Australian Immigration News – October 2019

Weekly Update on Australian Immigration News

Australian Immigration News and Migration Updates by Seekvisa Migration Agents and Immigration Lawyers.

New skilled regional visas

• Skilled Migration Occupations List review to commence: The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business regularly reviews the skilled migration occupation lists to ensure they are responsive to genuine skill needs across Australia.

The next update to Australia’s skilled migration occupation lists is scheduled to be announced in March 2020.

Further information is available on the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business website.

• SBS News and Sky News lead widespread coverage that Australia’s annual permanent migration intake has fallen to the lowest level in over a decade, with a total of 160,323 permanent visas granted in 2018-19 under the Permanent Migration Program, which is down by 15%. The fall in numbers coincides with the government’s shift towards settling more migrants in regional Australia and the federal government is planning to address the issue of low regional employment by setting places aside for skilled foreign workers.
• Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa Subclass 489 to be replaced with Subclass 491 from 16th November 2019- The subclass 489 visa will close from 16 November 2019. The Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs have announced that the last day for states and territories to nominate and issue invitations for the subclass 489 applicants will be 10 September 2019. Some states are progressively closing their subclass 489 Skilled Regional state nomination program to new applications. Here are the latest state announcements. New visas from 16 November 2019:
  • 491 visa
  • 494 visa

If you would like to process your visa application through Seekvisa, the best way to start is to have a consultation with one of our experienced registered migration agents.

Risk Level Changes for Students from certain countries

India, Nepal, and Pakistan are among the higher risk countries and Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Hungary, Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa are now considered ‘low risk’ for an Australian Student visa.

The department of Immigration uses a combined evidence level of the student’s education provider and country of citizenship to determine whether the student needs to provide evidence of financial and English language capacity with their student visa application.

Greater access to skilled overseas workers for regional Australia

• DAMA skills assessments (VIC, WA, SA QLD and NSW DAMAs)

• DAMA Skills Assessment processes: VETASSESS will be providing skills assessments for occupation for skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers for the following DAMA programs: SA – Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement Agreement
  SA – South Australian Regional Workforce Agreement
  WA – Goldfields
  VIC – Great South Coast
  NSW – Orana (opening late September)
  QLD – Far North Queensland (opening soon)
• VETASSESS is the skills assessing authority for specified DAMA occupations not on the eligible skills lists.  DAMAs enable employers to sponsor overseas workers in a broader range of occupations than the existing skilled migration visa pathways. The occupations approved for each DAMA reflect the unique labour requirements in their region.

Visa applications for DAMA occupations with no skills and experience concessions, and normally available through the skilled migration program, will continue to have their skills assessed by the assessing authority indicated in the relevant legislation.

• Far North Queensland DAMA (FNQA) is now in operation. This DAMA features:
  • 70 occupations for employer sponsorship, including three non-ANZSCO occupations
  • pathways to permanent residency for holders of TSS visas granted under the FNQ DAMA in select occupations
  • a broad range of occupations that reflect FNQ skilled and semi-skilled shortages, with no caveats to apply
  • English language concessions for some occupations
  • salary concessions that reflect FNQ market rates, ensuring that worker terms and conditions of employment are not eroded
  • concessions relating to qualifications and experience for some occupations
  • a range of risk and integrity actions to ensure that the rights of both employees and employers are protected
  • a five year agreement to reduce red tape.
• Wimmera Times Online reports Wannon MP Dan Tehan and Immigration Minister David Coleman have visited regional Victoria to discuss the roll out of the Great South Coast region’s Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) before Christmas this year.

• Permanent Partner Visa cannot be refused until Temporary Visa is determined
• Additional requirements for NSW nominations
  • The additional requirement is to be currently living in NSW, and to have been employed in NSW for at least one year, in your nominated occupation.
• Canberra Matrix invitation round 2 September 2019
  •  Invitation date: 2 September 2019- Number of Invitations Issued: 111Matrix score range: All Matrix submitted with 130 to 70 points
• Working Holiday Visas: Increase to annual caps to a number of countries
  • changes to the WHM visa program which included: Expanding the regional areas where subclass 462 visa holders can work in agriculture
    (plant and animal cultivation) to qualify for a second year of stay in Australia
  • Increasing the period in which subclass 417 and 462 visa holders can stay with the
    same agricultural (plant and animal cultivation) employer, from 6 to 12 months.
  • The option of a third-year for subclass 417 and 462 visa holders who, after 1 July
    2019, undertake 6-months of specified work in a specified regional area during their
    second year
  • Offering an increase in the annual caps to a number of countries that participate in the
    subclass 462 visa program.
  • Increase the eligible age for subclass 417 visa applicants from Canada and Ireland to
    35.
• High Income Threshold increased: The High Income Threshold under the Fair Work Act increased on 1 July 2019 from $145,000 to $148,700. Applicants relying on meeting this threshold for an ENS or RSMS age exemption must ensure that the relevant threshold is met for each of the three requisite years.
• Points test changes from 16 November 2019: Applicants and intending migrants will not be disadvantaged by the changes to 6D points for Points Tested visas. These come into effect on 16 November 2019. SkillSelect will automatically update points for all Expressions of Interest (EOI) in submitted status.  This will not change the ‘date of effect’ for any EOI.

Timeline of Transitional arrangements