ABC Radio Interview | Interstaff Registered Migration Agents Just how broken is Australia’s migration system? Interstaff’s Managing Director, Sheila Woods was interviewed on ABC Radio Perth last month to comment on the Federal Government’s response to a ‘Review Into the Exploitation of the Migration System’ by Former Chief Commissioner… Read More »
Permanent Residence 482 TSS Visa | Interstaff Registered Migration Agents The Department of Home Affairs has revealed that employer-sponsored Permanent Residence (PR) pathways for Subclass 482 Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Visa Holders will change from 25 November 2023, subject to the approval of regulation changes. Which Visas Will Be… Read More »
State/Territory Visa Nominations | Interstaff Registered Migration Agents Australia’s state and territory nominated visa options to migrate without an employer sponsor have become more competitive due to the government significantly reducing its 2023-24 allocations for these visas. Nomination allocations refer to the number of new primary applicants each state… Read More »
Visa Sponsorship Compliance | Interstaff Registered Migration Agents Just how broken is Australia’s migration system? One of the government’s focus areas in 2023 has been to address worker exploitation in the migration system, as recently seen in an increase in sponsorship audit requests of sponsor companies. As the government… Read More »
408 Visa Closing | Interstaff Registered Migration Agents The Subclass 408 Pandemic Event Visa will close on 1 February 2024, signifying the normalisation of the migration program after years of pandemic recovery efforts. The 408 Visa was originally intended to allow temporary visa holders to extend their stay for… Read More »
Australia Skilled Migrants | Interstaff The visa process for skilled migrants earning above $120,000 (or potentially as high as $150,000+) could soon be fast tracked to a matter of days or weeks, as part of the Government’s overhaul of the skilled migration program. Details of the Government’s Migration Strategy were expected before the end of… Read More »
Parent Visa Waiting Periods | Australia Last month, Interstaff’s Managing Director, Sheila Woods was interviewed on ABC Radio Perth on a critical issue that affects many migrants in Australia – family reunification. During the interview, Sheila explained the impact that lengthy processing times have on migrants and their families… Read More »
WA Building and Construction Skilled Migration Boost | New Visa Incentives Skilled migration initiatives are now available to boost WA’s building and workforce capacity and help employers attract and engage skilled workers from overseas. Given that the building and construction industry is experiencing persistent skills shortages, here’s how employers… Read More »
Labour Market Testing for UK and Other Passport Holders | International Trade Obligations Navigating visa changes can be complex, and mobility provisions under International Trade Agreements can make it even more difficult for employers to understand when Labour Market Testing is required. As you may know, LMT refers to… Read More »
TSMIT and Annual Market Salary Rate | Complying with salary requirements When sponsoring overseas workers, salary compliance with Australian migration laws is an important obligation to consider. To remain compliant and steer clear of costly nomination refusals, employers generally need to*: Ensure sponsored visa holders receive a salary of… Read More »
Parent Visa Grants | Australia Australia allocated almost double the amount of placements to Parent Visas in 2022/23 (8,500 placements) compared to the previous year (4,500 placements), and another 8,500 places have again been allocated in 2023/24. But although the Government is continuing to focus on granting Parent Visas,… Read More »
Australia Trade Agreements | UK | India UK and Indian passport holders are set to benefit from new visa and mobility arrangements that have been recently negotiated in Australia’s Trade Agreements. The Australia – UK Free Trade Agreement (A-UKFTA) came into effect on 31 May 2023 and will soon… Read More »
Aged Care Labour Agreement Australia | Greater Flexibility to Sponsor Visa Holders The Government has made an industry-specific Aged Care Labour Agreement immediately available to aged care providers across Australia. Recognising that the aged care sector is an essential industry experiencing persistent skills shortages, it allows aged care providers… Read More »
TSMIT and New PR Pathways | Q&A’s with Interstaff Significant changes in skilled migration were announced by the Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil last month, such as an increase in the TSMIT (Temporary Skilled Migration Threshold) minimum salary for employer sponsored visa holders and new PR pathways, but what… Read More »
New Skilled Migration Program | The Government’s Vision – What Strategy Documents Reveal The Government aims to deliver a better targeted, more efficient and outcomes-focused migration system, as revealed in its recently released Migration Strategy Outline, ‘A Migration System for a More Prosperous and Secure Australia’. As part of… Read More »
Federal Budget 2023 Immigration Australia | What the Federal Budget Means for Migration to Australia The government’s first Federal Budget since it was elected in 2022 has revealed the size and composition of the migration program will continue to focus on skilled migration in 2023-2024. Here’s a summary of the main Budget… Read More »
TSMIT increase – minimum salary for visa holders and PR pathways | Employer-sponsored visa changes Following Home Affairs Minister, Clare O’Neil’s announcements on changes to the skilled migration program a few weeks ago, here’s how some of the changes will be implemented. The minimum salary requirements known as the TSMIT (Temporary… Read More »
Government Skilled Visa Changes | Interstaff’s Insights on ABC Radio Perth Interstaff’s Managing Director, Sheila Woods was live on ABC Radio Perth on Thursday evening to discuss how Home Affairs Minister, Clare O’Neil’s skilled migration announcements will impact businesses and visa holders. In case you missed it, have a listen… Read More »
Skilled Visa Changes Australia 2023 | Announcements by Home Affairs Minister, Clare O’Neil Update on 27 April 2023: Interstaff’s Managing Director, Sheila Woods was recently live on ABC Radio Perth on 27 April 2023 to discuss how the Government’s recent skilled migration announcements will impact businesses and visa holders.… Read More »
Australia Migration Changes 2023 | The Productivity Commission’s Recommendations How should the government change skilled migration settings? According to The Productivity Commission, immigration can play a significant role in maximising Australia’s productivity indicators, such as higher wages and economic growth. It can do so by attracting in-demand skills and… Read More »
Administrative Appeals Tribunal Replaced | An Update The government has announced Australia’s Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) will soon be replaced with a new body to process reviews of adverse government decisions such as visa cancellations and refusals. Since the AAT was established in 1976, it has helped to promote… Read More »
New Zealanders in Australia to Access Direct Citizenship Update on 18 May 2023: Home Affairs Minister, Clare O’Neil announced on 22 April 2023 that New Zealanders living in Australia will have a direct pathway to Australian Citizenship from 1 July 2023. New Zealanders on a Subclass 444 will be… Read More »
Changes to work rights Australia | Commencing 1 July 2023 To help the economy address skills shortages, the Australian Government will make changes to several visa restrictions from 1 July 2023 for Student and Graduate Visa Holders, as well as Working Holiday Makers working in Australia. The changes will also… Read More »
482 Visa Regional Occupation | New PR Pathway Insights Employer-sponsored Subclass 482 TSS Visa holders with an occupation on the Regional Occupation List may have a more direct pathway to Permanent Residence (PR) following Government changes that are currently in effect. Here’s what employers and skilled migrants should know. … Read More »
Skilled Visa Priorities Australia | 2023 If you are applying or planning to apply for a Skilled Visa in 2023, it’s helpful to know which applications are getting prioritised by the Government for processing. Here’s a guide to the Government’s policy priorities as indicated in its Ministerial Direction No. 100,… Read More »
Following commitments made during the Jobs and Skills summit, the Department of Home Affairs has made one of the largest rounds of visa invitations to skilled migrants since 2018. In August, more than 12,000 invitations were issued for independent skilled visas in a wide range of occupations, predominantly professionals and… Read More »
One of the key issues that emerged from the discussions at the Jobs and Skills Summit held in Canberra recently was the lack of coherent and particularised knowledge about skills shortages as they impact various regions and industries around Australia. With skills shortages yet again causing challenges for Australian businesses,… Read More »
Until the end of June 2023 Subclass 500 student visa holders in Australia can work full-time due to the relaxation of the working conditions attached to their visas. This means that employers in Australia can employ student visa holders without having to manage the working hours restrictions which normally apply… Read More »
A consensus emerged at the Jobs and Skills Summit in Canberra last week on the vital need for reform in Australia’s migration program. Employer and community groups, unions, and government each shared their perspective and it is clear that the skills crisis as a result of the pandemic has sharpened… Read More »
Australia’s regional employers have always had greater difficulty in finding skilled employees compared to their urban counterparts. The pandemic has only exacerbated this reality by decreasing access to international travellers and creating a nationwide skills shortage. In an effort to combat the skills shortage in regional areas and as part… Read More »
Skills shortages have re-emerged as a result of Australia’s COVID-19 border closures. As pandemic economic recovery progresses, government and industry have recognised the importance of skilled migration to alleviate the impacts of the labour crisis as employers are looking internationally for skilled workers. The range of visas available can be… Read More »
All nomination applications made by employers for Subclasses 482, 494, 186, and 187 visas are subject to the ‘Nomination Training Contribution Charge (NTCC). The NTCC is paid into the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) at the time of submitting a nomination application for these visa types. The SAF was established as… Read More »
In recent weeks a huge visa application backlog, estimated to number almost one million applications, has been causing delays in visa processing. The large backlog has beset the Department of Home Affairs while Australia has been readjusting to open borders. This complicates efforts to attract skilled migrants at a time… Read More »
The Albanese Government has yet to reach 90 days in office and skilled migration and skills shortages have already emerged as key policy priorities. With Australia’s unemployment rate at historically low levels and a recent OECD report identifying Australia as having the second-worst labour shortage amongst developed nations, employers and… Read More »
From 1 July 2022, a new group of prior Subclass 457 Visa holders may apply for Permanent Residence through the Subclass 186 Employer-Sponsored Permanent Visa if they are over 45 years of age. What is a legacy 457 worker? The new age exemption category has been introduced… Read More »
To support businesses struggling during COVID-19 and to promote economic recovery post-COVID-19, the Australian Government has temporarily relaxed the limit on working hours for Student (Subclass 500) visa holders and the six-month employer work limitation for Working Holiday Makers (Subclass 462 visa and Subclass 417 visa holders). Working Hours… Read More »
How long do visa applications take? Visa application processing times vary significantly. Updated processing times for most visa types are issued every month by the Department of Home Affairs and are indicative of the actual processing time for recently finalised applications. Processing priorities are usually established by Ministerial Direction… Read More »
The Australian government announced various visa changes throughout COVID-19 and post-pandemic. Through this migration legislation update, we expect the government will continue to review migration settings to attract skilled migrants to Australia during a competitive period for international talent. Through legislative and policy changes take time, here’s an overview of… Read More »
COVID has impacted access and processes associated with securing essential visa documentation. Gathering required visa documents takes time. If you have already identified skilled candidates that are eligible to be nominated for a position, prepare their visa documents as soon as possible. If you need assistance, Interstaff are visa experts… Read More »
It’s been nearly two years since the Australian border shut against COVID-19. We have seen many changes to the migration program in response to COVID that have resulted in labour shortages in parts of the economy and government responses to alleviate those shortages. COVID restrictions have intensified the difficulty of… Read More »
It has certainly been another bumpy ride this year but it seems like we may be ending it on the cusp of positive change for international travel to Australia as the Government begins to focus on post-pandemic recovery. Australia’s international border re-opened to fully vaccinated skilled migrants and international students… Read More »
Travel Ban Southern Africa | Australia Lifts Travel Ban on Arrivals from Southern Africa Australia has lifted its travel ban on arrivals from the below southern African nations: South Africa Lesotho Zimbabwe Botswana Namibia Mozambique Malawi Eswatini Australian Citizens, Permanent Residents and fully vaccinated eligible visa holders travelling from the above nations can now… Read More »
WA Open Borders | 5 February 2022 Reopening Date | What this means for Travellers Western Australia’s (WA’s) Premier, Mark McGowan yesterday announced WA state and international borders will reopen from 12.01 am on 5 February 2022. Mr McGowan had vowed to announce a reopening date once WA reached… Read More »
Australian International Travel Omicron | Updates Prime Minister, Scott Morrison met with State and Territory leaders at a National Cabinet meeting last Friday 10 December 2021 to discuss the new Omicron variant and the approach for Australian international travel. According to Mr Morrison’s media statement following the National Cabinet meeting,… Read More »
Bridging Visa Australia | Bridging Visa Holders and Others with a Section 48 Bar are Now Eligible to Apply for Skilled Permanent Residence Non-citizens with a Section 48 Bar are now eligible to apply for some Skilled Visas to remain in Australia following Government legislative changes on 13 November… Read More »
Omicron International Travel Australia | How Omicron Has Already Impacted Australia’s Plans to Re-open International Travel Like much of the world, Australia is seeking further advice on the new COVID-19 Omicron variant’s level of transmission, whether it causes severe illness and if existing vaccines will still be effective. While these factors are still… Read More »
Travel Exemptions Australia 2021 | Fully Vaccinated Eligible Travellers to Come to Australia from 15 December 2021 | Travel Exemptions Removed Update on 14 December 2021: After almost two years of waiting to enter the country for many Skilled Visa holders and International Students, the emergence of Omicron had… Read More »
International Arrivals WA to Double in November 2021 Western Australia (WA) Premier, Mark McGowan yesterday announced that the international arrivals cap to WA will double from 20 November 2021, when the State expects to reach a 70% double-dose vaccination rate. This will allow 530 people to enter WA from… Read More »
International Travel WA | WA’s Roadmap to Re-open Borders Update on 2 December 2021: Yesterday, WA Premier Mark McGowan stated that ‘at this point’ the State’s plans to open borders in late January or early February 2022 are still proceeding, but advice on the new Omicron strain would be… Read More »
Leaving Australia Travel Updates | Travel Exemptions for Outbound No Longer Needed for Vaccinated Australians Families separated from their loved ones overseas will be happy to know that from 1 November 2021, fully vaccinated Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents will be able to leave Australia without applying for Government permission… Read More »
Vaccine Passport Australia 2021 | Available From 19 October 2021 Australia is moving towards easing international border restrictions with new COVID-19 vaccine certificates to be available from tomorrow – Tuesday 19 October 2021. Here’s what you should know. How will Australia’s International Vaccine Passports Work? Can Visa Holders Use the… Read More »
International Arrivals Australia 2021 | Quarantine to End for International Arrivals to New South Wales New South Wales (NSW) Premier, Dominic Perrottet has today announced a plan to open the State to fully vaccinated international arrivals. He revealed that in two weeks: NSW will allow international arrivals with two doses… Read More »
Australia International Travel 2021 Prime Minister, Scott Morrison announced in a Press Conference today that Australia’s international border will re-open from next month (November 2021) for States with an 80% vaccination rate – starting with New South Wales (NSW). This is very welcome and highly anticipated news. Australia’s international… Read More »
Skills Shortages Australia 2021 | Businesses Call on Government to Review Permanent Residence Pathways for Skilled Visa Holders In over 18 months since Australia closed its international border to all but essential travellers, more than 500,000 temporary migrants have left Australia. Many have been unable to return due to international border restrictions. Coupled with the fact that businesses… Read More »
Agriculture Visa Australia Updates The Government first announced it would introduce a dedicated Agriculture Visa in June to allow migrants from certain countries to come to Australia for agricultural work that cannot be filled locally. Since the announcement, farmers and skilled migrants have been eagerly waiting for further details to… Read More »
Permanent Residency Visas Australia | Migrating to Australia During the Pandemic Latest Government statistics show Australia granted 160,052 Permanent Residence Visas in the 2020-21 Migration Program – which equates to 20,000 more visas than the previous year. It is encouraging to see the full cap of 160,000 placements was reached as per 2020-21 ceiling planning… Read More »
Australia International Border Updates Update: On 1 October 2021, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Australia’s international border will re-open from November 2021 for States with an 80% vaccination rate – starting with New South Wales (NSW). This is very welcome and highly anticipated news. Australia’s international border has been… Read More »
Prospective Marriage Visa Travel While Australia’s international border is still closed to all but essential travellers until the country reaches a higher vaccination rate, Travel Exemptions to enter and leave Australia are constantly being reviewed by the Government. Here’s a few updates. New Travel Exemption for Prospective Marriage Visa… Read More »
Travel Exemptions for Australians Normally Living Overseas | Interstaff Insights Health Minister, Greg Hunt has removed an automatic Travel Exemption that previously allowed Australians who normally live overseas to travel to their country of residence without needing permission to leave Australia. Effective from 11 August 2021, expats currently in… Read More »
Covid19 Concessions Visas | Interstaff Insights Covid19 Concessions are available during the pandemic to assist visa holders that are disadvantaged by border closures, business restrictions or the economic downturn. In some cases, visa applicants may have additional time to enter the country. Other applicants may no longer need to… Read More »
408 Visa Changing Employers | Interstaff Insights The 408 Pandemic Event Visa provides visa holders in Australia an option to extend their stay for two reasons – either to undertake critical work or because they cannot travel due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Applicants may be granted a stay period… Read More »
Exploitation of Visa Holders | Interstaff Insights In Australia, visa holders have the same workplace rights as local Australians. In most cases, these rights are supported by employers, but unfortunately from time to time, cases do arise where visa holders are exploited. Read on to find out your rights… Read More »
Australia Vaccination Rate and International Travel | Interstaff Insights On Friday 30 July 2021, Prime Minister, Scott Morrison specified Australia must reach a 70% vaccination rate before it can move to the next phase of reopening international travel. Building on the National Cabinet’s Four-Stage Plan announced last month, here’s a summary… Read More »
International Arrivals Vaccination Australia | Interstaff Insights The Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) form and Travel Exemption request forms have been updated to ask applicants to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status. It is yet another sign that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 could enable Australia to reopen international travel, in line… Read More »
Skilled Migration WA | Interstaff Insights A total of 134 new occupations were added to the Western Australian Skilled Migration Occupation List (WASMOL) this week, providing a Permanent Residence (PR) pathway to Temporary Skilled Visa holders already in Australia who wish to live and work in WA. Effective immediately, the expanded WASMOL also provides… Read More »
International Arrivals Halved Australia | Interstaff Insights The National Cabinet has agreed this morning to halve the number of international arrivals to Australia: International arrivals will reduce from 6,370 down to 3,035 people per week by 14 July 2021. This will be in place until at least the start of 2022,… Read More »
Four-Phase Plan Australia | Plan to Re-open International Travel and Emerge From the Pandemic | Interstaff Insights Prime Minister, Scott Morrison today announced a Four-Phase Plan to re-open international travel to pre-pandemic levels and manage the pandemic. Here’s what you need to know. Phase 1 – Vaccinate, Prepare… Read More »
Travel Exemption Updates | Travel Bubbles | Interstaff Insights With the rapid pace of international travel news, it can be hard to know what’s changed and how it may impact you. Here’s the latest travel exemption updates and news about upcoming travel bubbles. Read on to find out about:… Read More »
Priority Skilled Visas Australia | Interstaff Insights Update August 2021: In addition to the below, the occupations Hospital Pharmacists, Retail Pharmacists and Industrial Pharmacists were recently added to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) to assist with distributing COVID-19 vaccines. This brings the number of occupations on the… Read More »
Agriculture Visa | Interstaff Insights Acting Prime Minister, Michael McCormack yesterday announced plans to deliver a new Agriculture Visa by the end of September 2021, in time for Australia’s harvesting season. The new visa will provide agricultural businesses greater access to overseas workers and ease a growing shortage of farm workers, which has worsened… Read More »
Permanent Residency in Australia | Interstaff Insights Over one year on from the start of the pandemic, the Government remains focused on the nation’s post-pandemic recovery. One trend that has emerged is a priority for visas that drive economic growth and investment – including Employer Sponsored Visas for Permanent Residency in Australia. Below we… Read More »
Federal Budget Changes for migrants | Here’s a summary. Following on from our updates on the Federal Budget and implications for Australia’s international border and the 2021-22 Migration Program, here’s how the Budget impacts specific visa holders and businesses. A four-year wait for Permanent Residents to access benefits, such as Paid Parental Leave | What this means for migrants and businesses… Read More »
Federal Budget Immigration 2021 | Australia’s International Border The Federal Budget Immigration 2021 announcements confirmed the Government’s assumption that Australia’s international border may only begin to gradually re-open from mid 2022. Here’s some of the main announcements for migrants from the 2021 Federal Budget: Australia’s International Border Assumed To Re-open From… Read More »
Australia’s International Border Unfortunately, it looks like Australia’s international border may not re-open any time soon. Finance Minister, Simon Birmingham has today told The Australian global outbreaks and new COVID-19 strains have meant Australia’s international border would likely remain shut until the end of 2022, despite the rollout of the… Read More »
The Global Talent Visa Sectors and Statistics The Global Talent Program may appeal to highly skilled individuals because it provides fast-tracked visas with a streamlined path to Permanent Residence. The program is designed to attract the best and brightest talent from across the world to boost Australia’s post-COVID-19 economic… Read More »
India Australia Travel Ban | Jail Penalties Scrutinised Update as of 7 May 2021: Prime Minister, Scott Morrison today confirmed the India-Australia travel ban would end on 15 May and repatriation flights would follow. Urgent cases will be prioritised and arrivals will need to undergo rapid antigen testing before… Read More »
India Flights Suspended Temporarily | Australia Further Tightens Travel Restrictions To and From India After a meeting with the National Security Committee of Cabinet, Prime Minister, Scott Morrison yesterday announced all direct flights to and from India have been suspended until 15 May 2021 due to a devastating surge of COVID-19 cases in India.… Read More »
Australia – India Travel Restrictions Tightened | Australia Tightens Travel Restrictions To and From India At yesterday’s National Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced travel restrictions to and from India have tightened as India experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases. Here’s a summary: Flights from India to Australia… Read More »
The Australia New Zealand Travel Bubble Opens After months of anticipation, the Australia New Zealand Travel Bubble commenced from 19 April 2021 to allow two-way quarantine-free travel between both countries. However, keep in mind that quarantine-free travel could be paused or suspended by either country at any time in response to… Read More »
The 408 Pandemic Visa | What You Need to Know In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government established the Pandemic Event Stream of the 408 Visa to provide flexible temporary arrangements for visa holders in Australia. Here’s what you should know about this visa option to extend your stay.… Read More »
Leaving Australia in the COVID-19 Era | Outbound Travel Exemptions With reportedly more than 11,000 Australians getting Outbound Travel Exemptions to head overseas each month, there are many reasons why a person may need to leave Australia – for example, for Compassionate circumstances or Critical Work overseas. According to… Read More »
Travel Bubbles Australia | Discussions to open travel with Singapore, New Zealand, Fiji, Japan and South Korea This month, Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack told ABC News the Government is working with Singapore on a plan to create an Australia-Singapore Travel Bubble, which could start from as early as… Read More »
Vaccine Passport Australia | What is a vaccine passport and how will it influence travel post COVID-19? The COVID-19 vaccine has started rolling out in Australia and many people are wondering how international travel could safely begin to reopen. Will the vaccination make it safe to resume international travel?… Read More »
FIFO travel has been impacted by suspended flights between Australia and Papua New Guinea. As announced yesterday by Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, all flights were suspended between Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Australia from midnight last night, as PNG experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases. While Australia’s international border… Read More »
Applying for a Partner Visa is still possible during the pandemic – here’s a summary of recent concessions affecting Partner and Family Visa applicants – plus what you should know about applying for a Partner Visa in the COVID-19 Era. There are two main types of Partner Visas in Australia –… Read More »
International Travel Australia | Will Australia’s International Border Re-Open in 2021? Yesterday, Health Department Secretary, Brendan Murphy predicted it is unlikely there will be a return to widespread overseas travel this year, even with COVID-19 vaccinations being rolled out across the world. According to Mr Murphy, the prospect of… Read More »
The Government has announced new rules for travel to Australia, which include the need to take a COVID-19 test before travel and mandatory requirements to wear a mask. The changes were agreed by the National Cabinet on 8 January 2021 in response to the new COVID-19 strain that is more… Read More »
International Quarantine Australia | Exemptions and what you need to know when arriving in Australia As part of Australia’s international travel restrictions, all travellers to Australia need to quarantine for 14-days, except for: Travellers who have been in New Zealand for 14 days prior to travel (although this may differ between Australian States… Read More »
Business Visa Australia Update | Longer Stay and Direct PR for Business Owners, Investors and Entrepreneurs Business owners, entrepreneurs and investors will gain access to a longer visa period in Australia and a direct Permanent Residence (PR) pathway following changes to the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) from… Read More »
Updated 19 January 2021: According to recent news, quarantine-free movement between Australia and New Zealand is still planned for April 2021. This is despite caution over the new COVID-19 strain and Government discussions as to whether Australia will re-open its international border in 2021. New Zealand’s COVID-19 Response Minister has… Read More »
Australia Travel Declarations | What to do before travelling The Government has introduced a new process to better manage contact tracing and quarantine plans. All international travellers should complete an Australia Travel Declaration at least 72 hours before departing for Australia. This includes: Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents People who are automatically exempt… Read More »
Travel Exemption and Priority Migration We are continuing to see Travel Exemption categories gradually expand and occupations added to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) while Australia seeks to ensure it has the critical skills needed to boost the economy during the pandemic. Australian Travel Exemptions to… Read More »
Child and Partner Visa applicants in Australia will be pleased to know temporary immigration changes will make it easier to stay in the country with their families. Applicants for the below Child and Partner Visas who are in Australia will soon be able to remain in the country while their… Read More »
With Australia’s international travel restrictions, it is becoming more important for employers to be aware of all visa options available in the migration program for professionals. Here’s what employers and skilled individuals should know about the Global Talent Program. What is the Global Talent Program? The Global Talent Program is designed… Read More »
State border restrictions were recently discussed at the National Cabinet meeting on Friday 13 November 2020. State, Territory and Commonwealth leaders met to discuss a plan to re-open Australia’s internal borders by Christmas. Here’s an update on state border restrictions and how they may apply to your interstate travel arrangements.… Read More »
Given recent news that a COVID-19 vaccination will be available in Australia as early as March 2021, it seems international travel restrictions could be lifted sooner than anticipated. In last month’s Federal Budget announcements, the Government indicated Australia’s international border would be closed until late 2021, based on the assumption that a COVID-19 vaccination would… Read More »
Australia Travel Exemption | Critical Work and Compassionate Travel Exemptions Article last updated: 3 December 2021. Update on 2 December 2021: After almost two years of waiting to enter the country for many Skilled Visa holders and International Students, the emergence of Omicron has delayed plans to remove the need… Read More »
The 2020-21 Federal Budget Immigration has confirmed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be felt in Australia’s migration program for years to come. While Australia’s migration program has historically been a significant economic driver, it will be severely limited by international border restrictions in the coming years.… Read More »
Health Minister, Greg Hunt yesterday confirmed Australia’s international travel restrictions will stay in place until 17 December 2020. Following medical advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), the Government has extended the emergency period under the Biosecurity Act 2015 by an additional three months to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Biosecurity… Read More »
