We welcome contributions to our newsletter from our readers. Articles must be between 500 and 1000 words. Please send your article to <newsletter@affma.org.au>
The deadline for submission of articles is the 15th of the month.
AFFMA News
From the acting CEO’s desk
Greetings to all our valued readers,
Short and sweet is the theme of this correspondence, with just three items for your attention:
Karyn Clarke
Acting CEO
AFFMA fundraising sale – AFFMA is funded by donations only and is run by volunteers – NO government funding!
FUNDRAISING SALE – 50% OFF EVERYTHING! 
ALL BRAND NEW:
- Manchester, Blankets, Bedding
- Electrical goods
- Stationery
- Furniture, Homeware, Bric-A-Brac
- Clothes, Shoes
$0.50 in every $1 raised helps a refugee fleeing from persecution. Refugees we help must be living in NSW and be seeking protection.
AFFMA is a registered charity that provides fee free legal assistance to refugees. We are the only office-based charity that is run 100% by professional pro bono lawyers, migration agents and passionate volunteers.
In the last 2 months alone, we have received over 20 legal assistance requests from refugees.
Help us to continue offering free assistance to refugees. Every $35 raised will save a life from persecution.
SALE LOCATION & DATES: THU, FRI, SAT 9:00 – 4:30
AFFMA is now fully online. Please fill one of the forms on this website to make your enquiry.
Advertisements and jobs board
WANTED: Volunteer Migration Agents
AFFMA is looking for volunteer migration agents who are willing to offer their services at AFFMA’s office in Newtown. AFFMA is an Approved Voluntary Organisation. Migration agents volunteering with us can claim one CPD point for every three hours of pro bono work.
Please email your expression of interest to the CEO <Recruitment@affma.org.au>
Do you have a vacancy you wish to advertise? AFFMA’s Members can advertise vacancies free of charge. Please email <Recruitment@affma.org.au>
Contributions welcome
We welcome contributions to our newsletter from our readers. Articles must be between 500 and 1000 words. Please send your article to <newsletter@affma.org.au>
The deadline for submission of articles is the 15th of the month.
Advertisements and jobs board – April 2017
WANTED: Volunteer Migration Agents
AFFMA is looking for migration agents who are willing to complete a Spouse visa application from beginning to end on a pro bono basis, either at their own office/home or at AFFMA’s office in Newtown. AFFMA is an Approved Voluntary OrganiMigration agents volunteering with us can claim one CPD point for every three hours of pro bono work.
Please email your expression of interest to the CEO <Recruitment@affma.org.au>
Do you have a vacancy you wish to advertise? AFFMA’s Members can advertise vacancies free of charge. Please email <Recruitment@affma.org.au>
Sponsor a refugee: A $35 donation pays one visa application fee
Please consider donating to AFFMA on behalf of your friends and relatives this year. While donations of any amount are greatly appreciated, a gift of $35 will pay the visa application fee for one refugee. Unlike most charitable organisations, AFFMA is run entirely by volunteers. Every cent of your donation will go to keeping our door open to the refugees that we serve. This year, give a refugee a chance for a new life in Australia.
Donations can be made directly to AFFMA through PayPal by accessing the following link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-
The legal battle continues over Trump’s executive travel ban
The Trump administration is appealing the decision of Hawaii District Judge Derrick Watson who earlier last month blocked the administration’s executive order to temporarily shut the US borders to refugees, migrants and nationals travelling from six Muslim countries. Following the decision in the state of Hawaii, a judge in Maryland, over 40 former presidential advisers and attorney generals from 16 states have voiced their arguments against the travel ban on the basis that it would “wreak havoc” on national security and that it threatens innocent lives.
In response to the line of challenges facing the immigration ban, which the Trump administration claims was designed to counter the threat of extremists entering the US, Donald Trump has publicly denounced the ruling claiming the decision to be ‘unprecedented judicial overreach’ and motivated by an opposing political agenda. On March 6th Trump privately signed a revised order which amended restrictions to US citizens, Iraqis and Syrian Refugees, who had all been targeted in the original order, however restrictions to members of the six Islamic nations Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Libya and Iran still remained. Not only has the travel ban prompted demonstrations both within the US and internationally, with rights groups and activists label the decision as discrimination and a clear infringement on human rights. The director of the Council for American-Islamic Relations stated the decision has pushed many families to flee to Canada. The total amount of asylum seekers entering Canada increased to 7,023 in 2016 and the northern neighbour of the US received 2,168 applications at the beginning of 2017. Many of the remaining refugees in the US hold fears about immigration raids, and the impact that the ban will have on their ability to reconnect with their families. Others also live in fear of hate crimes or deportation, with many afraid to speak up, effectively being silenced due to their fear, rejecting interviews by the media.
Jesika Ha’angana
Student at University of Sydney, Bachelor of Arts and Science.
