Recently released statistics show the Department of Home Affairs only accepted 162,417 people on a permanent residence visa in 2017/18 in comparison to 183,608 in the previous year. The figure is well below the permanent migration planning level of 190,000 placements, and confirms several trends we have seen developing over the past year. These are:
- Tightened eligibility requirements for employer-sponsored permanent residence pathways having an impact on the number of people who can apply for the Subclass 186 (Employer Nominated Scheme) and Subclass 187 (Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme) Visa programs.
- A decline in the number of invitations issued for the General Skilled Migration program, which offers skilled applicants permanent residence under the Subclass 189 and 190 visas. Read our article on this here.
- Increased number of visa refusals as the Department of Home Affairs continues their focus on integrity issues, sponsorship compliance and the genuineness of applications. Statistics have also confirmed visa refusals have increased by 46% compared to the previous year.
- Increased Government processing times due to the level of rigour required to assess visa applications, which has resulted in more people waiting for a decision on whether their visa has been granted as well as increased wait times. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, tens of thousands of family and partner visa applicants are waiting for a visa decision.
Interstaff Fact Sheets
See our Interstaff Fact Sheet on Australia’s Skilled Migration Statistics 2017/18 for more insights.
With the rate of visa refusals increasing, employers and skilled applicants need to be aware of the level of scrutiny the Department of Home Affairs is applying to visa assessments.
We also recommend employers consider applying for Accredited Sponsorship, which reduces Temporary Skills Shortage Visa processing times from months to weeks. Interstaff can assist you to understand if your business is eligible for Accredited Sponsorship and manage your application on your behalf.
Source:
Interstaff
