The business visitor stream of Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) allows you to travel to and visit Australia for business purposes. This visa facilitates conducting legitimate business visitor activities but does not extend to undertaking work for or providing services to an organisation, or selling goods or services directly to the general public. Eligibility for Business Visitor Visa You must: Meet the health and character requirements Not have debts to the Australian Government Have sufficient funds to support your stay in Australia Have a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily Perform only legitimate business visitor activities For this purpose, Regulation 1.03(a) of the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) defines ‘business visitor activity’ as: “any of the following activities undertaken by a person: making a general business or employment enquiry; investigating, negotiating, entering into, or reviewing a business contract; an activity carried out as part of an official government to government visit; participation in a conference, trade fair or seminar in Australia unless the person is being paid by an organiser for participation;” Accordingly, any activities other than the above-mentioned ones are not permitted on this visa and may result in breach of your visa condition leading to your visa cancellation. Further, you cannot add dependant family members in your visa application. Each family member travelling with you must apply for a separate Visitor Tourist stream visa (Subclass 600). It is important to know that the Department may refuse to grant this visa if it is not in the best interest of an applicant who is a child, less than 18 years old. In addition to Business Visitor Visa, Electronic Travel Authority (Subclass 601) and e-Visitor Visa (Subclass 651) also allow you conduct legitimate business visitor activities, if you have a passport from an eligible country. These visas usually have an attached Condition 8115 which precludes visitors from undertaking work that may otherwise be undertaken by an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or a temporary work visa holder. If you want to know more about business visas or are seeking any migration assistance, Contact Us or call us on (02) 4626 100 to speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents in Sydney to discuss your options.
According to sources, Australia’s net overseas migration has fallen from 232,000 in 2018-19 to 154,000 in 2019-20. Further, Australia is set to experience a dramatic drop in migration in the year 2020-21 where the net number of migrants is expected to be 31,000. Merrick Peisley, Principal Advisor at the Centre for Population said, “With net overseas migration expected to fall, regions that rely on overseas migration for population growth will likely be hardest hit.” He also said, “Australia’s population growth is set to be the lowest in over 100 years due to COVID-19.” Certain regions in Australia that rely heavily on migration to drive population growth or regions like Western Australia’s wheat belt area are among the adversely affected areas, hit the most by the border control measures adopted in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
On 26 July 2020, South Australian Government has announced that its Skilled and Business Migration programs will remain closed until further notice. Accordingly, the State nominations are closed until the nomination quotas are allocated by the Commonwealth Government for the 2020-2021 program year. Previously, the State had announced that the Skilled and Business Migration programs will remain closed until August 2020 in South Australia. With this announcement, the migration programs will remain closed until further notice in the State.
The Department of Home Affairs acknowledges multiple reports of scams involving impersonations of the Department that have been reported to ACCC’s (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission) Scamwatch, and recommends to stay alert and report the scams. ACCC Deputy Chair, Delia Rickard said, “Scammers are increasingly taking advantage of the financial difficulties and uncertainty generated from the COVID-19 pandemic to trick unsuspecting Australians…We are seeing two main types of scams impersonating government departments; fake government threats and phishing scams.” Usually, the victims receive a fake robocall pretending to be from a government department, such as the Department of Home Affairs, and the scammers try to scare and threaten people into handing over money. In the current year so far, 2,016 scams involving Department of Home Affairs impersonations have been reported, with losses amounting to over AUD $99,000. To report a scam on ACCC website, click here
In financial year 2019-2020, a record number of 204,817 people were conferred Australian citizenship, an increase of over 60 per cent from the previous financial year, where 127,674 people were conferred Australian citizenship in 2018-2019. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has conferred citizenship to more than 60,000 people through online ceremonies, while small in-person ceremonies have also resumed since 03 June 2020. The top nationalities of people who were conferred citizenship are India (38,209), United Kingdom (25,011) and China (14,764). Hon Alan Tudge MP, Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs said, “When someone becomes a citizen, they make a pledge to uphold Australia’s rights, liberties, laws and democratic values. It represents a willingness to integrate into our successful multicultural nation…Being an Australian citizen is an immense privilege, which brings both rights and responsibilities. I congratulate all those who have taken this important step.” According to the Department of Home Affairs, more than 5 million people have become Australian citizens since the introduction of concept citizenship in Australia in 1949 vide the erstwhile Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 (Cth).
Migration (LIN 20/158: Class of Persons for Student (Temporary) (Class TU) Visa Applications) Instrument 2020 dated 24 July 2020 [“the Instrument”] specifies additional classes of persons applying for a Student Visa (Subclass 500) to whom the nil VAC (Visa Application Charge) applies. The Instrument provides that international students who held a valid Subclass 500 visa on or after 01 February 2020 will pay nil VAC while re-applying for a further Subclass 500 visa to complete their study if they were unable to complete it within the original visa validity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, current or recent students whose studies were affected by COVID-19 pandemic and their family members (combined applicants) have been included as the 2 new classes of persons to whom the nil VAC applies, in addition to the previously existing 7 classes. The Instrument repeals the previous Migration (LIN 20/099: Classes of Persons for Student (Temporary) (Class TU) Visa Applications) Instrument 2020 dated 24 February 2020. Further, the Instrument is registered on the Federal Register of Legislation on 29 July 2020 and as per Section 2 of the Instrument, it commences on the day after registration and accordingly, is in effect now. To access the full Instrument, click here.
A permanent visa holder in Australia is usually permitted a 5-years travel facility on the visa. Accordingly, the visa holders are free to travel from and to Australia as many times during this period, starting from the date of grant of the permanent visa until the expiry of the visa. After the 5-years period, the travel facility expires and the visa holder needs to apply for and be granted either a Resident Return visa or Australian citizenship to re-enter Australia. Resident Return visas, Subclass 155 and Subclass 157, allow a permanent visa holder to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident after the expiry of the travel validity. Eligibility for Resident Return visas You must: Be Australian Permanent resident, or former Australian permanent resident, or former Australian citizen Meet the residence or substantial ties requirements Not hold an Authority to Return or Return Endorsement (as issued prior to 31 December 1986) Meet the character requirements Not have a cancellation action on business grounds for a business skills visa Not have had a visa cancellation or a previous application refusal There are no age requirements to apply for Resident Return visas. Further, there is no cap on the number of Resident Return visas a visa holder can apply for. Validity of Resident Return visas Where the applicant: Has lived in Australia for 2 years (730 days) in the last 5 years, usually gets a 5-year travel validity; Has not lived in Australia for 2 years in the last 5 years but demonstrates substantial ties that benefit Australia, usually gets a maximum of 12-months travel validity; Meets the requirements for being a dependent family member, usually gets a maximum of 12-months travel validity; Has compelling and compassionate reasons for departure, usually gets a 3-months travel validity. It is important to know that if you leave Australia after your travel validity expires, or it expires when you are outside Australia, you will not be able to return to Australia as a permanent resident. Thus, it is highly recommended that you keep a track of your travel facility expiration and promptly apply for a Resident Return visa before the travel expiry in order to avoid any delays in your plan. Each applicant has to apply for this visa separately and you cannot include family members in one application. However, if you declare your family members in your application, your applications can be processed together. If you want to know more about these visas or are seeking any migration assistance, Contact Us or call us on (02) 4626 100 to speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents in Sydney to discuss your situation.
Migration Amendment Instrument 2020 The Migration (LIN 20/179: Arrangements for child visa applications) Amendment Instrument 2020 dated 15 July 2020 (“the Instrument”) amends the Arrangements for Child Visa Applications 2016/051. The arrangements for child visa applications instruments specify the form, place and manner for making an application regarding the Child (Migrant) Visas – Subclass 101 (Child), Subclass 102 (Adoption), Subclass 117 (Orphan Relative); the Child (Residence) Visas – Subclass 802 (Child) and Subclass 837 (Orphan Relative); and the Extended Eligibility (Temporary) Visa – Subclass 445 (Dependent Child). The Instrument corrects a drafting error in the Arrangements for Child Visa Applications 2016/051, as amended vide the Migration (LIN 20/049: Arrangements for child visa applications) Amendment Instrument 2020 dated 30 March 2020, where the option for an application for visa Subclass 445, for a dependent child outside Australia to be made outside Australia, was removed. The Instrument was registered on the Federal Register of Legislation on 16 July 2020 and has commenced from 17 July 2020 and is now in effect. Accordingly, it resumes the process of lodging an application for a dependent child outside Australia of a visa holder of Subclass 309, 310, 445, 820 or 826 through Form 918. Migration Centre of Australia has a team of migration specialists who deal with child visas. If you are seeking assistance in this visa category, Write to us today or call us on (02) 4626 100 to speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents in Sydney.
On 10 July 2020, the Victorian Government has announced AUD $534 million economic survival and jobs package to support businesses and workers in the State. This is in addition to previously announced assistance of AUD $1.7 billion and other range of government assistance including support for job seekers and renters, setting up AUD $45 million International Student Emergency Relief Fund for international students facing financial hardship during the crisis, relaxation of work hours, relief payments for temporary visa holders, support for multi-cultural and multi-faith families, and public housing support. The ‘Support for Businesses’ package includes: Refund of full payroll tax to small and medium-sized businesses for the Financial Year 2019-20. Defer payment of payroll tax by small and medium-sized businesses until 1 January 2021 for the tax of first three months of the Financial Year 2020-20 2021. Connect businesses that need staff with prospective workers through the ‘Working for Victoria’ initiative. Access to Business Support Fund to support the hardest hit sectors and other small businesses. Access free online courses, live and on-demand events and other business resources through the ‘Upskill My Business’ initiative. Financial support to tourism operators affected by temporary lockdowns due to COVID-19 through the ‘Tourism Accommodation Support Program’.
To facilitate travel exemptions in response to travel restrictions due to COVID-19, the Department has created a dedicated portal, the Travel Restriction Exemption Portal, to seek a travel exemption from the from the Commissioner of ABF (Australian Border Force) for travelling to, or out of Australia. While temporary visa holders may still be able to leave Australia and go back to their home country where practical, the Government has imposed overseas travel restrictions on Australian citizens and permanent residents to leave from Australia, who may be able to seek a travel exemption from the ABF Commissioner to be allowed to travel. A person affected by the current COVID-19 travel restrictions are eligible to apply for the exemption and include: Immediate family members of an Australian citizen or permanent resident (being spouses, de facto partners, dependent children and legal guardians) New Zealand citizens usually resident in Australia Persons having a compelling or compassionate reason to travel to Australia urgently, including critical skills and medical emergencies Persons believing they meet the departure travel restriction exemption. The departure travel restriction exemption allows travel only if your travel relates to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, conduct critical industries and business, receive urgent medical treatment, attend urgent and unavoidable personal business, serve the national interest, or for compassionate or humanitarian grounds. A person seeking a travel exemption is required to submit a request at least 4 weeks, but not more than 3 months, prior to travel.