Visa Application Charges will remain the same from 1 July 2014. This announcement is to be welcomed following the substantial increase to charges in 2013.
Eventus Immigration considers that further increases would have placed additional pressure on potential applicants and sponsors as well as diminishing Australia’s ability to compete for global talent.
In further welcome news, the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (‘TSMIT’) has not increased from 1 July 2014 and remains at $53,900.
The TSMIT sets the minimum salary required for positions to be deemed ‘skilled’ under the 457 visa programme.
The freeze will relieve pressure on employers in a number of sectors, in particular hospitality and trades occupations, where annual indexation had prompted concerns employers would no longer be able to access skilled staff due to salary levels
