Settlement & Family
In settling into a new country, newly arrived migrants and refugees often have lots of questions about various Australian systems and their own particular situations. For the newcomers in the northern metropolitan region of Melbourne, Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre provides information and answers to questions about the broad range of settlement-related issues that face a newly arrived person. These may involve questions such as:
- Is there an employment service I can go to that is familiar with working with newly arrived migrants and refugees?
- How do I sponsor a relative to come to Australia?
- Who can assist me to find a house to live in?
- How do I know if I'm getting the right amount of social security/Centrelink payments?
- Where can I learn to speak English?
- What do I have to do to have my trade/professional qualification recognised in Australia?
- Some members of my family need medical treatment – where can I find the sort of health services they need?
- I have a house but no money for furniture – how can I get some furniture?
Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre has bilingual staff and provides culturally appropriate assistance to clients experiencing settlement related difficulties. Our staff speak a wide range of languages, and on-site interpreters or the telephone interpreter service can be used to help people communicate in their own language
Professional Standards
Our Migration Agents (MARN’s: 0003269, 0209652, 0601034, 9900389, 0639872) are bound by the Code of Conduct. You can find out more about the Code of Conduct at https://www.mara.gov.au/Agent-Information/Code-of-Conduct/Code-of-Conduct/default.aspx
Want to come and see us?
If you have wondered about the answer to one of the above questions, or other questions, come to one our offices and take advantage of our Intake Service, no appointment is necessary: the first 6 clients to register for the Intake Service are given a half hour interview with the Intake Worker.
Eligibility
To be eligible for our Intake Service you need to have been in Australia for less than 5 years and have arrived in Australia on a Refugee and Humantarian Program visa or a Family visa. Unfortunately we can not see people holding Student visas, Skilled visas or Tourist visas.
Intake Service - times and locations
- 251 High Street, Preston: Mon, Wed & Fri (9.30am to 4pm)
- 1/1100 Pascoe Vale Road, Broadmeadows: Mon & Wed (1 to 4pm)
- 161 Harvester Road, Sunshine: Mon & Wed (10am to 4pm), Tue (9.30am to 1.30pm)
For further information you can call (03) 9496 0200 or visit our office.
Please note - Coburg office:
| From Monday 1st August 2011, our Coburg office will be moving its services to the Broadmeadows office. Our client statistics, as well as direct feedback from the community, was showing that many clients using our Moreland settlement services (located in Coburg) were travelling from the Hume area. We have considered this change in client demographics and in consultation with our funding body, Department of Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC), have negotiated that we deliver our settlement service from our existing Broadmeadows office. Here are some statistics that show how, over the years, the demand for our services has been shifting:
We have considered this change in client demographics to move the Coburg office to Broadmeadows. Spectrum MRC prides itself on continually improving the services it delivers to newly arrived migrants and refugees and ensuring to remain conveniently located in the areas where newly arrived migrants are residing. Overtime, the areas shift from one region to another due to many factors which includes affordable housing. This is evident in the gradual increase in CALD communities residing in the west of Melbourne and Spectrum’s response to this has been to secure funding to deliver programs in the west.
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