and racist, says Rupert Murdoch

NEWS Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch has branded Labor's language on foreign workers as "pretty disgraceful and racist".

Speaking in Darwin today, Mr Murdoch expressed strong support for the role migration could take to meet labour requirements in developing Australia's north.

“I think the way they are talking about (457 visas) is pretty disgraceful and racist,” the media mogul told Sky News.

“But I'm a big one for encouraging immigration. Just look at America, it's just fantastic. You know, you have difficulties (with the) first generation of migrants, if there's too many people from one area. But you know, they meld in a couple of generations. It leads to tremendous creativity in the community.”

Labor has been ramping up a pre-election campaign against overseas workers, suggesting the 457 visa system has been widely rorted, allowing foreigners to take Australian jobs.

Mr Murdoch said he was excited by the prospect of developing northern Australia and believed private enterprise should play the lead role in boosting Top End investment.

He said the role of government was to provide infrastructure and incentives to encourage investment and labour to relocate to the Northern Territory.

“Right now there is no unemployment in Darwin, and how do we get people to work and come up here?

“We've got to get skilled people up from the south here, and if we still need more people, then we've got to have some migration; that's good.”

News Corporation is the parent company of News Limited, which publishes The Australian.

Julia Gillard has argued her crackdown on foreign workers is about “putting the opportunities of Australian working people first, front and centre”.

However, industry groups have criticised the campaign, saying there is no systematic rorting of the scheme and pointing to skills shortages in key occupational areas.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said Ms Gillard's 457 rhetoric was a “naked grab for votes and a naked pledge to the union movement which has taken control of immigration policy”.

The Prime Minister's office is yet to comment.

Source  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/labors-457-visa-push-disgraceful-and-racist-says-rupert-murdoch/story-fn9hm1gu-1226610889938

Temporary Migration is a permanent thing

If the Prime Minister really thinks that the only purpose of the 457 visa is to fill temporary skills shortages then she should ask senior officials for a briefing about the evolution of Australia's migration program over the past fifteen years.

That may have been the original intention of the 457 visa. Conceived when Paul Keating was prime minister but introduced after John Howard took office in 1996, it was supposed to give the domestic training system enough breathing space to catch up with the demand for qualified employees. The idea was that skills gaps would be plugged with temporary foreign workers while locals were trained to fill the positions in the longer term.

Things have worked out differently. The 457 visa has expanded into something much more significant - an essential component of a fundamentally changed approach to selecting skilled migrants.

When Senator Chris Evans was immigration minister under Kevin Rudd, he described the change as a shift from a "supply-driven" to a "demand-driven" system. Rather than qualified migrants putting up their hands to come to Australia and then seeking appropriate employment after they arrive, business recruits directly from overseas. Rather than public servants in Canberra attempting to predict which skills the economy will require next year, business hires the foreign workers it needs, as and when it needs them.

Initially, this relatively new class of workers arrives on temporary visas, but in the ideal scenario things work out well on both sides. The temporary worker becomes a valued member of staff, enjoys the job and the lifestyle and decides to build a future in Australia. After two or three years, the employer sponsors a transition to permanent residency.

In many cases, this is indeed what happens. Almost 40 per cent of 457-visa holders have gone on to become permanent residents. Or, to look at the statistics in another way, about half of the skilled migrants granted permanent residency last financial year were already living here on a temporary basis, mostly as migrant workers on 457 visas or as international students who had graduated from Australian universities and colleges. (In fact the two categories overlap, since an increasing number of international students move to 457 visas after graduation.)

The number of permanent migrants sponsored annually by employers has grown from around 10,000 in 2003-04 to more than 45,000 today. It's no accident that about 80 per cent of these migrants are already living and working in Australia; the figure reflects a calculated shift towards demand-driven skilled migration via a two-step process - first temporary and then permanent residence.

There are many arguments in favour of this two-step process, which is also referred to as "try before you buy" or "suck it and see" migration. It provides a much more flexible and immediate response to the changing needs of employers (including state and territory governments, who are big users of 457 visa-holders in their hospitals). Foreign workers are recruited directly into jobs that match their skills and experience, avoiding the situation in which they come to Australia independently, fail to find work in their profession, and end up in a lower skilled job.

Two-step migration also acts as an additional test of the quality of migrants' skills. If the performance of 457 visa-holders fails to match their qualifications and experience then their presence in the workplace - and in Australia - really is likely to be temporary. Finally, the two-step system gives migrants an opportunity to check out life and work in Australia before they confront the monumental decision of whether or not to move permanently to a new country.

Those are the largely positive features of the temporary migration two-step. But there are unresolved problems as well.

Trade unions have raised concerns about the exploitation of workers on temporary visas and the potential for them to undermine established wages and conditions. Abuses undoubtedly do occur, even if they are the exceptions rather than the rule. A quick trawl through media releases from the Fair Work Ombudsman throws up numerous cases of foreign nationals being underpaid and overworked. But the system is better than it was prior to reforms in 2009, which, among other things, introduced a market-based minimum salary. Now, overseas workers must be paid at or above prevailing local wages; previously, the government set a baseline salary that could fall below the wages commanded by workers in specific industries.

Further tweaking could improve the system. It would make sense, for instance, to give fair work inspectors the power to check immigration paper work to ensure that 457 visa holders are being employed in the skilled jobs for which they were recruited.

The potential for exploitation is inherent in the temporary migration system, particularly with the emphasis falling more heavily on employer sponsorship as a necessary step on the pathway from temporary migrant to permanent resident. As industrial relations commissioner Barbara Deegan found in her review of the integrity of the 457 visa system in 2008, an employer's power to give or withhold support for permanent residency can make temporary migrants particularly vulnerable to "substandard living conditions, illegal or unfair deductions from wages, and other similar forms of exploitation."

If their job situation becomes untenable and 457 visa-holders decide to resign, they have only twenty-eight days to find an alternative employer before they lose the right to stay in Australia. Commissioner Deegan suggested extending the grace period to ninety days. This simple way to help temporary migrant workers stand up to exploitation appears not to be on the government's agenda.

The other concern expressed by some trade unions, and more recently by the prime minister, is that use of the 457-visa has resulted in "foreign workers being put at the front of the queue with Australian workers at the back." Beyond a vague statement on the immigration department's website that the "457 program has expanded well above the national employment growth rate" and that "the nature of the program's use by some employers indicates that the criteria is [sic] not being fully met," little evidence has been offered to support this contention. The changes being rolled out in response to the government's newfound concern about the 457 visa involve a series of technical adjustments rather than any fundamental rethink of the scheme.

There is, for example, no move to introduce a systematic process of labour market testing to check whether skills shortages actually exist in particular area. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship argues that the extra cost of recruiting offshore means that employers will employ qualified local workers first. Complications can arise, though, when a contractor recruits staff for a project in a remote area where skills are clearly in short supply and then redeploys them to a metropolitan area where the extent of skills shortages is hotly contested. (This appears to have been part of the sequence of events behind recent picket lines and protests at a construction site in Werribee.)

Employers say that they use 457 visas when no suitable local candidates are available. If this is the case and temporary migrants take positions that would otherwise go unfilled, then it is more likely that they are enabling enterprises to expand, creating additional jobs rather than displacing local workers. And temporary workers spend money on goods and services, which also generates local employment.


THE shift to temporary migration also raises a longer-term issue. The permanent migration program is capped. The temporary migration program is not. While government sets an annual limit on the number of permanent residency visas, business can bring in as many temporary skilled workers as it needs. What happens if the number of 457 visas grows to such an extent that the number of temporary workers seeking residency exceeds the number of permanent places on offer?

In the last financial year, the number of skilled workers granted temporary visas to work in Australia was almost exactly equal to the number granted permanent residency (125,000). If temporary migration overtakes permanent migration over a sustained period then there is a risk of an accumulating level of unmet demand for residency. We could see a growing backlog of 457 visa holders - people living and working in Australia who want to become residents, but for whom there is no room in the annual quota.

In such a situation the federal government could always increase the permanent migration intake - but the politics of immigration being what they are, there is no guarantee that this would happen. As a result, 457 visa holders could wait quite some time for their applications for permanent residency to be processed.

This is exactly what happened to tens of thousands of international students who met the criteria for permanent residency but found themselves stuck in a processing limbo because there were too few places in the migration program and their applications had been assessed as low priority. At the start of this financial year there were 143,000 applicants for permanent residency already in the processing pipeline, equal to more than an entire year's intake.

This raises more fundamental questions. How long is it acceptable for someone to live, work and pay taxes in Australia but be denied government-funded services, including free medical care or schooling for their children? How long is it acceptable for someone to live, work and pay taxes in Australia but have no right to vote or run for office? At what point do we say that someone has contributed enough or developed a sufficient attachment to this country that they should no longer be treated as an outsider? There are no simple answers to these questions. Now that the temporary two-step is a permanent feature of the migration program, however, these are also issues we need to debate. 

Source  http://www.swinburne.edu.au/chancellery/mediacentre/media-centre/news/2013/03/temporary-migration-is-a-permanent-thing

First of its kind Visa Application Centre for Five Countries Conference (5CC) launched in Singapore

Opening Ceremony of VAC Mar 25 from left Paul John, CFO-VFS Global; Antony Phillipson, British High Commissioner; Bernadette Cavanagh, New Zealand High Commissioner; and Philip Green, Australian High Commissioner.

In a collaborative effort to address immigration and border security of common interest, the Governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and United States of America have formed a Five Country Conference (5CC). The 5CC nations of Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States work together to enhance the integrity, Security and efficiency of their immigration and border services to improve client services and reduce costs.

The border control agencies of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have appointed VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for diplomatic missions and governments, to offer a cohesive visa application facility in Singapore.

As part of their on-going efforts to improve processes, rationalise resources and achieve better value for money, the 5CC have agreed an initiative to share visa support services, including the enrolment of biometrics. The first initiative of the 5CC was launched today with the commencement of operations for Australia, New Zealand and UK visas in Singapore.

The cooperation is aimed not only at providing a convenient and seamless visa application process for these countries, but also jointly tackling visa and identity frauds that has plagued the immigration systems from time to time. By working together under the aegis of the 5CC, the border control agencies will collectively aim to counter some of the common challenges around global migration by sharing best practice and coordinating their response to these challenges. With the maximising of joint efforts to facilitate legal immigration flows, the conference is confident of providing protection to those in genuine need, and to guard against those who would otherwise take advantage of or abuse their immigration systems.

Over the past decade, the border control agencies of the five countries, namely – Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) - Australia, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), Immigration New Zealand (INZ), UK Border Agency (UKBA) and US Department of State, have conjointly worked on the following areas of co-operation:

• Identity Management, including the use of biometrics and other technology to tackle identity fraud
  
• Information sharing
  
• Intelligence and overseas liaison
  
• Returns and repatriation
• Intergovernmental migration and refugees
  
• Business development
  

Australia, New Zealand, and the UK immigration departments today announced details of the first Five Country Conference (FCC) shared Visa Application Centre (VAC) at Singapore.

The spokesperson’s for Australia and New Zealand said, “Shared visa application facilities would lead to improved services for clients of each country and would also achieve greater efficiencies through shared infrastructure and staffing. These services will include extended operating hours with phones open until 5pm weekdays, and internet kiosks with an online application tracking facility so clients can view the status of their applications. Savings achieved this way are ultimately able to be passed on to our clients. All applications will continue to be assessed and decided by immigration staff at both the Australian and New Zealand high commissions. VAC staff will not be involved in decisions or have any knowledge of application outcomes.”

The British High Commissioner, Antony Phillipson and UK Border Agency Regional Director: Asia Pacific, Simon Peachey, joined their Australian and New Zealand counterparts to officially open a new shared visa application centre. High Commissioner, Antony Phillipson said: “The use of shared visa application facilities will save us costs through shared infrastructure and resources and allow us to maintain the very high levels of service we provide to our customers in Singapore and continue to develop new premium products to meet their needs.”

Upbeat about this new facility, Ajit Alexander, Chief Operating Officer - Australasia, VFS Global said, “It is our privilege to partner the High Commissions of Australia and New Zealand, as well as the UK Border Agency, to provide a convenient and hassle-free visa application process for the residents of Singapore. We are committed to providing highly efficient and convenient services to all visa applicants applying for Australia, New Zealand and UK visas in the city. Applicants in Singapore can now apply at VFS Global’s convenient and comfortable Joint Visa Applications Centre and expect professional services at all times”.

He further added, “VFS Global is honoured to be associated with the Governments of Australia since 2004, New Zealand since 2011 and the UK since 2003, being their trusted partner in 22, 4 and 35 countries respectively. Infact, we have had the privilege to serve the Government of UK in Singapore since 2004! This extension of our association with the Department of Immigration And Citizenship – Australia (DIAC), Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and UK Border Agency (UKBA) reflects their faith in our abilities, and we are sure to reinforce a longstanding partnership with our esteemed clients. We invite applicants wishing to travel to Australia, New Zealand and the UK to visit our new state-of-the-art and better equipped Joint VAC and benefit from the renewed and additional services offered by VFS Global.”

The Joint Visa Application Centre (JVAC) commenced visa application services for Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Travellers aspiring for visas to these countries can now do so at a convenient and common facility of the VFS Global operated 5CC Visa Application Centre (VAC), located at 20, Cecil Street, #11-02 to 05, Equity Plaza, Singapore 049705.

VFS Global will be responsible for accepting visa applications for Australia, New Zealand and UK visas from applicants residing in Singapore. All applications will continue to be assessed and processed by the DIAC, INZ and UKBA offices respectively.

The key features of the 5CC VAC will be:

• Conveniently located state-of-the art Visa Application Centre
  
• Longer operating hours
  
• Dedicated counters for applicants and travel agents
  
• Easy and standard documentation
  
• Quick and safe biometric enrolments (For UK currently)
  
• Professional and responsive staff dedicated to handle visa queries
  
• Dedicated call centre to answer queries and status of application
  
• Online appointment system and tracking of application status
  
• Dedicated websites to provide information on visa categories, fees, application forms, etc.
  
• 100% secure handling of documents and personal information
  
• SMS alert for visa status update on mobile phones
  
• Door step delivery of passports
  

The VAC will remain open from 08:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs from Monday-Friday, keeping in mind the convenience of the applicants. The services of the 5CC VAC would attract a nominal service fee, payable at the time of application.

Source  http://www.etravelblackboardasia.com/article/90178/first-of-its-kind-visa-application-centre-for-five-countries-conference-5cc-launched-in-singapore