Hugh Ford: registration cancelled by OMARA on 12 Oct 2018

What the Authority decided

On 12 October 2018, the Authority decided to cancel the registration of registered migration agent Mr Hugh Russell Ford (MARN 0742925)

ਚਾਰ ਸ਼ਿਕਾਇਤਾਂ ਦੀ ਜਾਂਚ ਦੇ ਨਤੀਜੇ ਵਜੋਂ, Authority ਸੰਤੁਸ਼ਟ ਸੀ ਕਿ Agent ਨੇ Code of Conduct ਦੀਆਂ clauses 2.1, 2.4, 2.8, 2.15, 2.23, 5.2, 5.5, 6.1, 9.1, 9.3 ਅਤੇ 10.2 ਦੀ ਉਲੰਘਣਾ ਕੀਤੀ ਸੀ ਅਤੇ ਉਹ ਇਮਾਨਦਾਰੀ ਵਾਲਾ ਵਿਅਕਤੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਸੀ ਅਤੇ immigration assistance ਦੇਣ ਲਈ fit and proper person ਨਹੀਂ ਸੀ। Authority ਨੇ ਲੱਭਿਆ ਕਿ Agent ਨੇ, ਹੋਰ ਗੱਲਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ:

• Conducted the Tribunal Hearing in relation to two of his clients in an aggressive and inappropriate manner, which was not in the legitimate interest of those clients, who were adversely affected by this conduct.
• Demonstrated a profound lack of respect towards a Tribunal Member by engaging in intimidating and coercive behaviour, which acutely tarnishes the reputation and integrity of the migration advice profession and did not assist the Tribunal to meet its objectives.
• Acted for some of his clients without having obtained their instructions, which adversely affected those clients.
• Did not maintain proper records which could be made available to the Authority, or respond properly to the complaints.

A redacted version of the Authority’s decision can be accessed below. Personal details have been removed in the interests of protecting the privacy of the persons involved. On 27 October 2018. the Agent lodged an appeal of this decision with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

ਉੱਪਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਫੈਸਲੇ ਦਾ ਸਾਰ ਇਸ ਤੋਂ ਦੁਬਾਰਾ ਪ੍ਰਸਤੁਤ ਕੀਤਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ Authority's published record of this decision, which also carries the decision document itself. Nothing has been added to it.

What a cancellation means if this was your agent

The registration is removed. The agent's name comes off the Register of Migration Agents and they may not give immigration assistance. A cancellation is usually accompanied by a period during which the person may not be registered again.

ਇਸ ਵੇਲੇ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਮਾਮਲੇ 'ਤੇ ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਕੰਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਕਰ ਰਿਹਾ। Treat this as urgent, and start with who the Department is writing to.

If this was your agent: the first week

1. Find out where your application actually is. If you have an ImmiAccount, log in. The clock does not stop because your representation did.
2. Check who the Department is writing to. A Form 956 makes an agent the authorised recipient, and correspondence sent to them is taken to have been given to you. A deadline sent to an inbox nobody reads is still a deadline.
3. Get your file. Your documents are yours and the Code requires them back — originals first. ਆਪਣੀ file ਵਾਪਸ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਲੈਣੀ ਹੈ.
4. Work out what was paid and what was done. ਵਿਸਥਾਰਵਾਰ ਇਨਵੌਇਸ ਅਤੇ ਰਸੀਦਾਂ ਮੰਗੋ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ Code ਮੰਗ ਕਰਦੀ ਹੈ। Routes to recover money work better started early.
5. Complain, if there is something to complain about. A published decision does not close your own file. Where to complain, and what OMARA can and cannot do.
6. Only then, find someone else. A new agent needs the file and the dates. The first five steps are what make that first conversation useful instead of exploratory.

What this decision does not mean

It is a decision about one individual on one date. Only a person can be a registered migration agent — a company cannot — so it says nothing about anyone else at the same practice. Decisions of this kind are reviewable, and bars and suspensions expire. The register ਉਹ ਥਾਂ ਹੈ ਜਿੱਥੇ ਮੌਜੂਦਾ ਸਥਿਤੀ ਦਰਜ ਹੈ।

Decision information sourced from the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority and used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence. VisaBid is not affiliated with OMARA or the Department of Home Affairs.