Why may Jobs and Skills Summit 2022 outcomes worsen Australia’s immigration systems and increase skills shortages?
*This article is written based on Immigration Lawyers’ view and suggestion on the current Migration plannings by the new Federal Government”
One of the major outcomes from the Jobs and Skills Summit 2022 is that the number of Australian Permanent Residency visas will be increased to 195,000 (an increase of 30,000), with additional funding provided to get through a backlog of visa applications.
As further discussed in this article, whilst not unwelcome these changes nevertheless fall acutely short in terms of actually addressing core problems.
The current Australian immigration system is not fit for purpose – the Australian Government needs to reform and modernise immigration policy.
This article will consider:
What are the skills shortages?
Why the Skills Summit outcomes will not actually fix skills shortages?
How can skills shortages be addressed through immigration policy reform?
If you want to know the likely outcome of the Skills Summit migration policy, then skip to the end of this article.
Many Americans fight hard for their Permanent Residency in The State and a green card. As a result, they are pondering their options.
While Canada is a geographically closer option, Australia offers a practical and attractive option for US citizens looking to move abroad temporarily or permanently.
Australia has a lot of types of visas to offer for Americans who are interested in getting an Australia permanent residency or citizenship.
In this article, we explain all possible Australian visa options available to US citizens.
1) The Subclass 462 Work and Holiday Visa
The Work and Holiday visa 462 suits young Americans aged 18 to 30. There is an ongoing review to increase the age limit to 35 years of age, but that is not in effect as yet. Other requirements for the visa are:
- You must have a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or equivalent.
- Have approximately AUD 5000 available as travel funds
- Hold travel health insurance
- Be healthy and have no criminal records
The visa is valid for 1 year and an extension for additional 2 years is possible if you have met specific work requirements, usually in specified high-needs industries in the regional areas of Australia.
While this visa is temporary for a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 3 years, you may be eligible to apply for other visas for further stay in Australia after that.
If you have skills or qualifications in America, you may be eligible for more visas mentioned below. Otherwise, you can start with a student visa to start your way to Australian Permanent Residency.
Overall, This working holiday 462 visa is a fabulous opportunity for young Americans to visit and work in Australia to see if they like what Australia offers.
2) Skilled Migration visas: Visa 189 Skilled Independent, Skilled Nominated Visa 190, Skilled Regional Visa 491
Post-Pandemic Covid-19, Australia needs skilled professional and technical workers. US citizens are in the right mold because of the following factors:
- Excellent English abilities
- Accredited and easily verifiable education qualifications and work references
- Easier transition to an English and Western work environment and process
The upper age limit for these skilled visas is 45 years and below. You are likely someone who has completed a tertiary qualification and has worked a few years or more.
These skilled visas are a pathway to Australian permanent residency, allowing you and your family to live in Australia for as long as you want.
Especially the skilled independent visa 189, the Australian Department of Home Affairs is doing its best effort to attract skilled people worldwide post-pandemic hit.
Recently, they have invited more than 10,000 skilled migrants to apply for this visa 189 - direct Permanent Residency of Australia.
Skilled nominated visa 190 is also an Australian PR with a direct grant, however, it could be more selective to some popular states like Victoria or NSW as this visa is state based visa with different requirements for each state.
Australia is facing a severe skills shortage, particularly in regional areas which are South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Northern Territory, or even Regional Areas of metro states like Queensland, Victoria or NSW.
With this 491 Visa, you may live and work in the regional area of Australia and has a pathway to Visa 191 Permanent Residency once certain requirements (The primary one is the income threshold of 53,900 per annum) are met.
As a permanent resident of Australia, you will be eligible for social benefits including cheaper education, universal healthcare (Medicare), welfare (criteria apply) and more.
Watch this video below to understand more about Regional and Metropolitans and what incentives you might get for living and working or studying in Regional areas of Australia.
Contact Work Visa Lawyers today to find out if you are eligible for the skilled visas mentioned.
3) Employer Sponsored Visas – TSS 482 visa, PR 186 visa and RSMS subclass 187 visa
Do you work for a large multinational corporation in the United States? Does the company have an overseas office in Australia? If they do, you may look for an overseas transfer by being sponsored by the Australian office of your current employer
While this would involve the endorsement and approval from your employer, this also means that you arrive in Australia with a job in hand.
Not just being employed by a multinational corp, if you are being offered a job in Australia, you may be eligible to ask for sponsorship. Most genuine businesses in Australia can nominate foreign skilled workers.
This is reflected in the new Ministerial Direction 100 about Skilled Visa Priority Processing.
It states that Skilled Visa program and Employer sponsorship program will be prioritized and offshore skilled migrants will be favoured.
Amongst all employer-sponsored visa, TSS 482 Visa is the most popular one with pathway to Permanent Residency of Australia for certain occupations which are listed in medium and Long Term Strategic Skilled List (MLTSSL).
Watch this video to learn more how a 482 Visa can help you get PR in Australia
The team at Work Visa Lawyers can provide dedicated visa services to the individual and professional corporate services to the sponsoring company. We ensure the best interests of both the employee and employer are catered to when applying for employer-sponsored visas.
This is a fast-tracked Permanent residency visa, Global Talent Visa Australia is the most popular one during pandemic for Offshore Skilled Migrants. Work Visa Lawyers has done a lot of cases for American highly skilled persons who got Permanent Residency and moved to Australia during Covid-19.
The Global Talent visa application process is simpler, faster and more affordable than many other Australian visas, so naturally, this makes it very popular. No age limit or points is testing and it grants immediate Permanent Residency
In General, visa applicants are required to meet the following 4 core requirements to be able to apply for a Global Talent visa:
Skills in a relevant field - There are 10 targeted sectors in Global Talent Visa to fit your skills in
Internationally recognized for outstanding achievement in your field - You may use your career history or publications. GTI 858 Visa (Global talent Visa) is quite popular for PhD graduates.
Salary Income Threshold - Your annual salary income with currency exchange must meet the high income threshold of AUD$162,000 or you need to prove that you have secured a job offer with higher income than the threshold.
Nomination - You need to have a prominent nominator in your field of expertise.
5) Business innovation and investment visas – for current business owners and managers, investors and entrepreneurs
Australia welcomes successful business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs on the rise. Visas available under this category include:
The Business Innovation Visa 188a stream is unsurprisingly the most popular amongst all business visa Australia because of its lower capital requirements than the investor stream and the Significant Investor Stream. But it requires a points test, English, Business establishment experience, and more.
The Significant Investor Visa 188C stream requires none of those mentioned above; however, the investment amount is set at 5 Million Australian Dollars into Australian Complying Fund.
Business visas to Australia can be complex, and you will need a detailed assessment before applying. The experienced Registered Migration Agents at Work Visa Lawyers can assist you with the initial eligibility assessment and handle the complex visa application on your behalf in an efficient manner. Contact us today to learn more.
While the above lists the most common Australian visas for US citizens looking to move abroad, there may be other visa options including student visas, distinguished talent visas and so on. Each individual and family have their circumstances, therefore you should speak to a Registered Migration Agent to discover your options before deciding what is best for you and your family in the short and long term.
Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Immigration Lawyer at Work Visa Lawyers
Australia is an ideal destination for US citizens looking to explore and discover a different country. The people, culture and environment are not vastly different from the United States so there will be less of a culture shock to Americans looking to move. Australian cities also consistently rank high in the top ten among the world’s most liveable cities or cities with the highest quality of life.
Work Visa Lawyers has received inquiries from new and past clients about Australian visa options to move to or remain in Australia. Get in touch with us today to speak about how Work Visa Lawyers can assist with your intentions to make Australia your temporary or permanent home.
Do you need help with an Australian visa application?
At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.
If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:
(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956
or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The TSS subclass 482 visa was introduced on 18 March 2018. It replaced the 457 visa which will no longer be granted. While applications for the 457 Visa are no longer being accepted, applications that were filed before 18 March 2018 will still be processed. View the full list of 457 and 482 Visa differences here.
A key feature of the TSS Visa 482 is that it splits the list into three streams:
Short-Term stream
$1,330, per applicant over the age of 18.
Medium-Term stream
$2,770, per applicant over the age of 18.
Labour Agreement Stream
$2,770 per applicant over the age of 18.
Short-Term stream:
Only allowed visa for duration of up to 2 years
Only one onshore renewal possible – this means that after 4 years on TSS the applicant will have to go offshore to apply again.
Occupations listed on STSOL
No pathway to PR provided for short term occupation (unless covid-19 concessions apply for 186 TRT Stream, this is a new temporary concession for 482 Visa short term to PR 186)
Medium-term stream:
TSS visas granted for up to 4 years
No limit on number of onshore renewals
Occupations listed MLTSSL
Offers a pathway to Australian PR after 3 years holding visa with the same employer through:
ENS Temporary Transition (subclass 186)
(Only for certain applicants)RSMS Temporary Transition (subclass 187)
This means that if you are applying through the medium-term stream, your 482 visa will be valid for up to 4 years. You will then be able to meet permanent employer sponsored visa requirements, which are not available to 2-year TSS visa holders. You should note that if you are applying under the Short-term stream, you will need to meet Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirements.
We have writtern a blog related to the GTE issue for student visa in the 7 Policy Reforms For Australian Migration
Labour Agreement Stream:
The Labour Agreement stream is for where occupations are not on the TSS list. The employer applies for a Labour Agreement to allow them to sponsor specific occupations not on the list or to access certain concessions to requirements.
This includes DAMA, industry labour agreements, GTEs and company-specific labour agreement.
Since the Skilling Australians Fund was implemented, the TSS 482 visa programme no longer utilises training benchmarks A or B which were used by the 457 visa. Instead, employers have to contribute towards the Skilling Australians Fund by paying the nomination training contribution charge upfront when lodging the nomination application. The levy will differ according to the length of the visa and size of business. There are a large number of requirements for approved 482 Business Sponsors and 482 visa holders to comply with.
Conditions applicable for business include:
Applicant works in the nominated occupation
Business should retain all the records
Cooperate with any inspections
Conditions applicable for the applicant:
Primary applicant can only work for the approved sponsor
There are a limited number of occupations with exemption to work rights
They must inform Department of Home Affairs if applicant stops working
Must find have new nomination within 60 days if employment ends
Ensure equivalence between Australians and foreign workers
The department undertakes monitoring upon all approved business sponsors.
There must be a genuine need for the nominated position, which must be on the 482 occupation list. A leading reason for refusals is failing to demonstrate that the position is genuine and required for the business. The 482 occupation list can be regularly revised by the department, so you will need to check the list to see if your occupation is there when you are lodging the 482 nomination application. It is highly advised that all applicants submit strong and supported nomination applications for the 482 Visa.
The Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) replaces the market salary rate previously required for the 457 visa applications. The AMSR is now more defined with strict differentiation between monetary and non-monetary remuneration. The salary must be at or above the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT).This is the income threshold that is set by the Department of Home Affairs. Currently, the TSMIT is set at $53,900.
We advise that employers check with their migration agents or immigration lawyer to ensure the structure of the remuneration package for their sponsored employee meets AMSR requirements. Having too much of a non-monetary component as remuneration may result in the AMSR not being met.
Currently, a specified list of occupation and country of passport pairing are required to provide skills assessments for the TSS visa application. The list required to do skills assessments is mainly for trade related occupations plus for the occupation of program and project coordinator. The Department has not made any steps to extend this requirement so far. When the skills assessments are made compulsory (due to holding a specified passport when applying for a specified occupation), applicants will need to make sure they have enough time to complete the skills assessments before visa application is lodged, otherwise different options may need to be considered.
There is a new work experience requirements for the TSS 482 visa.
TSS visa applicants will now need to demonstrate 2 years of relevant work experience before they can apply.
This is a major change from the previous 457 visa requirements. Many international graduates may not have the 2 years of full-time and relevant work experience to apply for the TSS visa. This has been a major barrier to international graduates in Australia being able to seek employer sponsorship.
To avoid refusal of any application stage, it is important that all necessary documents are attached to your application. Furthermore, there have been cases where applications are refused due to only one or two documents missing from the employer or applicant. After the application is submitted, applicants may not be requested to provide further documents, especially for nomination applications, so it is advisable that all documents be attached to the online applications at the time of submission.
TSS visa holders need to be aware there if you have school age children enrolled in public schools, additional school fees may apply. For example in the state of South Australia, TSS 482 visa holders are expected to pay a levy for each child in school, which can amount to:
Approximately $5900 per primary student per year
Approximately $7000 per secondary student per year
Also, many temporary work visa holders are unaware that your health insurance coverage may not cover delivery or birth of newborn children in Australia. If you give birth to a baby in Australia while holding a TSS 482 visa, you may have to pay medical fees applicable to a foreign visitor, which will be a high amount.
Permanent Australian residency is only available for the medium-term stream and not the short-term stream. For Medium-term Stream Visa:
The pathway will be through the temporary transition ENS 186 (or RSMS 187 Visa, in rare cases)
After working with the approved Sponsor for three years, applicants can apply for a Permanent Visa
Previous holders of the 457 visa may still be able to access a two year pathway to permanent residency. Legacy 457 visa workers may also be able to access an age concession.
Do you need help with a Sponsorship or TSS visa application?
At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications.
If you are a holder of a 457 visa or intend to apply under the new rules, we can assist you.
We assist businesses of all sizes that are looking to sponsor and nominate a visa applicant.
Advise businesses how to meet the Labour Market Testing requirements.
We advise visa applicants on their eligibility to make the 482 visa application or who are transitioning from a 457 or 482 to permanent migration.
We assist permanent migration for eligible 457 visa holders through the ENS 186 visa pathway.
Advise visa holders with responses to the Department meeting the 8607.
Advise visa holders with responses to ‘Notices of Intention to Cancel’.
Advise Employers of their ongoing sponsorship obligations.
Assist employer with application for accredited sponsorship.
If you are a potential visa applicant, please book a consultation to discuss your visa options. We are experienced in all types of Employer Sponsored visas.
Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.
If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:
(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956
or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
States have announced that they are running out of allocations as they are working from a interim allocation of about 800 places. 800 places for all states and territories are too short to fill up the demand of the Business and Investor visa program in Australia.
Watch our full video about Business Visa news in November 2022 here:
In that, QLD and NSW have already used up their interim allocation and closed the program temporarily. VIC and SA are very careful in selecting the applicants. SA decided to temporarily close the Investor Stream 188B and Significant Investor Stream 188C streams.
Hopefully, the states can receive further allocations for the Business Visa Australia shortly after the Federal Budgets announcement and open to all the streams.
Now, let's look at some of the most popular stream in Business Visa 188 Australia and why should you go for it.
The 188A Business Innovation stream remains popular among applicants all over the world. This is because it has lower capital rewquiremetns than the investor path, and builds on the applicants existing business skills.
The 188C Significant Investor stream is the most simple one except for the amount if investment fund with NOT much criteria including:
No Age limit (good for parents who are not able to do parent visa 143);
No English Requirement (You only need to pay for the secondary fee for non-english applicant);
No Qualification or Business Skills and experience required;
No Points Test (Business Innovation stream 188A and Investor Stream 188B requires Points Testing)
In order to find your best Business and Investor Visa Australia, please use our Business Visa Compare tool:
Business and Investor Visa news recap
There is still a shadow over the 188C visa which requires a 5 million dollar investment.
"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 from Sky News if the Golden Visa Australia (Significant Investor Visa 188C) might be abolished.
The minister has criticized the Significant investor visa to be bringing in older people who can cost the budget.
=> Applicants wish to put in a SIV application need to take actions as soon as possible.
Or, you may consider to apply for a 188B - Investor Stream instead.
Similar to 188C, 188B Visa requires applicants to invest 2.5 million Australian Dollarto the complying investment fund of Australia. It also has a pathway to Australian Permanent Residency.
The 188B Visa has grown in popularity recently and the comments on the SIV may make more people consider the visa 188 Investor stream.
The final category is the 188E Entrepreneur Stream.
While it has no capital investment requirement, the level of interest is surprising low. This may be because the of the requirements being harder to quantify or predict.
The 188E visa requires applicant to show innovated business ideas.
State such as SA and Victoria require endorsement from service providers or investor incubator bodies.
There is a pathway to permanent residency after you hold the visa for 2 years and have a successful record of entrepreneurial activities.
Ministerial Direction 100 - Business Visa Processing
Following the Federal Budget, there is a new Ministerial Direction 100 for skilled visa processing priority instruction published recently.
The new labor government has pointed out that their primary focus at this stage is to:
- Clear the visa backlogs caused by the delay in processing time during Pandemic Covid-19.
- Address skills shortages
The government will still process efficiently those skilled visas in the near future to make the visa backlogs to a manageable level before Christmas.
The following skilled visas are subject to Ministerial Direction No. 100:
In the last point of the Direction 100 Factsheet, it says that the Government will reduce priority to some programs to shift attention to skilled visas such as State Nomination, Employer Sponsorship program.
The report states that this reduction will help increase efficiencies in reducing processing times across caseloads. This is reflected by the total allocation number of those programs this financial year 2023.
However, Visa applications for the Global Talent and Business & Investment program will still be processed efficiently in line with the planning levels of the Migration Program.
Summary of current Business Investment Visa Australia situation
In summary, the allocations are now lower, at 5000. But with only 800 state allocations so far, there is still over 4000 potential places to be sending out in the next 7 months.
The demand on the Business Investment visa 188 is still high so the new allocations could be filled quickly. Imagine the 800 allocations have been filled within 2 months since announcement, the rest is expected to be running out soon in 3-4 months.
This leads to a more selective process from the government. That means your documents and profile must be clear and well-managed to be successfully get the visa 188.
An application for business or investment visa Australia must be handled with care as it involves demonstration of significant assets (AUD 2.5 - 5 million) and the preparation to liquidate the amount for transfer into the complying investments before the visa is granted.
The team at Work Visa Lawyers has extensive experience in compiling financial and business documents from different countries and submitting the information in an organised manner for the DHA to process the documents smoothly.
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.