Australia’s protection visa abused by PNG opportunists
This is a call to all Papua New Guinea women looking to live in Australia. Yes, there is such an opportunity. It will be funded by Australian taxpayers and you will get the opportunity of a life time.
Firstly though, you should consider coming to Australia on a tourist or student visa. After you enter Australia, it doesn’t matter what kind of story you can put together. Make it so convincing that your life will be in danger and you will be prosecuted in PNG. If you have medical reports, photographs of yourself and police statements, that will be much easier. Download reports and statistics of the rates of violence against women in PNG and add that to your application for protection. It adds weight to your claims. Even if you don’t have any experience, you can always try. It has worked and many PNG women are now living the life in Australia all because of false protection claims.
The Australian government knows PNG has very high rates of domestic violence and women are treated as second class citizens so coming to Australia seeking protection is easy.
Once in Australia, fill in your protection visa claims, and you will immediately be under the care of the Australian government. You will be given free accommodation and even put on Centrelink with free medical care and have opportunities to attend college or any school to help you find employment so that you can get off Centrelink. If you are not literate, the Australian government will help you learn English.
There are PNG women who have put in false protection visa claims and they live in Queensland and Victoria Australia’s Capital Territory and Western Australia. Many have been named but the Australian government cannot do anything due to what it calls privacy laws.
Reports also indicated female spouses of PNG students studying in Australian institutions have resorted to protection visa applications to remain in Australia after students have completed their studies. Female students have also successfully converted from student to protection visas under claims for protection.
Others sight protection visa claims based on pre-existing medical reasons which are also considered by the Australian department of immigration.
“We see the department of immigration giving them (PNG women) temporary accommodation and they live with Afghanis and Iraqis, genuine asylum seekers, while their protection visa is processed. We don’t ask questions because that is up to them and the Australian government,” one source said.
Like refugees and asylum seekers, PNG women have successfully lodged protection claims after entering Australia and their claims are being accepted by the department of immigration.
A former Australian migration agent says all applications for protection are processed by the department of immigration.
“Genuine or not, they all get through the system. It takes a lot longer to process applications depending on the evidence however once applications are accepted for processing, applicants are given what is called a bridging visa. They can use that bridging visa to gain access to all government services including Centrelink benefits or do short skills courses while waiting for their application to be processed for permanent residency status,” the former agent stated.
General responses suggested that it has become “easy” to get a protection visa as PNG women convert tourist and student visas to protection visas with what is believed to be ridiculous and false claims for protection. Only a few incidences involved domestic violence and abuses where police and Australian courts were involved.
“As someone in the visa industry and with family needing visas for Australia, I really get angry at people who rort the visa system, submit false documents, overstay their visas or don’t adhere to visa conditions. Your actions clog up the system and create an attitude of distrust in the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Those people who are genuine applicants are penalised by the lengthy processing times and so often refused entry because of the actions of the dishonest,” a frustrated Australian commented.
Western Highlander John Goimba, a former ANZ bank employee and father of four children has pursued his wife (named) through appeals to PNG and Australian government departments to no avail.
Mr Goimba says it came as a shock to him and his family that his wife could have lied to the department of immigration and successfully obtained a protection visa because at no time was his wife ever in danger from anyone least of all by himself.
He says the Australian tax payers are continuing to fund claims based on lies and deceit and more PNG women some whom he named are manipulating the Australian immigration laws without any questions being asked.
“I grew up in a Mission station, Rebiamul where my late father was one of first catechist under Father William Ross. I simply cannot live with a conscious to see families being separated for no just reason. This is greed and selfishness, and I will stand and fight to protect our families, culture & identity,” Mr Goimba said.
He says the Australian government through it’s immigration laws has encouraged the breakup of his family and this trend will continue if nothing is done to stop the free movement of PNG women who claim false protection under Australian immigration laws.
Most are said to be using pseudonym names to avoid immigration checks on social media. A search of several names came up with pen names of women who have deserted their family or are single using false names while living in Australia.
In response to Mr Goimba’s posts via social media, Tangil Okuk, said this was a growing trend in Australia where PNG women have moved to Australia using Australian protection laws.
“While Australia can be congratulated for its no nonsense approach towards ensuring safety of individuals, it is also imperative that each case is assessed thoroughly to verify legitimacy. Various reasons of women fleeing their family settings range from mid-life crisis to infidelity to escape from current status. Whatever the case may be, there are casualties and these casualties need answers that both PNG and Australian governments cannot give for reasons known only to them,” Mr Tangil said.
PNG’s acting high commissioner to Fiji, Yu Minimbi said this was a sad case among many who are lying to get protection visas.
“If Australian Immigration and other agencies take a look at all these PNG women in their country, they might see the similarity of stories (trend) to get sympathy for themselves. Maybe it’s time for both (PNG and Australia) governments to address this issue,” Mr Minimbi said.
Mr Goimba says his wife is free to leave their marriage if she wanted to however, putting claims for protection because of violence or the possibility that her life will be in danger in PNG suggests he is a violent man and that the Immigration Department never made contact with him to verify his wife’s claims.
When asked if he may have been responsible through violence or abuse that may have caused his wife to leave his family Mr Goimba said it was always the stereotype that PNG men are abusive towards their women making it look like innocent men are categorised as such.
“I would not have gone this far to shame myself or my family name to come out public if I am on the wrong. The perception people have is that most PNG male are women abusers and so it is ok for a woman to run away. Well for record, I am not in that basket and I can say that most PNG male are non-violent family loving husbands.
“What I and my children want to know is what independent investigation did the Australian Government and its relevant agencies carry out to justify protecting (wife named) and a number of other PNG women?” Mr Goimba said.
He says if the Australian government continues to downplay this issue, the Australian taxpayers will fund this manipulation of the government’s visa laws while genuine refugee and asylum seekers get caught up in the country’s visa processes.
This trend is being discussed via social media that PNG women are getting protection visas just to gain permanent residency in Australia and the Australian immigration is doing nothing to question the applicants.
