Parents plea to find missing German Backpacker

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

The parents of missing German backpacker Jan-Christian Bielenberg arrived from Germany yesterday.

They delivered a heart felt plea to their son at a press conference in Bunbury yesterday morning.

They both were hopeful their son would be found alive and well.

“He is alive … until there is proof of the opposite,” Mr Bielenberg said.

Jan-Christian constantly kept contact with them during his time in Australia.

The last time they spoke to their son was two days before his disappearance.

Senior Sergeant Gardiner said police were still hopeful the young tourist would be found alive and well.

Police ask anyone who may have sighted him or with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

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Marriage scamming for permanent residency

Immigration to our shores is running at record levels and so too is the boom in illegal immigrants.

Some are scamming permanent residency is to catch and marry single Aussies. Immigration officials are cracking down on fake marriages, but  sometimes impossible to know when love is true or false. 

Over the last ten years spousal visa applications to Australia jumped from 26,000 to 40,000 a year. Many phoney fiancés and spouses were kicked out last year. 

Less than three per cent of applicants are investigated. 

The process requires foreign spouses to live with their partner for two years and they may be tested on their truthfulness by the Bona Fide units, set up in states across the country.

Differentiating between love and fraud is not a given, what we are interested in determining is that the evidence and the paperwork and the documentation put before us is true and accurate that it is not a forged document. 

They’re even more brazen in India where migration agents and internet surfers state plainly what they want, with posts including: “Paper marriage for Australia” and “Looking for a girl to do a paper marriage just to get residency in Australia.” 

The Times of India newspaper detailed how brides and grooms are contracted to marry, just so they can move here. 

If they are operating in India, or in China, or in Canada, or in the UK or anywhere overseas, our laws don’t control their activities

Act, under visa fraud it can include cancellation of the visa, and ultimately removal from the country. In the least we can refuse and we often do in 3000 instances to grant a visa in the last financial year. 

Dob-In Line: 1800 009 623

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Michael Parkinson coming to Australia

Parky the legendary chat show host will be coming to Perth on the 20 October 2009 at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre.                                

Parky – The One-Man Show

Michael Parkinson will be sharing his greatest moments, his love of music and sport and sharing the events of his fascinating life, live on stage in his one man show.

Venue  :  Riverside Theatre – Perth Convention Centre – www.pcec.com.au

Admission Price  :  A Reserve $139.00 p/p     B Reserve $89.00p/p   

Events contacts  :  www.ticketek.com.au

Phone  :  132 849

Related Link  :  www.parky.com.au

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New animal-friendly airline Pet Airways a hit

PEOPLE love their pets, sometimes more than they love other people.

So it is not a surprise that a start-up company, Pet Airways, has had a massive response since offering to transport dogs and cats in a much more caring way.

Precious pets won’t be left to fend for themselves in cages in a freezing cargo hold – an experience that so scared a Jack Russell terrier owned by husband-and-wife team Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel that they decided to launch Pet Airways.

All of the passengers using the new airline’s cargo plane get to travel in the front of the plane in special carriers installed instead of seats.

They are escorted to the plane by pet-loving attendants who check on their precious cargo every 15 minutes.

The pets are given pre-boarding walks and bathroom breaks and also have access to a “Pet Lounge” where future fliers can wait and sniff the furniture before flights.

The demand for the service has been staggering, with flights rapidly booked out for the first two months.

Operating between regional airports in New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles, Pet Airways charges about $315 per trip, which is comparable with charges on less pet-friendly airlines.

The company is already looking to add more flights and cities soon, and hopes to fly to 25 destinations within three years.

Betsy Saul, co-founder of Petfinder.com which ranks the pet-friendliness of various airlines, said she was excited about the expected impact Pet Airways would have on pet travel across major airlines.

”The entire industry will stretch because of Pet Airways,” Betsy told the Associated Press.

Source : www.news.com.au

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