NSW has changed the rules for the Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491), making it easier for skilled migrants to get full working rights in regional NSW, the ability to leave and re-enter Australia as many times as they want and apply for permanent residence after 3 years. 

Those wishing to apply for Pathway 1 of the Skilled Work visa previously had to have been working in a designated regional area of NSW for a period of 12 months or more with a single NSW-based employer. 

The time required to apply for the visa has been slashed to just 6 months after the state received feedback from its regional industries which are still struggling to fill jobs.

Australia has seen an unprecedented volume of student arrivals over the last few years and there are now more than 700,000 student visa holders in the country, the highest number on record. 

The government has committed to reducing migration numbers and towards the start of the year, application numbers for student visas fell. Approval rates also declined from above 90% to 82.5%. 

If you have been refused a student, employer-sponsored, partner or family visa, don’t despair! 

There are still options still available to you and the best way to explore those options is to contact Easy Migrate and ask for assistance making an appeal for the decision to be overturned.

Easy Migrate can help you lodge an appeal with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), a federal administrative review body with the power to vary or set aside decisions made by a range of administrative bodies, including the Department of Home Affairs.

Contact Easy Migrate to receive the best advice and make your migration journey as stress-free as possible.

The post NSW offers attractive substitute for Australia student visa appeared first on Easy Migrate.

Key features of the portal include:

• Expedited Processing: Processing times and decisions are delivered in as little as 15 days.
• Enhanced Options: Applicants can apply for up to three ANZCO codes simultaneously for one fixed price.
• Real-Time Updates: The user-friendly applicant dashboard allows applicants to track the status of their application in real-time, providing instant updates.

For applicants who have initiated an application but have not yet paid the application fee, ACS advises finalising the application and payment by midnight (AEDT) on Sunday, March 24, 2024. 

The “ACS Skilled Journeys: Navigating IT Migration in Australia Report,” found skilled IT migrants to Australia often find jobs and are mostly happy with their decision to move down under:

• High Employment Rates: Over 90% of skilled ICT migrants secure jobs, 80% of which are in the IT sector.
• Regional Migration Trends: Regional Australia is experiencing a surge in skilled ICT migrants, with 36% residing outside of major cities, compared to 18% in 2017.
• Positive Migration Experiences: Some 83% of skilled ICT migrants are satisfied with their decision to migrate to Australia and 73% encourage others to migrate.

For those considering migrating to Australia or currently navigating the visa application process, ACS’s new online Migration Skills Assessment portal is an invaluable resource to ensure a successful migration journey in Australia’s dynamic IT sector. Skilled IT professionals are highly valued in the country and skilled migrants with IT qualifications are generally happy with their new lives down under.

Call Easy Migrate to talk to one of our experienced agents or lawyers. We specialise in difficult or complicated visa application problems and visa refusal appeals.

If you or someone you know is stuck in a difficult situation don’t hesitate to email us and arrange meeting.

The post New Online Application Portal Promises Smoother Australia Visa Process appeared first on Easy Migrate.

Critical technology encompasses a wide array of technologies crucial for various sectors in Australia including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. The unwanted transfer of critical technologies, along with associated expertise or knowledge, poses risks to Australia’s interests, from economic competitiveness to national security and sovereignty.

Australia’s Migration Regulations have been amended to target visa applicants and holders involved in critical technology-related activities. These changes allow the Minister for Home Affairs to refuse certain visas if there is an unreasonable risk of unwanted technology transfer. 

The revised regulations apply to various visa categories, including student visas, skilled migration visas, and temporary work visas. Visa applicants intending to pursue postgraduate research qualifications or apply for critical technology-related occupations must undergo enhanced screening procedures and some existing student visa holders must seek prior approval from the Minister for Home Affairs before enrolling in further studies.

The approval process entails submitting a request form and providing necessary evidence to demonstrate compliance with regulations specified by the Department. Failure to obtain approval before undertaking critical technology-related courses may result in visa cancellation. 

Australia aims to strike a balance between fostering international research collaboration and mitigating risks associated with critical technology transfer by enhancing its visa screening. Visa applicants and holders must comply with the new regulatory framework to ensure smooth processing and avoid potential refusal.

The new rules aim to ensure Australia remains a destination and partner of choice for innovation and research, while safeguarding its critical technologies and national interests.

The post Australia Enhances Visa Screening Measures for Critical Technology appeared first on Easy Migrate.

Although the skilled and business innovation and investment streams were cut to 1,900 when the permanent migration program was announced in May, permanent employer sponsored visa allocations increased by 1,825 to 36,825.

Several business advocacy groups called on the government earlier in the year to increase migration levels to as many as 220,000 places to match the country’s population growth and the treasury expected net overseas migration – which includes students and working holidaymakers – to be as high as 400,000.

Australia has long been suffering from acute skills shortages across many industries. The aged care, child care and teaching industries are still struggling to find workers, and many skilled jobs including carpentry are crying out for qualified tradespeople.

The family stream allocation remained unchanged from the previous financial year at 52,500 places. Some 40,500 partner visas, 8,500 parent visas and 3,000 child visas were planned for but the department says this number is subject to demand and a limit has not been set on how many permanent family visas are issued.

Permanent visa places for migrants to regional areas were reduced by 1,700 places to 32,300 and the number of state nominated visas the government planned to allow fell by 600 places to 30,400.

The Department of Home Affairs said the changes were aimed at increasing the number of working age people allowed to migrate to Australia.

Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese has previously outlined his intention to move the country towards more permanent forms of migration and the slight reduction in migration allayed concerns the government would lower the permanent intake.

There has never been a better time for migrants to contemplate moving to Australia and Easy Migrate has the experience and knowledge needed to provide you with visa advice, help finding a job or help sponsoring an overseas worker.

The post How many visa places there are to migrate to Australia this year appeared first on Easy Migrate.

It’s good news for those applying with an occupation on the priority skills list, with moderate scoring applicants expected to be invited in June 2021. These applicants will be the first to be invited.

The following is our predictions regarding the General Skilled Migration program and the SkillSelect Regime wait times.

All Occupations other than the “Pro-Rata” Occupations

Priority List Occupations (under COVID guidelines)

PRO-RATA OCCUPATIONS:

233512 Mechanical Engineers, 261312 Developer Programmer, 261313 Software Engineer, 233411 Electronics Engineers 

2611 ICT Analysts, 2613 ICT Software and Test Professionals, 2631 ICT Computer Network Professionals

2211 Accountants, 2212 Auditors

2335 Industrial & Production Engineers, 2339 Other Engineering Professionals

These predictions are based on historical statistics, the number of visas already granted, previous EOI scores at which invitations were issued and the number of places still remaining within the 2020-2021 program and may or may not occur as predicted.

Hopefully now you have a better idea of when SkillSelect invitations may be issued, if you have any questions about your visa or visa application contact Easymigrate – Australian Migration & Citizenship Services on +61 (08) 9221 4888 or book an appointment using the following link – https://easymigrate.as.me/schedule.php

The post When You Will Get Your SkillSelect or General Migration Invitation appeared first on Easy Migrate.

Summary by Cyrus Mistry (Founding Partner – Easymigrate AMCS):

The Australian Federal Budget for 2020-2021 was announced today – 6th October 2020.

With increased places available, I expect the processing-time for Partner Visas will reduce from the current 24-30 months waiting periods. The places allotted for Global Talent visas has been tripled from 5,000 to 15,000 so we expect to see more activity within this program stream.
The bad news is that the Australian Government expects the net overseas migration numbers fall from the current 154,000 persons by almost 45% – down to about 83,000 in this financial year 2020-21. The good news is that net overseas migration is expected to bounce back to about 201,000 persons in another two years (2023-24).
 

• Previous Program Planning level (2019-20) was set at 160,000 places
• Current Program Planning level (2020-21) will stay the same at 160,000 places however the Family Stream will benefit by increasing the places from 47,700 to 77,300 for 2020-2021 only.
• In 2019-20 the net overseas migration was 154,000 persons.
• In 2020-21 the net overseas migration is expected to reduce by about 71,000 (net 83,000), increasing to around 201,000 by 2023-24 (further two years)
• Employer Sponsored, Global Talent, Business Innovation and Investment program visas will be prioritised.
• Onshore visa applicants will be prioritised.
• Partner Visa applicants will be prioritised especially where the sponsor lives in a “designated regional area”
• Temp Skilled Workers, Visitors, Working Holidaymakers: subsequent visa application fees may be “waived” in future – where they were affected by travel restrictions.

Subclass 189 New Zealand Pathway: Eligibility requirement is that applicants need to show fours years of taxable income above the TSMIT threshold in the last five years. This may be reduced to three years including the most recent year.
 
Business, Investment and Innovation Program: Focus will be given to higher value investors. Places will be increased to 13,500. The Government has announced a “Taskforce” that will focus on attracting “exceptional talent” and international businesses to Australia. This initiative is likely to increase local employment opportunities and assist in a post-COVID recovery.
 
Global Talent Independent (GTI) Program: This pathway will receive the best allocation yet. Placed will be TRIPLED to 15,000 places.
 
Family Stream Program: 72,300 places out of a total of 77,300 places will go towards “Partner Visas”, remaining 5,000 places will go to other visas within the Family stream. Sponsorship provisions and obligations will be strengthened. Partner visa applicants may be required to show English-language skills. This may give better social and economic participation outcomes.
 
Humanitarian Stream: The ceiling will e set at 13,750 places. Quota division between onshore and offshore applicants will be kept flexible, keeping COVID restrictions in mind.
 
Unauthorised Maritime Arrivals: Additional funding will be provided to continue processing the backlog of applicants who arrived between August 2012 and January 2014.
 
Federal Law Circuit Court: A$35.7 million will provide additional resources to the FCC. This will enable the backlog of pending cases relating to immigration matters.
 
The full Federal Budget papers can be accessed on the Budget.gov.au site.

The post Australian Budget Migration Opportunities appeared first on Easy Migrate.

Immigration South Australia Announcement

To support the State Government’s response to COVID-19, Immigration SA has made the following announcement.

Immigration SA is implementing changes which prioritise the processing and nomination of health and medical professionals. 

Reduced work experience requirements for medical and health professionals working in South Australia 

International graduates of South Australia – medical and health professionals  

Medical and health professionals listed here who have graduated from a South Australian higher education provider and currently reside and work in South Australia in their nominated or closely related occupation (minimum 40 hours per fortnight), are exempt from the three-month work experience requirement. Applicants accessing the work experience exemption will only be eligible for nomination for a provisional 491 visa. New requirements apply to 190 nomination eligibility – see below.  

Applicants currently working as a medical or health professional in South Australia 

Medical and health professionals listed here who currently reside and work in South Australia in their nominated or closely related occupation (minimum 20 hours per week) are exempt from Immigration SA’s current work experience requirements. Applicants accessing the work experience exemption are only eligible for a provisional 491 visa nomination. 

Please note the 5 year work experience requirement has been removed for Registered Nurses working in their occupation or closely related occupation in South Australia. 

For medical and health professionals who are currently working in their nominated or closely related occupation in South Australia, a minimum of 65 points is required, including state-nomination points, and competent English.  

190 nomination eligibility – medical and health professionals 

Medical and health professionals listed here who are currently working for the last 12 months in their nominated or closely related occupation (minimum 20 hours per week) in South Australia (or the last 6 months in their nominated or closely related occupation (minimum 20 hours per week) in a country region of South Australia) remain eligible for a permanent 190 visa. 

Priority processing for medical and health professionals working in South Australia 

Processing times for state nomination vary depending on the volume of applications received and applications from medical and health professionals will be prioritised in the first instance. If your current visa is within 2 weeks of expiration, and if you have not requested priority processing of your application, please lodge an online enquiry to Immigration SA as per the standard process.   

Changes to requirements for 190 visa subclass nomination 

Immigration SA is closing visa subclass 190 eligibility for applicants who are not currently working in South Australia for the last 12 months (or 6 months in a region). Only applicants currently working for the last 12 months in their nominated or closely related occupation (minimum 20 hours per week) in South Australia or the last 6 months in their nominated or closely related occupation (minimum 20 hours per week) in a country region (of South Australia) will be eligible to apply for permanent 190 visa nomination. If you do not meet these requirements, you are only eligible to apply for 491 visa nomination. This applies to all occupations except for the following:  

• 132211 Finance Manager 
• 149914 Financial Institution Branch Manager 
• 221111 Accountant (General) 
• 221112 Management Accountant 
• 221113 Taxation Accountant 
• 221211 Company Secretary 
• 221213 External Auditor 
• 221214 Internal Auditor 
• 222112 Finance Broker 
• 222311 Financial Investment Adviser 
• 222312 Financial Investment Manager 
• 224711 Management Consultant 

These occupations are no longer eligible for a subclass 190 nomination as they have reached their quota. Applicants for these occupations can still apply for nomination for the provisional 491 visa subclass. 

Occupations closed to offshore applicants 

The following hospitality occupations are now closed for offshore applicants. 

• 141111 Cafe or Restaurant Manager 
• 351311 Chef 
• 351411 Cook 

The changes listed in this news item are effective immediately for state nomination applications submitted to Immigration SA on or after 12pm on 27 March 2020. If you currently have a saved state nomination application that has not yet been submitted to Immigration SA, you will need to meet the requirements above relevant to your nominated occupation or visa subclass.  

Immigration SA is aware that the COVID-19 situation and the impact of the travel ban is presenting challenges for some applicants and current visa holders who may be required to lodge from offshore, or are currently overseas and are unable to return to South Australia.

If your application for nomination or ability to meet the eligibility criteria is impacted due to the travel ban restrictions, please log into your account and submit an online enquiry through the Immigration SA Apply website. We are receiving a large volume of online enquires so we ask for your patience at this time, we will reply as soon as we can.  

The post South Australia General Skilled Migration Update appeared first on Easy Migrate.

By Emma Gallagher

Thousands of UK families dream of relocating to Australia, and for good reasons. Australia offers excellent job opportunities, an efficient healthcare system, fantastic weather, first-class education, unspoilt nature and a laid-back lifestyle to name only a few of its drawcards. 

Unfortunately for many, the dream of living “Down Under” turns into a long, complicated waiting game with the Majority of UK migrants coming to Australia through the independent skilled migrant pathway. At first, it seems a straight forward process – Check your eligibility, submit an expression of interest (EOI), wait for an invitation and lastly, apply for your visa. For some, it is that easy, but as many people are discovering, waiting for an invitation that may never come is crushing. 

Skilled Migration 

Independent skilled visas are by far the most common skilled pathway to Australia. These visas allow foreign nationals who with suitable qualifications and/or experience in occupations deemed to be in demand, to live in Australia as permanent residents. To be eligible for a skilled visa, you must have a profession that is listed on one of the relevant Australian skilled occupations lists. You must score a minimum number of points in a “points test”. The Australian Government award points based on age, level of qualifications attained, years of work experience, English language competency as well as other factors depending on the applicant’s circumstances. 

From July 2018 the minimum points required for skilled visas increased from 60 to 65 points. However the number of places that can be invited in a year is set by the Australian government, and the competition is fierce. The sheer number of applicants vying for these invitation means that currently, you are unlikely to receive an invitation to apply with less than 80 points (some occupations are now requiring as much as 90 points to receive an invite). 

Cyrus Mistry (a Perth-based Registered Migration Agent) explains that “scoring enough points is particularly difficult for older applicants with trade skills, which are in particular demand in some areas of Australia”. Mr Mistry says that he regularly sees UK applicants on waitlists for up two years. Anthony Kelly from Northern Ireland was one of these people. Having achieved the minimum 60 points required in August 2017, Mr Kelly lodged his expression of interest with the hope he would be living in Australia by mid-2018. Unfortunately, having waited two years without receiving an invite to apply, Mr Kelly instead received an email on August 2019 that his EOI had expired. This is a disappointing reality for thousands of well-intentioned prospective applicants every year. 

Mr Kelly said he had considered giving up on moving to Australia and was considering other destinations when he was advised by Mr Mistry to consider different visa pathways offered in regional Australia. Fortunately for Mr Kelly, he heeded his Agent’s advice and is now happily living in Australia, having obtained a Skilled Regional visa to live and work in Australia’s Northern Territory. This visa allows Mr Kelly to live and work in regional Australia and, subject to living and working in regional Australia for a specified period, offers a pathway to permanent residence. Mr Kelly said he could not be more happy with the outcome and that he would still be waiting in the UK if it had not been for the advice to consider the opportunities in regional Australia. 

Regional Australia Pathways 

The Australian Government has recently made it a focus of its Migration program to tackle the impacts of an increasing population in major cities like Sydney and Melbourne by promoting visa pathways in Regional Australia where there is an appetite for population growth and, in particular, considerable demand for skilled migrants. 

One such visa pathway has been the expansion of the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) scheme. These are labour agreements allowing eligible employers in designated regional areas to access skilled and semi-skilled workers from overseas to fill local labour market shortages. Mr Mistry advises that DAMAs are an increasing focus of the Australian Government’s migration program and that several DAMAs has been announced in the last six months, with more DAMA applications in the pipeline. Currently, there are DAMAs in place in the Northern Territory, the Goldfields in Western Australia, Great South Coast in Victoria, Adelaide City, Regional South Australia, Orana region in New South Wales and Far North Queensland – with more expected to be announced soon. 

The Goldfields region in Western Australia currently has DAMA covering 73 occupations. The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, located less than 600km from Perth, has been particularly vocal in their desire to have skilled migrants come to live in and grow their regional communities. Kalgoorlie-Boulder boasts small-town “old-school Australian” lifestyle where everyone comes together as a family. According to the CEO of the City, Kalgoorlie-Boulder has an estimated 1,500 job vacancies in a range of industries including mining, engineering, construction, healthcare, childcare and hospitality (amongst others). 

Earlier this year the Australian government announced two new regional visas to commence in November 2019 – the subclass 491 Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa which will have 14,000 places allocated in the first year and the subclass 494 Skilled Employer-Sponsored visas which will have 9000 places allocated to it this financial year. 

Mr Kelly, who migrated to regional Australia earlier this year, said that people should not be discouraged by regional Australia but should instead see it as an opportunity to fulfil their dream of living in Australia. Fiona Ward, who migrated to Kalgoorlie-Boulder eight years ago, said she thought she would prefer Sydney or Melbourne, but they were too big and fast-paced. She has made Kalgoorlie home and runs a successful construction company with her husband, who is also from the UK. 

If you would like to find out more about regional pathways in Australia, Mr Mistry will be attending the Down Under Live exhibitions in Birmingham (5th – 6th October) and London (12th – 13th October). Cyrus Mistry is the Founding Partner of EasyMigrate and has been specialising in Australian Immigration since 2001. Cyrus will be joined at the exhibition by Sword Recruitment Specialists who work with several businesses looking to recruit skilled workers in industries and occupations suffering local labour market shortages. 

If you would like to find out more about Australian visas our migration agents will be happy to check your eligibility. If you would like advice from our team of Registered Migration Agents, book in for a consultation now.

The post Why Choose Regional Australia? appeared first on Easy Migrate.

New Australian Budget 2019 – how it affects AUSTRALIAN MIGRATION.

Following information has come from MIA.

1. Dept of Home Affairs fees will go up by approx. 5.4% on 1 July 2019.
2. There is no change announced for “Second VAC” fees e.g. 2nd VAC for Contributory Parent Visa $43,600, etc.
3. General Skilled Migration planning levels reduced from 190,000 to 160,000 for the next four years
4. From Nov 2019 for Points-tested General skilled migration: Extra points will be granted if the spouse has good “English” language test results.
5. Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visas will be introduced from 1 November 2019. They will replace the current RSMS (Subclass 187) and Skilled Regional (Subclass 489). These two visas will be discontinued.
6. For Subclass 485 Graduates studying at REGIONAL universities (Bachelors or Post-Grad level) – An additional 12-month second post-study work visa for international graduates providing a total of three years, if they continued to live in the regional area for first two years. Commences in 2021.
7. Destination Australia Program – Scholarships for international and domestic students to study in regional Australia for higher education or vocational education qualifications
8. Trade Recognition Australia (TRA) fees are likely to go up – Fees for skills assessments related to migration, employment and licensing will be collected by TRA and be fully recovered.
9. Annual cap for WHV (Subclass 462) for Indonesian citizens will be increased from 2,500 to 5,000 over the six years to 2014/25

If you would like to find out more about Australian visas our migration agents will be happy to check your eligibility. If you would like advice from our team of Registered Migration Agents, book in for a consultation now.

The post New Australian Budget announced today – how it affects AUSTRALIAN MIGRATION. appeared first on Easy Migrate.