In South Australia, skilled visa nomination program for both the Skilled Nominated (Permanent) Visa (Subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491) is closing for the program year 2019-2020 and accordingly, no new applications are being accepted from 28 June 2020 at 9pm ACST. South Australia will continue to process and assess the applications for skilled migration received prior to 28 June 2020. Any draft or incomplete application which is not submitted, including applications pending payment, will be deleted and the applicants will have to start afresh. The applicants who wish to apply, must wait till the applications are open for 2020-2021 program year.
The Government vide the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (Credit Card and PayPal Surcharge) Regulations 2020 [“the Regulations”] dated 11 June 2020 commencing 01 July 2020 increases the surcharge for payments by credit cards and PayPal for certain fees and charges collected under the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth), the Customs Act 1901 (Cth), and the Migration Act 1958 (Cth). Accordingly, payments by credit cards and PayPal for fees and charges, including visa application charges (VAC), sponsorship and nomination fees, and citizenship-related fees will be charged at 1.4% for payments by credit cards, an increase from previous 1.32%, and 1.01% for payment by PayPal, a slight increase from previous 1%). The full text of the Regulations can be accessed here.
The Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Amendment (Rates of Charge) Bill 2019 received the Royal Assent on 22 June 2020 and is now the Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Amendment (Rates of Charge) Act 2020 [“theRegistration Act”]. The Registration Act amends the Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Act 1997 (Cth) for payment of adjusted charge for providing non-commercial immigration assistance. Schedule 1 of the Registration Act requires a Registered Migration Agent who has paid the non-commercial registration fee to pay commercial registration fee from the time they provide commercial immigration advice after six months from the day it receives the Royal Assent (22 June 2020) or earlier if a date is fixed by a Proclamation. The full text of the Registration Act can be accessed here.
The Migration Amendment (Regulation of Migration Agents) Bill 2019 received the Royal Assent on 22 June 2020 and is now the Migration Amendment (Regulation of Migration Agents) Act 2020 [“the Regulation Act”]. The Regulation Act amends the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) and contains provisions regarding the Australian legal practitioners providing immigration assistance in Schedule 1, including transitional arrangements, registration periods in Schedule 2, redundant provisions in Schedule 3, requirement for applicants to provide further information in Schedule 4, fees and charges in Schedule 5, and other amendment in Schedule 6. The Regulation Act makes it unlawful for the Australian legal practitioners with Unrestricted Practising Certificates to be registered as Registered Migration Agents with OMARA after nine months from the day it receives the Royal Assent (22 June 2020) or earlier if a date is fixed by a Proclamation. The full text of the Regulation Act can be accessed here.
Pacific Labour scheme stream is one of the streams available under the Temporary Work (International Relations) Visa (Subclass 403). Under this stream, participants in the Pacific Labour Scheme program can come and live in Australia temporarily to work in the industry or participate in the activity covered by the visa. Eligibility of this Stream You must: • Be aged between 21 and 45 years • Be resident of a specified Pacific Island country • Be invited by an Australian employer endorsed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or endorsed by the DFAT to participate in the Pacific Labour Scheme program • Be sponsored by an approved Temporary Activities sponsor • Meet health and character requirements • Have adequate health insurance • Have genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily • Not have a previous visa cancellation or application refusal List of Pacific Island Countries Fiji Kiribati Nauru Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Timor-Leste Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Visa Conditions You must: • continue to be employed by your sponsor • only work in the industry or participate in activity covered by the visa • not work for yourself, or for anyone other than your sponsor You can apply for this visa online while you are outside Australia and must be outside Australia at the time of decision of your application by the Department. However, if you are in Australia on Subclass 403 visa, you can apply for another 403 visa from Australia but you must not be in immigration clearance. Further, please know, you are not allowed to bring your dependent family members to Australia on this visa. Advantages of this Stream • Stay and work in Australia for up to 3 years • Travel to and from Australia If you are looking to migrate to Australia, Contact Us or call us on (02) 4626 100 to speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents in Sydney to discuss your visa options and a complete pathway for your residency.
Good news for all international graduates! From 2021, any international student that is studying at any location outside of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will be given the opportunity to extend their Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa, adding one more year to the current two year Post-study work stream. This new initiative is a fantastic way to increase diversity and boost the economy in regional Australia, as well as controlling the pressures that our major cities are faced with as a result of an ever growing population. This extension does not change the Student visa per say, but it is an option that is available for international students to study and reside in regional parts of the country. As it does not change the requirements of the 485 visa, part of the conditions of the extension is ongoing residence in the regional area, which means you still need to live in a regional area for 2 years. This new initiative being brought in to 2021 can also increase the chances for students to find employment, and with the extra 5 points you can get for studying in regional Australia, students will be far better equipped if they decide to apply for other visas or even go for a pathway to permanent residency in Australia. There are different categories when we think of “regional” in Australia. Migration Centre of Australia have simplified it for you: Category Incentives Category 1: Major Cities This includes: · Sydney · Melbourne · Brisbane These 3 cities do not receive any regional incentives. Category 2: Cities and Major Regional Centres This includes: Perth Adelaide the Gold Coast the Sunshine Coast Canberra Newcastle/Lake Macquarie Wollongong/Illawarra Geelong Hobart Graduates will be eligible for an additional year on a second Temporary Graduate visa. Category 3: Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas Graduates will be eligible for an additional 2 years on a second Temporary Graduate visa. As you can see from our table, Category 2 and 3 are the two categories targeted by the Government in this new initiative. So unless you choose to study and live in a regional part of Australia, the extra year post-study will not apply to you. Another incentive is that the type of qualification you have can also affect the length of extension you receive. Outlined below is what you can expect to get with each qualification: Bachelor’s degree (including Honours): 2 years + 1 extra year Masters degree (by coursework): 2 years + 1 extra year Masters degree (by research): 3 years + 1 extra year Doctorate: 4 years + 1 extra year Are you thinking of studying in a regional area? If you would like to consider your options for a graduate work visa and move your study to a regional part of Australia, don’t delay, 2021 is just around the corner and the benefits of being prepared early will help ease your transition.From determining your visa eligibility to take advantage of this new initiative, to explaining how this visa can help you gain permanent residency, our experienced migration agents can answer any question that you may have. At Migration Centre of Australia, we have trained registered migration agents and lawyers in the industry for many years and we have extensive expertise in student visas. We also understand it can be difficult to navigate your way, especially with all the conditions attached to the Temporary Graduate Work 485 visa, but we at Migration Centre of Australia are ready to help. Send us an email or call us today on 02 4626 1002 and one of our registered migration agents will be ready to answer all your questions. Make 2021 your year!
The Attorney-General’s Department vide the Government Notices Gazette C2020G00465 dated 09 June 2020 (“the Gazette”) has prescribed increased fee for the documents and services in the Federal Courts and Tribunals, including the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) effective from 01 July 2020. Accordingly, pursuant to paragraphs 4.13A and 4.31BA of the Migration Regulations 1994, the prescribed AAT fee is fixed at AUD $1,826 for applications that are: decisions other than protection visa, and reviewable decisions of Part 7 This is an increase from the previous fee fixed at AUD $1,787.
On 05 June 2020, Northern Territory (NT) announced changes to eligibility criteria for nomination under General Skilled Migration Program for Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491) and Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190) to take effect from 01 July 2020. To be eligible to apply to the General Skilled Migration Program, the applicant must meet: Requirements Subclass 491 and 190 visa, such as age requirement, points claim, English language requirement, skills assessment, and Northern Territory (NT) Government requirements. The changes are proposed in the Northern Territory (NT) Government requirements to include extra residency and employability requirements for NT International student graduates for a subclass 190 nomination, and other NT residents who wish to apply for an NT nomination. The current NT migration occupation list can be accessed here.
NSW skilled migration program is now open and accepting nomination applications for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491) until 5pm Friday, 26 June 2020. Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa allows the applicant to temporarily live and work in regional or low-population growth metropolitan area of Australia for up to 5 years. It is based on a points-based system and requires sponsorship by either a relative living in a designated area or a State/ Territory government. To be eligible to apply, the applicant must: Meet all the requirements Subclass 491 visa, such as age requirement, points claim, English language requirement Have an occupation that is on the current NSW regional skilled occupation list, and Be living in a designated regional area of NSW currently. Regional centres and other regional areas of NSW include areas with postcode: 2250 to 2258, 2260 to 2263, 2311 to 2490, 2527, 2536 to 2551, 2575 to 2739, 2753 to 2754, 2756 to 2758 and, 2773 to 2898. The current NSW regional skilled occupation list comprises 328 occupations, last updated on 09 December 2019, and can be accessed here.
The Migration & Refugee Division of the AAT has issued practitioner guide to virtual hearings using Microsoft Teams (“the Guide”) in furtherance of the COVID-19 Special Measures Practice Direction dated 27 April 2020 (“the Direction”). The Guide outlines steps for preparing and participating in virtual hearing at the AAT using Microsoft Teams, including etiquettes to be followed by the practitioners during an audio and video hearing. Previously, the AAT had made changes to the operations and procedures including registry and lodgement of documents with signatures, priorities for cases, pre-hearing process, requests for expedited decision, preparing for AAT hearing, and use of technology in response to COVID-19. Detailed practitioner guide to virtual hearings using Microsoft Teams can be accessed here.