Blog

The Australian Governor-General yesterday proclaimed that the Partner Migration Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) will commence on 17 April 2019. The changes may result in a more onerous and lengthier process to obtain a Partner Visa, and will particularly impact those lodging their application from within Australia. The legislative amendment will allow the Department of Home Affairs to: Require the AustralianRead more

2019 Federal Budget outcomes Last night’s 2019 Federal Budget announcements confirmed Australia will continue to focus on encouraging migrants to live and work regionally, with nearly $50 million of spending to be allocated to new regional visas over the next five years.   Other key take-aways for the migration program included: A 5.4% increase in the cost of visaRead more

Employers and Subclass 482 Visa holders may be interested to know a new permanent residence option has opened up for an additional 31 occupations in the Oil and Gas, IT, Science, Professional services and Arts industries (among others) through the General Skilled Migration program. Prior to the Skilled Occupation List changes on 11 March 2019,Read more

The Government today revealed Australia’s permanent migration intake would be reduced by 30,000 people as details of the new population policy were released. Under the policy changes, Australia’s annual permanent migration intake will be set at 160,000 places for the next four years, formally reducing the number of permanent residence visas available to migrants byRead more

Businesses have long been advocating for more flexible migration laws to accommodate for labour shortages in regional areas – and it looks like the Government is listening. As part of its focus on alleviating population pressures in Sydney and Melbourne, various regional migration agreements are being fast-tracked across the country. Read on for updates onRead more

The WA State Government has announced a priority pathway to permanent residence will be made available for high-achieving graduates from WA universities through the introduction of a Graduate Skilled Migration List in coming months. WA University graduates with a PhD, Masters, Honours or other higher degree graduates will have access to priority consideration for permanentRead more

New legislation governing the Labour Market Testing (LMT) and advertising requirements to be undertaken before sponsoring a Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Subclass 482 Visa holder came into effect on Sunday. The below legislative changes apply to nominations made on or after 12 August 2018. Labour Market Testing Requirements  At least two advertisements that meet the following: Advertising must be undertakenRead more

Further to our announcement last week, we would like to confirm the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) commenced on Sunday 12 August 2018 and is now in effect with SAF refunds available in some circumstances. Businesses are now required to pay a ‘Nomination Training Contribution Charge’ (NTCC) into the SAF for each visa holder sponsored on a: Subclass 482 Visa (Temporary Skills Shortage –Read more

Changes to Australian Citizenship eligibility requirements are likely to be confirmed in coming months as amendments to the legislation have now been scheduled for review in parliamentary sittings. If the changes proposed in the Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment Bill are passed into law, we can expect the eligibility requirements to tighten and result in moreRead more

Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge has indicated it should become mandatory for intending migrants to first stay in Australia on a temporary visa to allow the Government time to assess their adoption of Australian values before granting permanent residence. While this has raised controversy and debate on whether there is a need for Australia to introduceRead more

In a speech to the Australia/UK Leadership Forum in London recently, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister Alan Tudge discussed the Government’s plans to introduce an Australian values test before granting new migrants permanent residence. Why introduce an Australian values test? A significant part of the controversy is centred around whether Australia needs a Values testRead more

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:Read more

Over the past few years, the Interstaff team have seen the Government become increasingly selective of the occupations that get accepted onto Australia’s skilled occupation lists and become eligible for skilled migration to Australia. In April 2017, fundamental changes were announced which split eligible occupations into two skilled occupation lists. Occupations on the Short TermRead more

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced the Federal Government is considering changes to ensure all permanent residence applicants, including dependent partners or family members, can meet English requirements at least at a primary school level before being granted permanent residence. The Government is considering a range of options, from mandatory language classes to a newRead more

Find out what’s happening across the state to celebrate everything that makes Western Australia a great place to visit, work and live. What’s on:  For a comprehensive guide on all the events across the State over the long weekend, visit the Celebrate WA website: Celebrate WA – Events across Perth | Mandurah | Bunbury |Read more

The Government has announced that those on a Subclass 405 or 410 Retirement Visa may soon become eligible to apply for permanent residence through Australia’s Parent Visa streams. Retirement Visa holders wishing to transition to permanent residence will not have to meet some of the usual parent visa requirements, such as having family in Australia.Read more

Businesses and unions don’t always see eye to eye – but recently businesses and unions joined forces to release a policy document urging the Federal Government to maintain levels of permanent migration for the economic benefit of Australia. The signatories included the Australian Industry Group, representing 60,000 businesses, the Business Council of Australia, and unionRead more

Rather than cutting Australia’s migration intake, think tank The Regional Australian Institute is calling for the Government to redistribute skilled migration to regional areas and smaller cities in need of a population boost – and it appears the Government is taking note. The Regional Australian Institute presented a policy paper this month, outlining a programRead more

Despite pressure to cut Australia’s annual permanent migration intake, the Government has confirmed the migration program ceiling will remain unchanged at 190,000 visas for 2018-2019. However, Interstaff migration agent, Sheila Woods says that unlike previous years, recent trends indicate the full quota may not be reached. Although the Government has confirmed the intake will remainRead more

The 2018 Federal Budget handed down recently has revealed that employers will be able to access additional refund provisions for the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy. Businesses who sponsor visa holders will be able to apply for a refund of the SAF Levy fee under the following circumstances: If the employer’s nomination is approved butRead more

The Senate has today passed legislation for the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy after further debate on the Government’s bill. The SAF Levy is not yet operational however, and the Department of Home Affairs is yet to confirm when businesses will begin to be charged SAF Levy fees. Labour Market Testing legislation was also passed, introducingRead more

Are you currently sponsored by an employer on a 457 or the new Subclass 482 Visa? You may be wondering what your permanent residence options are now that the 457 visa has been replaced by the 482 visa. There are new eligibility requirements to transition to permanent residence which you and your employer will needRead more

Australian Citizenship changes continue to be a topic of interest in the media, with Peter Dutton, Minister of the Department of Home Affairs continuing efforts to win the Senate’s support for changes to citizenship laws, after the changes that were originally proposed were rejected by the Senate in October last year. Currently, citizenship applicants don’tRead more