woocommerce domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/indianav/migratetosunnyaustralia.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6131There have been a lot of changes to Australian Immigration in the year 2019 and a lot is expected to change in the coming year 2020.
We have compiled some of the major changes that are relevant to General Skilled Migration below:
Review of occupation list – March 2020
The skilled occupation lists will be reviewed in March 2020 and it is anticipated that it will be overhauled completely which may result in many occupations being removed from the occupation lists.
Should you qualify for Australian immigration now, then it would be wise to undertake a skills assessment and lodge a relevant visa application before this change happens.
Another reason to expedite starting your Australian immigration plans now, would be that at the beginning of every year, the costs for Skills Assessment by relevant authorities are also generally increased.
Changes to definition of Regional Areas
The definition of Regional Area has been changed and now includes entire Australia apart from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. This is a step in the right direction and gives flexibility to migrants to settle in major cities like Perth, Gold Coast, New Castle etc. which were earlier not considered as a Regional areas.
Introduction of New Skilled Work Regional Visa 491
This is an independent State or Family Sponsored visa and does not require employer sponsorship and it came into effect on 16th November 2019.
25,000 places have been allocated for this visa and after holding this visa for 3 years and meeting relevant conditions, one can directly apply for Permanent Residency.
It is available for all of Australia except Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Basic eligibility requirements for applicants are as follows:
– Positive outcome on Skills Assessment
– Competent level of English
– Applicants must be below 45 years of age
– Nominated occupation must be listed on the below list
Should your occupation be listed on the following Occupation List then you might be eligible to apply for this visa.
Currently the following states and territories are accepting applications for this visa:
1) South Australia
2) Victoria
3) Queensland
4) Western Australia
5) Tasmania
6) Northern Territory
New South Wales Government has declared that they shall be accepting applications for this visa program by mid-January 2020 and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) shall start accepting application on 1st January 2020.
Introduction of New Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa 494
This is an employer sponsored Regional Work visa which came into effect on 16th November 2019.
To lodge this visa application, an applicant needs support of a sponsoring employer/business that is in Regional Area and their nominated occupation should be listed on this Occupation List.
Sponsoring employer needs to carry out labour market testing to prove that there is a genuine need for this position and that Australia Citizens/Permanent Residents are not available to fill the relevant position for which the foreign worker is being nominated.
An employer is also required to pay a SAF Levy as part of the nomination application associated with this visa subclass.
Like the 491 Visa, a visa holder must hold this visa and comply with imposed conditions for a minimum of 3 years and must earn a salary of at least $53,900 per year. Once these conditions have been met then, the visa holder can proceed with lodgement of an independent permanent visa application which does not require support of the sponsoring business/employer.
Introduction of Permanent Visa 191
After holding either a 491 or 494 Visa for 3 years and complying with relevant conditions such as earning an annual income of $53,900, residing and working in specified regional areas etc. the visa holders will be eligible to apply for permanent residency through the 191 Permanent Residence Skilled Visa Program from 16th November 2022.
This pathway to permanent residency has been brought into place to encourage applicants to move to Regional Areas of Australia.
Introduction of Global Talent Independent program
This program was launched on 4th November 2019, which is aimed at offering streamlined and priority processing for highly skilled and talented individuals who wish to live and work permanently in Australia. This program is for individuals working in top future focused fields where cutting edge technology plays a vital part such as Agtech, Space and Advanced manufacturing, Fintech, Energy and Mining Technology, Medtech, Cyber Security and Quantum Information etc.
To attract such talent, the Australian Government have stationed Global Talent Officers in Berlin, Dubai, New Delhi, Shanghai, Santiago, Singapore and Washington DC.
To proceed with a visa lodgement, an applicant would require a referral from Australian Global Talent Officer or organisation/individual which has a national reputation in same field as the candidate.
Closure of 187 Direct Entry
The RSMS 187 Direct Entry Stream was closed permanently as of the 16th November 2019.
Applications lodged prior to this date will still be processed if they meet transitional requirements that were put in place when the closure of this visa program was announced.
How can we assist you?
We can assess your eligibility for the new visa programs and assist you through all the stages of the visa application including SKills Assessment. To know more, please contact us or book a consultation with our Registered Migration Consultant Sunny Soni.
