When Ricardo Moyano moved from Mexico City to Sydney, it took him a while to adjust.
Looking for work was particularly tricky for Ricardo, who is studying a Master of Biotechnology and Business at Macquarie University.
“As a foreigner you have to put all these pieces together and hope that you are not missing anything,” he said.
He cited TFNs (Tax File Numbers) and ABNs (Australian Business Numbers) as some of the confusing elements.
Mr Moyano is not alone. Many international students in Australia have gaps in their legal knowledge of the country they temporarily call home.
To address this issue, the NSW government has partnered with Redfern Legal Centre to create a new mobile app to address these gaps, called My Legal Mate.
The app offers free legal advice to international students in English, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, Thai, and Vietnamese, courtesy of more than 3,000 videos.
“By breaking down complex legal information into easy to understand ‘bite-sized’ support pathways, My Legal Mate enhances the safety and wellbeing of international students,” Redfern Legal Centre’s Sean Stimson said.
It focuses on four key areas: employment, housing, disputes with education providers, and sexual assault.
The app is offered to education providers on an annual subscription basis, allowing students to access the information free-of-charge.
It was first offered to students at Macquarie University in October with the hope more universities and students will sign up.
Read the full article here (SBS News, 5 December 2019)
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