Australia's skilled visa programs are designed to select people who will make a positive contribution to the Australian economy and labor market and assist Australian businesses to access workers with skills that cannot be met in the local labor market.
Since the new government has been in place, the Department of Home Affairs has finalized over 2,780,000 Visas.
This includes over 43,000 temporary skilled applications and over 47,000 permanent skilled visa applications.
Two years of international border closures that locked out migrants and led to labour and skills shortages across the economy makes it difficult to fathom Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil’s decision to cull 27 jobs from the list of occupations eligible to receive a priority skilled visa to work in Australia.
Amid the hacking of Optus, Australia is now shaking up to find highly skilled people in Cyber security and IT field and sending them to the back of the queue.
As clearly seen, during covid-19, where every single work had been shifted to online platforms and the wave of migrants and international students running out of the country, the needs of highly skilled and talented people have been raised significantly.
That opened up a new popular Global Talent Visa program, a fast tracked permanent residency of Australia pathway for skilled migrants who are recognized internationally with projects and researches.
Up until today, there have been many ups and downs regarding the popularity of the Global Talent Visa program.
October and November has received a lot of good news and negative news from Skilled Migration Program and Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) in Australia.
Apart from the outcomes of the Skills Summit in September which have been announced recently, there is more news from the skill select results and state nomination updates especially in NSW.
The biggest update could be the publishment of the Migration Allocation Budget where we saw a cut in Global Talent Visa, but a significant increase in Business and Investment Visa 188 or in Employer sponsorship and Parent Visa.
Skills Select results - Visa 189 and 491 Invitation round October 2022
The 6 October had seen another massive round. There were 11,714 visa 189 invitations which is the highest number even for the last 2 years in such a round.
There were invitations for onshore applicants in this round, but still a higher level for OFFSHORE INVITATIONS overall.
We can see that the government is now focusing on offshore migrants to help address the skills shortages.
There are 818 Family Sponsored 491 visa invitations, which is nearly double up from 466.
I would expect the occupations to broaden in each round. As we can see clearly, medical and health related occupations are still covering most invitations of the 189 visa. Other occupations have been invited are engineer professionals (Civil engineer, chemical engineer, electrical engineer...), trade occupations and Early Childhoood / Secondary Teacher.
It is very difficult and time consuming to get the relevant registrations and skills assessments for medical occupations. So the number of EOI in the systems for those occupations are likely to have largely cleaned out.
The positive thing is that, the minimum point for most occupations (around 80-90%) are 65.
The focus on offshore is raising many concerns for overseas passport holders in Australia.
Should they go offshore to increase their chances of securing an invitation?
My answer is NO.
The offshore focus, if it continues, could endanger the international education industry in Australia. A strong factor in choosing to study in Australia is having a path to migrate.
So the Australian Government should think carefully about the value of international students to Australia, including their contribution to filling job vacancies. There needs to be balance and including inviting more onshore applicants.
One more concern is about the visa 189 Australia does not have restriction on where visa holders have to live and work. This could bring skilled migrants to come to metro areas such as Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and the skills shortages in regional areas will be more severe.
After all, this is really a good news for skilled migrants onshore and offshore.
They now have more options to choose from and to plan ahead for Australian PR.
Migration Allocations Up for Skilled Visa 189/491/190
In the last announcement on Federal Government budget for the Migration Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has poured a significant funds into the program.
An additional $576 million for over 4 years to the Department of Home Affairs for activities including visa processing, offshore processing costs and supporting refugees.
The skilled independent visa 189 allocations have been upped again. Last year they were 6,500, now they are 32,000.
Plus other state nominated visas are also up. Remarkable growth for regional visas which are now up to 34,000 places and State Nominated Visa 190 (PR) is risen to 31,000 allocations.
The total number of skilled visas available as part of the program increase significantly from 79,600 to 142,400 in this financial year 2023.
So this means those wanting to migrate, it is time to get your nominated occupation skills assessment and English result.
Now two months later, state and territories are closing their programs, having exhausted their state quotas for this specific stream.
Recently the new allocation levels of 5000 business visas to 30 June 2023 has been announced. However, with the current crisis in the business and investment visa program, this number can be filled quickly.
The future of business visas and particulary the Significant Investor Visa is still in doubt with the rumours aroud the minister's talk in September.
For the 190 visa NSW, some occupations have low point scores, such as 65 for Registered Nurses and trades such as Roof Tilers.
But other occupations are impossibly high and send the clear message, look for greener pastures.
For the 190 Visa in NSW for Accountants are 110 points, ICT Business and Sytems analyst are 100 points
Having these scores published is helpful for those wanting to apply.
Parent Visas
Welcome news with the publication of updated allocation numbers from 26 October.
The number of parent visas has gone from 4500 to 8500. This will lead to a lowering of processing times for the parent visas.
For example, the estimates for the Contributory Parent Visa 143 had gone out to over ten years, with a backlog of over 50,000.
So this will be lower with more visa grants per year.
Student visa holders
Unrestricted work rights for international students who hold student visa subclass 500 will end on 30 June 2023. The restriction of 40 hours a fortnight will then apply.
This may be challenging for some international students to adjust to. But overall, the pressure to work full time can also be detrimental to the ability to study.
This is a right decision for International students since their tuition fee is comparatively higher than the money they are able to earn.
That will also affect their future and their capability to fill in high skills shortgages.
Working Holidary Visa
There has been a 30% incresase in the cap for working holiday visas. This will be welcoming for all those planning a backpacking and working holdiday in Australia.
With the high interest from young people around the world, this will still be filled quickly as soon as it opens for some Asian countries.
Please check carefully with our specialists to know more about the program opening round to be able to secure a working holiday visa.
Sensible reforms - Health examination waived for onshore applicants
A relaxation on the need for medicals has been announced for temporary visa applicants already in Australia. This will help reduce waiting times for medicals and save money for applicants and the government. But there are some categories, such as those working in medical settings, that will still need medicals.
More sensible reforms along these lines are welcome.
The allocations had been cut from 8448 down to 5000 for the year ending 30 June 2022.
See our separate video to be posted soon, to consider the implications and future for the GTV.
Migration Institute Australia National Conference
I have recently returned from the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) National Conference, which was held in Hobart, Tasmania. Opened by the Hon Andrew Giles, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs.
Minister Giles set the tone for a renewed immigration program focussed on nation building and multiculturalism.
Paul Denman, Senior Director for the Immigration Program spoke about the practical considerations of clearing the visa backlog.
Brendan Coates presented the Grattan Institutes perspective on the best way to measure migrations perspective being through the income generated by migrants.
Under such a model high paid migrants are to be favoured over filling skills shortages and business visas such the SIV visa.
Enda Stankard and Andrew Martin from MA Financial Group outlined the contributions made to Australia by the Significant Investor Visa (SIV). At the Gala Dinner and Awards night the MIA celebtrated 35 Year leading the Australian migration industry.
Craig Foster gave an inspiring speech about his in successfully advocating Australian refugee Hakeem to be released from a Thai jail and to avoid extradition to Bahrain. His continuing to work includes #RacismNotWelcome and #PayUpFIFA
Congratulations to all the Award winners including Craig Foster for his Distinguished Service to Immigration in Australia. John Hourigan was awarded Life Membership in recognition of his many years of contributing to the MIA,.
Thanks to the voluntary efforts of the Leadership of National president Julie Williams and Vice President Constantine Paxinos, to all MIA Board members and CEO Peter Vymys and all committed staff at the national office.
The world is short-staffed. And this is especially felt by the health sector.
Australia needs more health workers.
According to the report prepared by the International Centre on Nurse Migration, Sustain and Retain in 2022 and Beyond, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global shortage of nurses was estimated at 5.9 million. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic. And this skill shortage is across the health sector.
Australia has not been spared of the shortage of health workers and the Australian Commonwealth government and the different state governments had been implementing programs to attract overseas health workers to tackle staff shortages.
If you are a health worker and is interested to migrate you might be interested in the following support and programs offered by the different state governments.
*Note that all health professionals wishing to practice in Australia must hold Australian registration, have appropriate levels of education, skills, English language proficiency and experience and the appropriate visa to work in Australia.
Victoria
The Victorian government has announced that it will be providing relocation support for international and returning Australian health and mental health workers who have secured a job in a public health service.
This program is for health professionals who:
are currently living overseas, which may include Australian citizens returning home or non-residents who meet Commonwealth visa requirements
are international candidates whose occupation is on the Skilled Occupation list (SOL) and
have secured a job with a Victorian health service between 1 April 2022 and 30 June 2023 and intend to work within the Victorian public health system for at least two years, and
can access relevant Australian registration or accreditation for their profession
are fully vaccinated (including travelling families) for COVID-19 by a Therapeutic Goods Administration approved or recognised vaccine.
The support is for international travel allowance to help with relocation costs:
$10,000 for healthcare workers who secure a role in a public metropolitan health service
$13,000 for healthcare workers who secure a role in a rural or regional health service
The money will be transferred to the employing health service.
South Australia
SA Health is looking for internationally trained health professionals to express their interest to work for them in South Australia.
They are looking for international applicants with transferable skills and qualifications for medical, nursing and midwifery, and allied and scientific health positions.
The guidelines for the online application can be found in the SA Health website.
If you meet the eligibility criteria, SA Health will sponsor your visa and help you work through the visa process.
New South Wales
The New South Wales government announced that the state will have a $4.5B recruitment drive to increase its health workforce by more than 10,000 staff over the next 4 years. This included giving a one-off ‘appreciation payments’ and raising the public sector wage cap.
Some regional NSW districts such as the Western NSW Local Health District are also recruiting overseas medical and nursing professionals who are registered or close to completing their AHPRA registration process and have an IELTS score of at least 7. They can offer incentives of up to $10,000 and can provide sponsorship for the visa.
Queensland
Queensland is looking for international applicants with transferable skills and qualifications in the following professions:
The Norther Territory regularly have job opportunities throughout the territory for registered nurses, enrolled nurses and a variety of internationally trained Medical Officers or International Medical Graduates (IMGs).
For assistance with the application process, IMGs may contact:
For Top End Health Service (TEHS) job enquirers:
specialist and registrar roles: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
interns and resident medical officers roles: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
emergency department registrar and specialist roles: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For Central Australia Health Service (CAHS) job enquirers: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
More information can be found in the Northern Territory Government NT Health website.
Western Australia
Western Australia is also recruiting international health professionals and often advertise job vacancies on the WA Health Jobs Board
The WA government had previously offered relocation incentives and offered experienced health professional reimbursement for their relocation costs if they are appointed to a permanent or fixed term contract of 12 months or longer with WA Health on, or after, 1 July 2022 and up to 30 September 2022.
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
The ACT government has a national campaign to recruit more nurses and midwives to the ACT.
The ACT Nurses and Midwifery Enterprise Agreement 2020-2022 contains the provisions for the reimbursement for relocation expenses, allowances, etc.
Reimbursement for relocation expenses can be provided to interstate or overseas employees.
The relevant pre-determined ceiling is as below:
Employee Circumstances
Reimbursement Ceiling
Single with no dependants
$12,000
Additional Payment per dependant (up to 6)
$2,000
Additional payment per dependant (in excess of 6)
$1,750
Information as to what the ACT offers to nurses and midwives can be found in the ACT Health website.
Work Visa Lawyers has extensive experience in assisting international health workers apply for a visa in Australia.
Contact us if you need our assistance you can contact us at (+61) 08 8351 9956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Get Permanent Residency as Registered Nurse in Australia
With the global pandemic Covid 19, the need for Nurses has been greater than ever before.
The whole world is facing a shortage of nurses and so is Australia.
Figures from the Migration Report of the Department of Home Affair show that Registered Nurses are among the top 3 occupations that have been granted Australian Permanent Residency.
In the first quarter of Migration program year 2022-2023, Registered Nurses are still one of the high demand skilled occupations in Australia, not to mention the highest demand for now.
We are discussing here some information about what different types of nursing professions are available, how to get skill assessment and how to get Australian PR if you are a Nurse by profession.
Today we are going to talk about the recent news about business innovation and investment visa 188 in Australia.
There is not so much good news regarding the Business and Investment Visa in Australia recently from the minister's talk and the Business Visa Allocation announced in late August 2022.
There are comments that Investor Visa streams do not bring benefits to Australia or are being criticized by the Minister of Home Affairs, Ms Clare O'Neil and the Grattan Institute.
State criteria has become more difficult for the Business Innovation stream 188a visa with higher points score. This is due to the low allocation provided by the Department of Home Affair which makes it harder to nominate applicants for states and territories.
Though there is negative news, the business and investor visa program is still very beneficial to Australia on my perspective. There are a lot of values it brings that are mentioned in the video.
It becomes more difficult to get a 188A, the applicants need to apply for ITR and be invited to apply for nomination.
Other than that, applicants must:
- Score at least 80 points in the points test (including state nomination points).
- Provide a business plan detailing the economic impact of your proposal to South Australia
A business plan will be given more weight in terms of nomination ranking factors.
It is also more difficult to get 888A Business Innovation Stream (PR Australia):
Higher investment requirement, 300k instead of 200k, AND
2 full-time employees
Director's loan is not considered as business asset by Move to SA.
It wants the 188A visa holders to spend the money in SA to show Benefits to the State!
Business and Investor Visa QLD
Migration Queensland advises that the interim nomination allocation (quota) for the business program (BIIP) has now been filled.
However, the business program remains open and MQ will continue to process applications – although we are unable to nominate on Skillselect.
MQ is currently awaiting further advice from Home Affairs as to when this final allocation will be provided.
For applications that are already submitted to MQ, and would like to withdraw to apply to another state or territory, please contact us here.
SIV news from the Minister’s talk
In the latest talk, Minister Clare O’Neil mentioned:
"I think most Australians would be pretty offended by the idea that we've got a visa category here where effectively you can buy your way into the country,"
"I don't see a lot of great benefits to the country currently." When she was asked by Andrew if the Golden Visa Australia might be abolished.
The minister has criticized the Significant investor visa to be bringing in older people who can cost the budget.
Investor Visa Australia - Comments from Grattan Institute
These comments reflect what has been published by the Grattan Institute, a private research body in which recommends public policy.
The Grattan Institute has put forward the view that business migrants pay less tax over the lifetime than skilled visa migrant workers.
The institution seems to be criticizing all 4 streams of the business and innovation program.
What is the future for Business and Investor Visas Australia?
There is a strong possibility that the Federal Government will totally cut the Significant Investor Visa stream of the 188 sometime in the future.
There is also an unanswered question that will also cut the investor visa.
This is also referred to as the 188B Visa Australia.
It requires a 2.5 million investment into the complying fund.
But the investor is difficult because it does have a prerequisite of investment experience and an age limit of 55.
We still need more time to see what is going to happen with the Significant investor stream and the investor stream.
In the meantime, it is still available and no ministerial guidelines about the abolishment of the program.
Chris's comment on current Business and Investor Visa news
I personally don’t agree with the analysis of the Minister nor the Grattan institute
The measure of individual tax payment does not reflect the true benefits of business and investment visas.
These include:
Create capital for small businesses or venture capital funds
Create more jobs for Australians
Export Australian products especially 188a visa stream
Create ties to increase international relations.
Can promote regional property development, especially for 188A stream
What to do now?
With limited allocations, it is no doubt the business visa program will become more difficult
The quotas can be filled very quickly before this financial year ends.
There is also the possibility that some of the 188 visa streams will be cut.
So if you are interested in a business and investment visa in Australia, you should consider applying soon.
If you want a business visa in Australia, please book an appointment or use our Business Visa Compare tool.
With Business visa compare, you only need 5 minutes to answer some simple questions and get your best business visa options.
Australia is always the top desitnation for family to enjoy the quality of living standard, education and outdoor activities. Work Visa Lawyers has professional Immigration Lawyers and Agents to deal with your Visa matters. We also have trusted financial advisory partners who are eligible to manage your investment portfolio in Australia.
For a quick assessment of your best Australian Business Visa options, please visit our FREE assessment tool: Business Visa Compare
More about the Business Visa Australia Agents and Lawyers
Understanding the difficulties in choosing the best Australian Business Visa options, Business Visa 188 Agents and Lawyers team have worked together to create this tool to help experienced business owners or investors find their best Business and Investor Visa options in Australia.
Work Visa Lawyers has strong immigration knowledge and committed to keep updating our website and Business Innovation and Investment news in Australia.
Work Visa Lawyers ® is a migration firm founded by Lawyer Chris Johnston in 2011. Our team is focused on providing quality immigration services to our clients, wherever they are in the world. We speak English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Punjabi, Hindi, Tagalog (Filipino), Portuguese and Vietnamese.
We can help you with the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) for the following four streams and Global Talent Visa:
We are experts in Business and Investor Visas 188 and Global Talent Visa 858 in Australia. We help overseas business owners, investors to create a new life in Australia with their family much faster through those visa streams.
Basically, this is the fast-tracked permanent residency pathway for highly skilled and talented people in the world with significant achievement in Australia’s target sectors.
There are about 10 target sectors listed for the GTI program Australia.
There is no specific occupation required for being eligible for the Global Talent Visa program.
Within the scope of this writing, we only mention the latest update that we have received on the media or during our visa application process.
Updates on Offshore applicants as the highest priority for Global Talent Visa Program
In a bid to “fix” the immigration system and address the skill shortage, the Australian government announced that it will be making some changes in the processing the Global Talent Visa.
One change that was flagged by the Home Affairs Minister, Ms. Clare O’Neil in an interview with the Australian Financial Review is the Global Talent Visa program.
Minister O’Neil said that the only candidates that would be considered are those located offshore.
With the explanation that onshore applicants may be able to find other pathways for Australian PR.
The government would like to focus more on recruiting talent worldwide.
Last program year has seen a more than 70% of GTI visas were granted to ONSHORE applicants.
However, to date, there are still no legislative, regulatory, or policy changes nor new Ministerial Directions to this effect.
We have been advised that the Global Talent Visa EOIs continue to be processed in submission order.
According to the Global Talent Visa program officers: “Government is currently revising Ministerial directions to give priority to applicants for a permanent visa where the applicant is offshore, including within the Global Talent program. This will enable more workers to enter Australia more quickly, contribute to the labor market and ease labor shortages.”
This is appropriate because most Global talent visa applicants in Australia have secured their own stable jobs.
Granting those onshore workers will not help deal with the labor shortages the country is facing.
So, for now at least, pending any policy changes, EOIs from onshore applicants are still being accepted and processed.
Global Talent Visa priority assessment order
EOIs for the Global Talent visas are usually assessed in order of receipt but some EOIs receive priority assessment. these are:
Those that have the confirmed support of a Global Talent Officer
The EOIs from Hong Kong nationals and residents
Candidates of extremely high calibre including those who meet the high-income threshold.
Those EOIs that clearly do not meet the criteria for the Global Talent Visa may receive an early unsuccessful notification.
Global Talent Visa Current processing time
It is advised by the department that they are currently processing EOIs submitted in April 2021.
With the current skills summit, the government has announced the budget to deal with the backlog.
In fact, our clients have received good turnaround time recently.
We expect that in the near future, the Global Talent Visa processing time will be decreased further.
Removal of EOI invitation expiry
One recent significant change in the Global Talent Visa program is the removal of the EOI invitation expiry.
Prior to this, EOI invitations are only valid for 12 months.
That means those who got the invitation to apply for the Global Talent Visa have 12 months to apply for the visa.
Following that, the jobs and skills summit held in Canberra on the 1,2 September 2022 has announced a lot of current Australian immigration initiatives.
There are some key points to be mentioned later in this blog regarding the summit outcomes.
There is still much more news to come in the future.
We believe this year’s migration program is very promising.
This article will discuss all the latest Australian Immigration updates in September and August 2022:
State Allocation Confirmation from Australian Government for Program year 2022-2023
State Nomination visa 491 and visa 190 Update
Visa 189 Skilled independent invitation round
Skills Summit Outcomes
Agriculture Industry challenges
Post Study work visa 485 Extension for Select degree (minimum 4 years duration)
SA Skilled Migration Program update
Business Visa Australia update on allocations and requirements
State Allocation 2022-2023 - Big Increase for Skilled Migration Program
The interim allocations for all states and territories have been released.
The total allocations have been up to about 50,000 this financial year.
There are massive allocations increases in permanent visa 190 with nearly doubling the places.
That shows a move to encourage permanent migration under the new labour government.
In more detail, NSW, Victoria, and WA see significant growth in both visa streams.
Other states have received more quotas than last year.
It is going to be a great year for skilled migrants who seek permanent residency in Australia
Skilled Migration Program Update - visa 190/491 updates in 2022
On the 25 of August, South Australia is the last state to announce the opening of their skilled visa 190/491 program.
There are many positive changes in all state nomination programs including:
Much simpler nomination criteria in all states
Fully opening for offshore application
In the scope of this video, we cannot demonstrate the criteria of each state.
However, you can always get access to it by the link above.
What you should do now?
Upon the opening of state nomination, all skilled workers should start to seek a suitable nomination.
Next, you should ensure that you have a valid SKILL ASSESSMENT and eligible English test result.
Calculating your EOI points and considering age points are also necessary.
So far there has been all positive news for international students and skilled migrants.
Hopefully, there will be more PR options in other streams like employer-sponsored.
Please subscribe to our channel for the latest updates.
SA Skilled Migration Program - SA visa 491 and 190 2022-23 program year
At its last announcement, SA has opened its skilled visa 491 and 190 to over 500 occupations
In that, 97 new occupations have been added to SA’s high-priority visa list including some popular ones like:
Finance manager/broker
Accountant
ICT occupations like Software engineer
Hairdressers
Community service workers
Project administrator
SA is now rolling out a “magnet state” campaign that attracts young people in Australia to come.
Premier Peter Malinauskas says:” you can have a global career in South Australia, living, studying, and working alongside the world’s current and emerging leaders, coming together to achieve great things.”
Tasmania State Nomination - Tasmania Skilled Visa 491 and 190
The Tasmanian Skilled Migration State Nomination Program is expected to open to gold and green pass candidates by Monday 12 September 2022.
Please ensure that you meet the minimum requirements and have at least one gold or green priority attribute.
After that, you may be able to register your interest in the nomination.
NSW state nomination update - Skilled Occupation Lists - Visa 491 and 190 NSW
Overall, the jobs and skills summit focus on dealing with current labour shortages and economy issues. A bigger, better trained and more productive workforce are the goal to acquire. The aim is to deliver high paid jobs, boost incomes and living standards and create more opportunities for Australians.
However, within the scope of this writing, only migration aspect will be outlined.
There are many migrations focused on 4 immediate initiatives and longer-term focuses:
1) Lifting migration cap with more focus on PERMANENT migrants
2) Increasing the speed of visa processing
3) Enabling graduates of Australian universities to work in Australia for longer
4) Extending the lifting of restrictions that allow temporary visa holders to work more hours
Lifting permanent migration number to nearly 200,000 for 2022-23 fiscal year and processing more visa backlogs
Australia is facing a severe skills shortage and a huge visa backlog.
The government believe by clearing the backlog and increasing permanent migration would heal the pain of skilled labor shortages
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has recruited more than 500 new staff to clear the visa backlog sitting at around 900,000.
The government will spend $36.1 million to clear the backlog
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil announced the skilled migration cap in 2022-23 would be lifted to 195,000 – up from 160,000
+ Including 9,000 places for regional Australia to 34,000
+ additional 4,700 for healthcare
+ additional 6,100 for infrastructure
+ additional 6,800 for technology workers.
+ additional 5,000 for business sponsorships.
For a longer term, a permanent migration is set to be executed.
What does it mean?
It means thousands more nurses and thousands more engineers settling in the country this year. Those medium and long term skilled occupation will receive a lot of benefits from the government.
Moreover, the new Labor Government will start to re-assess the occupation list.
Increase the duration of 485 visa for international graduates in Australia
Foreign students’ graduate visa 485 extension and relaxing work restrictions will be available to strengthen the workforce pipeline.
The Australian Government will increase the duration of post-study work visa 485 for international students
This will help strengthen the pipeline of skilled labor.
The extension only applies to select degrees in areas of verified skill shortages.
Eligible graduates will have their visa 485 increased from:
Two years to four years for select Bachelor’s degrees
Three years to five years for select master’s degrees
Four years to six years for select PhDs.
A working group will be established to advise on the development of this and other relevant issues.
The group will report to Ministers by 28 October 2022.
At the moment, only 16 percent of international students stay on after their studies end.
This will mean they can stay on longer and use their skills to contribute to the productivity of our economy.
The outcomes from the skills summit are geared towards supporting international education.
International education is an important Australian industry that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic.
Continued temporary relaxation of working hours for internation students holding 500 visa
Regarding relaxing work restrictions, international students will still be able to work more than 40 hours per week until June 2023.
Moreover, international students will be able to work before the course commencement.
Until June 2023, no restrictions will be applied to international students about their working right.
Increase the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT)
It is recommended by the parties to raise the TSMIT. This is one of the main factor for TSS 482 Visa program.
The minimum wage payable to temporary skilled workers currently at 53,900 will be lifted to 60,000 as wanted by business groups.
Unions want it to be 90,000 to avoid exploitation in low-paid jobs.
The aim of the change is to increase the living standard of those temporary visa holders whilst in Australia.
Agriculture Visa and Challenges in Agriculture sector in the near future
A new group of farmers, unions, and the Federal Government has been formed to tackle chronic workforce shortages in the agricultural sector.
Agriculture Minister Murray Watt announced the group on the sidelines of the summit
Senator Watt said the working group would meet monthly over the next year to discuss the sector's challenges
It has been estimated at 170,000 worker shortfalls.
This will make sure that farmers can get the workers that they need and to make sure that agriculture workers are protected and respected in their work.
In a new release from Department of Home Affairs, they confirmed that the PALM scheme will remain a key program for meeting agricultural workforce shortages. They are planning to boost permanent migration through new Pacific Engagement Visa to be introduced in July 2023
3000 Visas would be allocated annually, Applicants need to be aged between 18 and 45 years, having a job offer in Australia, and some English proficiency.
More information will be published later.
If you are working in Agriculture, consider another options if not eligible for PALM scheme. For more options, check this link
Business Visa Australia Allocation and Its Future
This year has seen very low allocations for business innovation and investment visa in all states.
NSW has published its business visa requirements with slightly higher criteria.
Instead of 65 points for 188a and 188b visa, the requirement has now been raised to 85 in NSW.
Not just NSW, other states have announced their business visa program with very low places.
Consequently, States will become more difficult in picking up suitable applications.
Global talent visa updates 2022 - EOI and Priority Processing Criteria
EOI Expiration
In recent notice from the Department of Home Affairs, they have announced there will no expiration date for the Global Talent Visa program Expression of Interest.
The current duration cap is 12 month.
The GTI officers are currently processing EOIs submitted in April 2021. However, for some cases, you might receive early invitation.
Work Visa Lawyers clients got their invitation in just 2 days with support of Global Talent officer.
In which order are EOIs considered?
Expressions of Interest are usually assessed in order of receipt, however the following may receive priority assessment:
Confirmed support from a Global Talent Officer
Hong Kong nationals and residents
Candidates of extremely high calibre
EOIs from candidates clearly outside program parameters may receive early notification.
JUST IN: 10/8/2022, ACT is the fist state to open their skilled migration program with its interim allocation. It is followed by Tasmania and Victoria to open their state nomination on 11/8/2022.
All those visas have permanent residency pathway options and a guaranteed market salary for you.
Today we are going to talk about the 2 most popular employer sponsored: visa subclass 482 (temporary skills shortage) and lesser known 494 Visa (Skilled employer sponsored regional).
An approved Standard Business Sponsor might be able to nominate skilled workers.
Normally there must be involvement from both employer and employee sides for the visa application.
In this blog, we only mention what applicants need to know about the difference between 482 visas and 494 visas.
482 visa – Temporary skills shortage (TSS)
The TSS visa, or 482 visa, is a temporary visa that permits the holder to
Live in Australia with their immediate family members, children can go to school and secondary applicants over 18 years of age can work in Australia
Genuine intention to work in the nominated position
Qualifications that are relevant to the position
Adequate arrangements for health insurance
Meet health, character and English requirements
494 Visa – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional)
The 494 Visa Australia allows skilled workers to be sponsored by an Australian employer in a regional area for up to five years
494 Visa holders can: • live and work in Australia for up to five years • include immediate family on 494 visa • transition to permanent residency (if eligible) via the 191 Regional Skilled Visa
494 Visa Requirements To be eligible to apply for visa 494, applicants must
be under 45 years
have at least 3 years work experience
have a valid skill assessment
demonstrate competent English
meet the health and character requirements
This table below will show you the comparison between the 2 visa eligibility criteria
Requirement
482 Visa - Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS)
494 Visa - Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional
Age
There are no age limits for the 482 visas.
Age limits do apply for the permanent residency pathway unless an exemption applies
Applicants must be under 45 years of age at the time of application, unless exempt.
English requirement
Requirements depend on whether applicant’s occupation is within the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), or Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL).
MLTSSL (Medium Term): IELTS 5 in each band or 36 in each band for PTE.
STSOL (Short term): At least 4.5 in each band with an overall 5 for IELTS and at least 30 in each band (with an overall 36) for PTE.
Certain exemptions may apply, such as those who completed at least 5 years’ full-time study in a secondary/higher education institution where the medium of instruction was English.
Competent English - At least 6 in each band for IELTS or at least 50 in each band for PTE.
Applicants holding passports of Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, UK and US are exempt.
Skills Assessment
No, unless occupation and passport are specified in the legislative instrument
Certain exemptions apply, for instance 457/482 visa holders employed in the nominated occupation in Australia or Australian qualification holder that is commensurate to ANSCO-required qualification
Yes, although certain exemptions may apply such as those with positive skills assessment from 457/482 application
Work Experience
At least 2 years of work experience. According to departmental policy guidelines, this should have been within the past 5 years and casual employment is not counted.
At least 3 years of relevant employment experience. According to departmental policy guidelines, casual employment may be counted provided this equates to 38 hours per work.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS FOR 482 VISA AND 494 VISA
Similarities
Start with some similarities between the 2 visa subclass
It is obvious that both the 482 and 494 require applicants to be nominated by their employer.
There are some more similarities between the 482 visa and visa 494 in terms of:
Labour Market Testing (This is to show there is no suitable Australian citizen/permanent resident who can fill the nominated position)
The requirement to demonstrate the nominated salary is at least $53,900 (excluding superannuation)
Meets the Australian Market Salary Rate (AMSR) i.e.,
This ensures that the worker receives the salary that would be paid to an equivalent Australian worker in the same position at the same location.
In general, those are all the basic requirements to protect international workers.
Let’s move on to the most interesting part
Advantages and disadvantages between Visa 482 and Visa 494
There are 3 significant differences between the 2 visa streams
The dependence and Independence on Employer for Australian PR application
The most significant difference between the 494 visas and the 482 visas is the PR requirement.
With the 494 visas, you don’t need an employer to nominate you for PR.
Provided that you have met other 191 PR requirements such as:
Living and working in a designated regional area for 3 years
Have earned 53,900 per annum for those 3 years
*Please note this income threshold can be adjusted periodically in line with the inflation rate or consumer price index
For 482 Visa medium-term holders, they must be sponsored for a transition stream of PR 186 Visa.
More details can be watched the video below about how to get PR with 482 Visa:
However, there is no minimum income requirement to apply PR for 482 Visa holders.
The flexibility of location of work for 482 visa holders
Another difference between these two visas is flexibility in the location of the work.
The 482 does not require the visa applicant to work in a particular area, meaning they can work anywhere in Australia.
However, it depends on the occupation that applicants are holding to determine if they are eligible for PR or not.
That is why the 482 visa is very popular for skilled migrants who are currently working in Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane because it is hard for them to get PR with Skilled nominated Visa 190.
As a result, international workers from metro areas are moving regional just for permanent residence options.
