Tougher vetting imposed by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has led migration to plummet to its lowest since 2007. As reported by the Department of Home Affairs, actual intake fell from 183,608 in 2016-2017 to a staggering 162,417 for the 2017-2018 financial year. This is attributed to a 46 per cent increase in visas being refused and an additional 17 per cent rise in application withdrawals due to the greater scrutiny, according to The Australian. Even though the government is not required to fulfil the current migration cap of 190,000, nearly every previous year they have.

In an earlier article posed on 28 March 2018, we discussed the Government’s plans to introduce the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) which employers would have to contribute to before a work visa can be approved.

We can now confirm that the legislation which introduces the fund was passed by the Australian Senate on 8 May 2018.

What is the Skilling Australians Fund?

The Australian Government introduced the SAF to fund projects that support apprenticeships and traineeships, and will focus on training Australian workers in new skills.

"This fund will ensure an ongoing source of revenue to support Australian skills development and the take-up of apprenticeships and traineeships. The new fund will replace the existing training benchmarks, which have not been successful in generating training opportunities to allow Australians to fill skill gaps,” the government said in the Budget.

The TSS 482 visa was introduced on 18 March 2018. It replaces the 457 visa which will no longer be granted.

UPDATE: Since writing this article we have released more information on the TSS 482 visa. See the links below for more information. 

Top 10 Facts You Need to Know About the New Australian 482 Visa"

Video: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know About the New Australian 482 Visa

What are the main features of the TSS Visa?

The Temporary Skills Shortage Visa subclass 482 is a short term work visa.

The TSS allows approved employers (sponsors) to nominate approved positions from the occupation list for overseas workers to fill.

The overseas workers must have the required levels of skills and English to be granted the visa.

The features of the TSS as outlined by the Department fact sheet include:

Key terms: Migration Policy Changes – 17 January 2018 Changes – Subclass 189 Skilled Independent – Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa – Subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored visa – MLTSSL – STSOL – Occupation Lists – Subclass 187 Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme -

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has released updates to the following skilled occupation lists:

- Medium and Long Term Skills Shortage List (MLTSSL) and Short Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) for Skilled Independent and Skilled Nominated visas (subclass 189, 190, 489)

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018L00046

- Medium and Long Term Skills Shortage List (MLTSSL) and Short Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) for Temporary Work (Skilled) visas (subclass 457)

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018L00044

- Medium and Long Term Skills Shortage List (MLTSSL) and Short Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) for Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) – Direct Entry Stream

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018L00045

- Medium and Long Term Skills Shortage List (MLTSSL) for Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) – Graduate Work

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018L00046

- Medium and Long Term Skills Shortage List (MLTSSL) and Short Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) for Training visa (subclass 407)

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018L00047

Friday, 12 January 2018

457, RSMS and ENS visa News | Partner Visa News | Australia Immigration Department News | State Sponsorship News | Citizenship | English Requirements News

Welcome to 2018! The year of 2017 had the most changes and announcements on Immigration Policy that I can remember. Here is our recap of the significant changes to the migration programme for Australia in 2017 and some of the discussions and ongoing developments for 2018.

The Immigration News in 2017 has been dominated by the announcements in April 2017 regarding the 457 and skilled occupation list changes and the proposed changes to Australian Citizenship application requirements.

The planning levels for permanent visas continue to be significant, at 190,000 permanent visas to be granted. The planning levels control the numbers of Australian permanent visas that are granted each year. If application numbers exceed planning levels, expect a longer processing time for your visa application.

I am going to make comments below about news in relation to a wide range of visas including business, skilled, visitor and family visas.