Australis Immigration Strategies

28/05/2024

Increase to the Temporary Skilled Migration Threshold

The Department of Home Affairs is set to increase the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold from $70,000 to $73,150 as of 1 July 2024. This increase applies to the Temporary Skill Shortage subclass 482 visa, Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186 visa, Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme subclass 187 visa, and the Skilled Work Regional subclass 491 visa.

This won’t apply to any existing visa holders or any new applications lodged before 1 July 2024.

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/archive/article?itemId=1205 #:~:text=From%201%20July%202024%2C%20the,lodged%20before%201%20July%202024.

Find out about Australian visas, immigration and citizenship.

28/11/2023

All Temporary Skill Shortage visa holders now have a pathway to permanent residence

The legislation creating an employer nominated permanent residence pathway for all Temporary Skill Shortage visa holders has now commenced. Changes to the program include the following:

* all Temporary Skill Shortage visa
holders regardless of occupation are eligible to apply under the temporary
residence transition stream
* the qualifying period under the
temporary residence transition stream is now reduced to working for two of the
previous three years sponsored by the business on a Temporary Skill Shortage
visa
* applicants aged 45 years of age or over
who meet the age exemption requirements ie earning at least the Fair Work High
Income Threshold have now also had the qualifying period reduced to two of the
previous three years
* definition of regional medical
practitioner applicant changed to reduce the period they are required to
have been employed as a medical practitioner in a regional areas to two years
* businesses who have sponsored Temporary Skill Shortage visa holders under a work agreement can also access this stream

These changes will apply to anyone lodging an Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 187 or Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme application from 25 November 2023 onwards.

Additionally, Temporary Skill Shortage visa holders with an occupation on the Short-Term stream are no longer limited as to how many subsequent applications they can make in Australia. This is certainly a welcome move to create better outcomes for employers and skilled migrants.

Think you might be eligible or have any questions? Get in touch!

19/11/2023

Urgent advice for Afghan refugees with an approved Australian visa or who have applied for a visa

The Government of Pakistan has issued an ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’. This tells people residing without a valid visa for Pakistan to leave voluntarily by 1 November 2023 or face deportation.

Afghan visa applicants and visa holders who are residing in Pakistan without a valid visa for Pakistan are subject to these new exit permission requirements. This may impact their ability to travel to Australia regardless of if they are granted an Australian visa.

Pakistan’s new exit permission requirements will not impact people residing lawfully in Pakistan, and who maintain their lawful status.

Any person who believes they meet the requirements for a humanitarian visa, and wishes to seek Australia’s assistance, can apply. People should be aware that they may be subject to Pakistan’s exit permit requirements if they are residing unlawfully in the country. This could impact their ability to travel to Australia.

The Australian Government is working to provide letters of assurance urgently to the following categories:

* those hold an Australian visa
* those who have applied for a Humanitarian visa which is under active consideration by the Department and close to being finalised, or a Family or Partner visa, or
* are certified as Afghan Locally Engaged Employees (LEE)

To help the Department, those impacted should make sure their contact details are up to date In ImmiAccount.

People who have been certified as an Afghan LEE and have not applied for an Australian visa should apply for a visa with the Department of Home Affairs as soon as possible.

Details available here:

Home Affairs brings together Australia's federal law enforcement, national and transport security, criminal justice, emergency management, multicultural affairs, settlement services and immigration and border-related functions, working together to keep Australia safe.

08/11/2023

In a landmark ruling, the High Court has found that indefinite immigration detention is unlawful.

This puts an end to detaining non-citizens potentially for the rest of their lives. It’s expected this decision will trigger the release of 92 people with several hundred more potentially in doubt as a result of this decision.

Whilst the use of immigration detention has always been asserted by successive Governments to be administrative, rather than punitive in nature, this decision pulls this position apart.

The High Court has today ruled that it is unlawful and unconstitutional for the Australian Government to detain people indefinitely in immigration detention. The Human Rights Law Centre and UNSW’s Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law appeared as amici curiae – friends of the court – to ...

01/11/2023

It looks like we now have a date for the long awaited changes to the employer sponsored program, 25 November 2023. To recap from the previous announcements from the Department of Home Affairs, the changes we are expecting to see include the following:

🔵Simplifying the process for subclass 482 (TSS) visa holders to transition to the Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186 visa under the temporary residence transition stream, even for those with occupations on the Short-Term Skilled Occupation List.
🔵 Shortening the eligibility duration from three years down to two years under the temporary residence transition stream (including for applicants 45 years of age or older claiming the age exemption)

We also know labour market testing is set to be abolished for the program, although its unclear whether this will be brought in with the slated 25 November changes. Stay tuned!

20/10/2023

Since the direct pathway for Australian citizenship was opened for New Zealanders on 1 July 2023, over 30,000 have applied.

Not sure of your eligibility or how to apply?

Send us a message.

13/10/2023

"Our voice is the most powerful tool we have, but it is only powerful if someone is there to listen."

On October 14, vote Yes to giving future generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a voice in the policies and decisions that affect Indigenous communities.

12/10/2023

The Australian Government has secured two initial assisted-departure flights for Australians affected by the crisis in Israel and Gaza.

The flights from Ben Gurion Airport to London will start Friday for Australians who don’t already have plans to leave through commercial options.

These two initial flights will be operated by Qantas free-of-charge.

Our priority is to ensure Australians who want to leave are able to do so – but we’re working on options for Australians who need onward support from London.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Australians who want to leave via Australia’s assisted-departure flights should register via https://crisis.dfat.gov.au/crisisportal/s/ or by calling the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas) or 1300 555 135 (from within Australia).

31/08/2023

408 Pandemic Event visas are closing to all new applications as of February 2024 and from Saturday 2 September 2023 only existing 408 Pandemic Event visa holders.

Short version, if you don't currently hold a 408 Pandemic Event visa you need to have your application lodged by tomorrow!

Contact us if you need assistance:

Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Emergency Management.​​​

12/05/2023

This week the Australian Government released its first complete budget since the 2022 election. Below we provide some of the major announcements around the migration program for the next year.

These included:

An increase to fees and visa with a 40% increase in business innovation and investment visas, a 15% increase for visitor, working holiday, training, temporary activity and temporary work visas. All other visas will have a 6% increase apart from the Pacific engagement visa and the Pacific Australia labour mobility visa which is exempt.

Migration planning levels will be 190,000 places with 137,100 allocated to the skilled migration stream.

Skilled Migration Income Threshold will increase from $53,900 to $70,000 from 1 July 20203

Temporary graduates with select degrees will be eligible for an additional 2 year post study work right from 1 July 2023

International students work cap will be increased to 48 hours per fortnight

Skills assessment programs will be reviewed to provide onshore migrants a fast track

Funding for the following:

Escaping Violene Program and Temporary Visa Holders Experiencing Violence Pilot will receive $38.2 million to extend the current program to January 2025

$24.3 million will go to support the trafficked people program

$164.80 million will go to AusCheck and services will be extended for assessment of registered migration agents

$5.5 million for improvement of process to becoming a permanent resident

Immigration Assessment Authority will receive $4 million to review unsuccessful protection visa applications

27/04/2023

Big changes coming up to Australia's immigration program in 2023!

In today's National Press Club address by the Minister for Home Affairs, Clare O'Neil MP, we're starting to get a very strong flavour of what we can expect in the upcoming review and what the changes are likely to look like.

The following shortcomings/ overall comment on the current system identified were as follows:

• Draft new migration strategy report to be released today for further comment with a view that the finalised report will be released later this year
• The current program is not well designed, without strategy, and unplanned. Outdated occupation lists in place, labour market testing that is not effective
• The current Temporary Migration Skilled Income Threshold of $53,900 is too low and has not been raised in line with inflation
• The current program has morphed into a guest worker program and funnelled many people into lower paid jobs
• The international student sector, the largest part of the migration program, is only looking at their suitability to perform for their course
• Current program has resulted in a large temporary cohort with poor outcomes
• System is now a “bureaucratic nightmare” and is slow and complicated
• Employers are finding the employer sponsored programs impossible to navigate
• This has left us with a system that is globally uncompetitive and deterring us from attracting the best and brightest
• The failures continue once migrants arrive with the current system enabling worker exploitation
• The failures also do not align with Australian values: integrity, fairness, and inclusion

Measures the Government have already introduced in the previous 12 months since Labor took power:
• Increased resources to address processing backlog
• Increased permanent residence pathways for recognised refugees living in Australia

Key points that the Government is looking now to change as part of their overhaul of the migration program:

• Redesign the system to get the skills that we need here
• Review of the employer sponsored program. Three new pathways to be created:
o Specialised highly skilled stream for the highly skilled/ top tier candidates
o Mainstream skilled pathway for core skills that we need – for those earning over the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold
o Essential industries
• The General Skilled Migration points test is currently set too low and will be revised
• Creation of a new area in Home Affairs to actively find, identify, and attract global talent
• Simplifying the visa system to reduce the number of visa categories
• Better partnership with states and territories to better plan population management alongside this so the resources are available for the increase in population
• Faster and better pathways for high performing international students working in areas that are in high demand
• Greater integrity in the international student sector to ensure those that are here are genuinely here for the purpose of studying
• The current Temporary Migration Skilled Income Threshold will be increased from $53,900 to $70,000
• At the end of 2023, all skilled temporary workers will have a pathway to permanent residence. This will be aimed at those already living and working in Australia rather than attracting overseas candidates and increasing the number of migrants in Australia

21/04/2023

New Zealand citizens in Australia to be offered direct pathway to Australian citizenship

From 1 July 2023 New Zealand citizens holding a Special Category Visa (SCV) living in Australia over the previous four years will now be eligible for Australian citizenship without having to first obtain permanent residence. If they held their visa before or on 1 July 2022 this 12 month period will now be treated as an eligible period as a permanent resident for the purposes of citizenship eligibility.

For New Zealand citizens who were first granted their SCV on or after 1 July 2022 this same rule will continue to apply.

Note applicants will need to still meet the general residence and other requirements to be eligible for Australian citizenship by conferral.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs have today announced a new direct pathway to Australian citizenship for eligible New Zealand citizens. Changes in 2001 made it more difficult for New Zealanders in A...