calNgary Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 I received a very upsetting Private Message this morning from one of our members, due to site rules i have removed the agents name and company name and posted it hoping fellow members can help this family in some way, as i dread to think just how lost they are feeling right now. It is known the UK company they used isnt MARA registered but can anyone offer good advice on what this family can do from here, or where to go for good advice ? Can any of our resident agents offer advice or help?. This again shows how important it is to make sure the agent you recruit is MARA Registered but what is done is done so we won't dwell on that. hi, we lodged our 189 PR visa 18 months ago and received (after a VERY stressful and complicated application process) verbal confirmation' from ************** migration agents that we had our visa grant in july this year. my husband and I handed in notices and began the task of packing up and closing life here and organising and sorting everything for the big move.. we are a week off shipping our furniture.. we have cases all around us packed, we have given loads away to charity and friends, we have handed in our advisory primary school teaching notices to the authority and have a few weeks till we were due to fly.. (shipment of furniture was booked with John mason for next week - I have bought tropical clothes etc for all family members and our leaving party at work is planned, shipment of our house/furniture is booked for next week..etc) HOWEVER.. ..................... the ************* migration company (not MARA registered) emailed us today with a load of rubbish excuses about a 'possible security breach and stated that in fact we DO NOT have any applications for visas lodged and never have had!?!?! we are no longer eligible to apply for one as primary teachers are no longer on list!?!?!!?!?!?! Devastated is not the word. we have 18 months worth of lies recordd on email/texts and we have spent thousands of pounds on medicals, Qld teacher registration, certification of documents etc and said goodbuy to our life.. *********** agents even falsely 'created' a pretend visa grant notification with made up TRN numbers and everything!! and up until 10 o clock last night were promising our official paper work and grants to arrive - but the 'director informed us today that in fact no visa was EVER lodged last June!?!?!!!!!?!?! we have bought our daughter a mermaid tail and swimming pool toys for a Christmas in the sunshine this will now never happen....we are packed and ready to move .. but as things stand tonight we have nothing.. no jobs. a two year commitment to being landlords/bigger rental mortgage.. a big BIG mess to clear up.. and an end to our oz dreams. :-( Our future now is full of court appearances and bitter battles and NOT sunshine/dolphins!!!! we MAY be entitled to compensation through courts but it is going to be a long, expensive, time consuming and stressful process.. not us spending Christmas in sunshine like we have been dreaming of for 2 + years!! total world devastation! The reason I am emailing you all of this is that **** and **** ****** from ****** uk migration are not registered with MARA and should NOT be allowed to trade.. they have directly lied for 100+ emails.. and although they have offered us a 'refund for thier fees' have not even acknowledged the stress and life devastation this bare faced deceit has caused us as a family (Past and future) We do not want them to get off with this and will pursue through police and courts from tom.. but we don't want others to suffer same fate. Don't feel we are able to openly report.. 'don't touch them with a bargepole on forum just in case legal proceedings begin.. but need/want people to know thee are BIG trust and honesty probelms. Also - as they are not registered it seems we have NO Comeback or support or ANY outside agency willing to help us sort the mess and get justice for our treatment.. cant find ANY uk contact numbers or agencies to talk to directly (no numbers for immigration/embassy etc) and will just have to walk into police station tom with arm full of emails/lies!?!?! As a moderator I wanted you to know and possibly spread word with the locals etc. if you have any advice re: avenues for help we would be grateful - am wishing with all my heart this is not the end to my big dream for my family - but realistically know it probably is!! (primary school teachers no longer required in Brisbane - eldest son now 19 and not in college/eligible as he was when we started this!! :-((( ) Any all advice gratefully received, Many thanks. (Sorry for ramble - don't know where to turn! No one wants to know - our world is a mess and we don't know what o do!?!) x 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30085 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Those poor people, one of the worst ones I've read, creating a fake grant letter even?? I wish the posters all the luck in the world, hopefully some of the migration agents will see this thread, even a glimmer of hope may help them. Best wishes to them x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiralx Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 I would say they have been the victim of criminal behaviour and should make a police complaint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raul Senise Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 First of all, sorry to hear about this, I cannot even imagine the stress and trauma this deceit has caused the family. Please PM me some details and I will forward the case to the Secretary of Migration Alliance. They have been campaigning the Immigration Department to ban unregistered practices overseas, as unfortunately this type of story is not uncommon. I am not sure what can be done from this side, as overseas practices are not bound by any standards, code of conduct or anything at all. Anyone can charge to offer Migration Assistance outside of Australia, even if they know zero about the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMay24 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 It's a very, very sad state of affairs that a group of people would so deliberately manipulate and take advantage of people like that. I hope they're able to get some compensation for what they've gone through. It's unfortunate that hindsight is so 20/20, but perhaps in future applicants should confirm they have in fact got a visa by going into VEVO to confirm the details a migration agent gives them regarding a grant. But realistically, who would think to do that other than the very paranoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 (edited) Good heavens! I'd say head for the local cop shop, this is fraud pure and simple! Retrieving a life sounds like it's going to be an uphill battle here and I wish them all the best in getting back on track somehow but along with that goes the lesson - never quit your job unless there is no alternative, always take a career break! What a shocker! edited to say this mob were really great when my dad was scammed and may be a good starting point http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/types_of_fraud Edited September 26, 2014 by Quoll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Speechless. I feel very sorry for the author. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Lombard Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Like Raul I'm happy to raise this with a professional body, in my case the MIA seems most appropriate. I would however note that of the many dangers of dealing with an unregistered agent this seems like the most obvious one - you do have to ask why an agent would bother to be unregistered since the regulation of agents does perform the purpose of protecting people in this situation, and does not add significantly to the overheads of business. Further, as every registered agent is obliged to cover professional indemnity insurance you would have the additional protection of the insurer's obligation to make good. Cheers, George Lombard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearlythere1 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Wow, that's heartbreaking.. :mad: We are at the same stage as these poor people, I had to go check my VEVO status, immediately.. I have no useful info for the OP, but can only say to people thinking of using an agent, that you can find them (MARA registered agents) through the Australian immigration website. It lead us to ours in the UK, which gave me confidence that they were genuine. I hope everything works out for the OP, we are gutted for them. I can't imagine how devastated we would be if we found something similar out at this stage in the process.. :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maisiedaisy Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 So very sad and heartbreaking to read, I can only imagine what they must be going thru, they must be absolutely devastated. I hope they can find a solution and move forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 Thanks so much for the advice and words of support guys, i have alerted the member to this thread so hopefully they can get the help / advice they need. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovingtoTasmania Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 How absolutely heartbreaking and devastating for this whole family. Their whole lives disrupted for nothing. I really hope that they can pursue some sort of justice, either through the Police or Courts. @calNgary I can not offer any advice on moving forward in terms of migration help, but if they need somewhere to stay, my house is more than big enough and they are welcome, my door is open so please let them know xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Awful. I'm so sorry for the family concerned. Have nothing to offer but hope the police take them seriously and pursue the heartless b******s who have put them in this position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wen66 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Oh my goodness, those poor people. Tell them to stay strong. Pursue the agent through the courts, sue them, what ever it takes. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryandPaul Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Oh my God. That is horrendous. I feel terrible for the poor family involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Get the victims to go to my website and contact me and I will have a look at their case if they wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killara Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 I am currently representing clients in Australia where there has been a similar history of fraudulent visa grant notices and deceitful emails. I would also be happy to review the UK family's case and determine whether there may be something that can be done for them here. DIBP should be notified of the fraudulent visa grant notices. They will conduct an investigation and seek to bring criminal charges against the person(s) responsible. This is worth doing even though it is a UK company. If I can assist this family, I would be happy to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saad1988 Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 I was dreading about my waiting and I feel really sorry for those people... God bless them.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tothemoon Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Heartbreaking. I can not imagine how this family are feeling right now. I hope they can get some justice. I wish them all the best x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 I am currently representing clients in Australia where there has been a similar history of fraudulent visa grant notices and deceitful emails. I would also be happy to review the UK family's case and determine whether there may be something that can be done for them here. DIBP should be notified of the fraudulent visa grant notices. They will conduct an investigation and seek to bring criminal charges against the person(s) responsible. This is worth doing even though it is a UK company. If I can assist this family, I would be happy to. Good on you. The DIBP will do SFA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killara Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 Good on you. The DIBP will do SFA. From my own professional experience, I disagree. As I've said, the facts involved for this UK family are similar to a matter which I am currently dealing with for clients in Australia. That resulted in an investigation by DIBP. As a result of that investigation and legal proceedings taken, a substantial sum of money will be available to compensate victims. Have you actually had a case involving fraudulent visa grant notices in which DIBP took no action? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 From my own professional experience, I disagree. As I've said, the facts involved for this UK family are similar to a matter which I am currently dealing with for clients in Australia. That resulted in an investigation by DIBP. As a result of that investigation and legal proceedings taken, a substantial sum of money will be available to compensate victims. Have you actually had a case involving fraudulent visa grant notices in which DIBP took no action? Not in respect of a fraudulent visa grant, but. I have had immi get rid of files (in the face of FoI requests) to cover up their own part in underhand activities. I know of various cases where unregistered agents have variously; lodged fraudulent documents admitted doing so, bungled one case after another and have been allowed allowed to carry on as if nothing had happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 This is awful news; so sorry for the family. If they still routinely put visa labels in passports it would make it much harder for fraudulent agents to sustain lies like this for so long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 This is awful news; so sorry for the family. If they still routinely put visa labels in passports it would make it much harder for fraudulent agents to sustain lies like this for so long. You are dead right about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katrol Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I burst into tears when I read this story. I am so very sorry for this families troubles and hardships they are now facing because of greedy people with no morals or ethics. Migration is stressful from the beginning till the end and for this to happen is just unacceptable. I really pray that who ever is responsible for this gets what they deserve. I am a full believer in Karma. I wish the family concerned the best of luck. I hope the light at the end of the tunnel comes soon. xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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