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Ever thought about becoming an Australian citizen? New Zealanders living in Australia who arrived after February 2001 could be forgiven for being reluctant to start the process for Australian citizenship. The pathways available were broadly the same as for other migrants, with some small concessions. Also, as with other migrants,
Budget reveals new training levy on businesses sponsoring on the new TSS visa The budget announced yesterday has revealed plans to impose a training levy to raise $1.2 billion from businesses looking to sponsor overseas employees under the new Temporary Skill Shortage (‘TSS’) visa. The TSS visa will replace the
457 changes, ‘responsive skills lists’, and business risk in migration The Australian government announced sweeping 457 changes from 19 April 2017. However, the changes will not only have a direct impact on 457 visa applicants and employers, but also on a wider range of Australian skilled visas, in particular, the
The Prime Minister captured national headlines following a surprise Facebook livestream on the 19th of April, in which he that his government would be abolishing the 457 Temporary Work visa. The 457 visa has been subject to significant criticism and public concern in recent years as local economic conditions have
2016 was a difficult period for the Partner visa caseload with a number of applicants going more than 12 months without an update on their lodged applications. New applicants are forced to deal with the costly Partner Visa Application Charges of $6865 for primary applicants. In addition, news that increased government involvement in
The SkillSelect program continues to be in high demand in 2016. The Department of Home Affairs ion has again tinkered with the Skilled Occupation List by removing a number of occupations which are no longer deemed to be in high demand. Only two new occupations were added, likely reflecting the slow
The new Student visa framework was introduced from 1 July 2016 to simplify student visa arrangements. The number of Student visas was reduced from seven to two (Student and Student Guardian). The new Subclass 500 Student visa operates on a modified risk assessment framework which takes into consideration the nationality
Despite commencing in December 2015, the implementation of the ‘Charging for a Migration Outcome’ (‘CFMO’) regulations have been a major feature of the first half of 2016. CFMO laws prohibit sponsors, visa applicants, or third parties from offering, asking for, giving or receiving a ‘benefit’ in exchange for visa sponsorship.
On 23 December the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, announced the appointment of Mr John Azarias to conduct a review of the current Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (‘TSMIT’) for the 457 visa programme. Mr Azarias was previously the Chair of the independent review panel which produced
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