The Australian government encourages legal migration through its pro-immigration policy.
“We believe that the government’s stance on migration will work positively for legal migration. They will also come down harshly on illegal migration. There are components in migration policy and the major one is skilled migration to Australia followed by business, family and employee migration,” Accredited Immigration Law Specialist from Fairfields Lawyers, Don Susantha Katugampala said.
The immigration perception is changing today, and what is applicable to Sri Lanka is that people want to have an option in this matter as they do not want to leave the country forever while securing the right to live in another country legally. The factors of education of children, lifestyle, financial security and growth have become the main concern of these potential migrants, he said.
“One need not forget one’s country in the long run. Australia is the number one priority for immigrants. We are promoting legal immigration with the theme of ‘people should come back and help Sri Lanka’. This is because the expatriate community can help Sri Lanka in a positive way to achieve prosperity. We think that the Sri Lankan government should use expatriates in a productive way for the future growth of the country, he said.
Katugampola who also serves in the SriLankan Airlines Board explained the immigration procedure for the benefit of the potential migrants.
‘Business migration’ has three popular options. Two options are related to business travel visa with two different qualifications requirements. The other one is the ‘investor visa’. “Being a lawyer practising in Australia for 20 years, I have that experience and exposure , correct business network and understanding of both ends- Australia and Sri Lanka- with proven expertise in immigration laws.
“Unfortunately since Sri Lanka is going through some uncertainty I see that lots of people are interested in immigration opportunities. Therefore, it is very easy for people to be vulnerable to some agents who would compromise the quality of their application. It is important for the applicants to understand this.
“They should work with reputed people who would not consider money making as their first priority. Since we believe in reputation and goodwill to maintain long term, we are not prepared to compromise quality. We believe we give people correct guidelines in legal framework within the laws and regulations in Australia,” he said.
“We have been doing this from 1999, for 20 years practicing this as a leading immigration law firm. I have been registered to provide migration advice since 1996. My practice is over 22 years. But my worry is people who registered to some agents who provide such services present themselves as migration experts where the misleading starts.
“We think that expertise never get old, it works best for the benefit of clients. It is a very complex exercise and every aspect requires the understanding of legal and policy framework related to Australian immigration. We not only work with the existing legal and policy framework we continue to lobby the Australian government, opposition and other policy makers to make good immigration policy that benefit Australia and genuine applicants. We are placed best to support our clients the best visa outcome,” he said.