A new Migration Legislation Amendment (2017 Measures Number 4) Regulations was proposed at the beginning of November 2017. Among other proposed changes, the legislation refers to the Public Interest Criteria (PIC) 4020. What means the new changes? The Department of Immigration could refuse a visa application on PIC 4020 grounds if an applicant had given either a bogus document or information that was false or misleading in a material particular within the 10 year period before the visa application was made (expanding the period from 12 months under the old legislation).
The information would have included omissions of fact, inaccurate statements, or lodging false documents such as English language proficiency scores, bank records or work experience.
These changes came into force on 18 November 2017. However, the good news is the new Migration Legislation has been disallowed by the Senate on 4 December 2017. The proposed Migration Regulations could have a significant impact on refugees, particularly those on temporary protection visas and bridging visas.
Although the legislation was in effect for a short period of time (from 18 November 2017 until 4 December 2017), applications lodged or visa granted during that period will still fall within the scope of the proposed legislation.