A Ministerial Direction went into effect in December with faster processing times for the Temporary Skills Shortage visa (Subclass 482), Employer Nomination scheme (Subclass 186) and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 494) visa.

Applications for skilled visas in the healthcare and education sectors will continue to be the Department of Home Affairs’ first concern and the change to processing priorities will have an effect on the time it takes for these applications to be processed.

Businesses which sponsor skilled visas can apply for accreditation and the direction outlines the priority given to these businesses will continue. To become an accredited sponsor, businesses must first be a Standard Business Sponsor (SBS).

This costs A$420 to apply for and once granted, gives skilled visa applications sponsored by the business priority processing, accredited status further raises this priority but businesses must fulfil criteria such as a minimum turnover of $A2 million per year over the last two years and a 75-85% Australian workforce.

The direction has also removed the priority processing for applications of offshore applications. They will now be treated the same as onshore ones and prioritised as per the day of lodgement. Priorities for Hong Kong nationals and British Overseas passport holders have been removed.

The new processing priorities reflect the government’s shift away from temporary visas with no clear pathway to permanent residency. Late in 2023, a new visa aimed at attracting skilled migrants to industries in Australia still experiencing crippling skills shortages was announced.

Despite record migration, the country is still struggling to find enough workers to fill roles involving specialist skills and has defied expectations by retaining a very low unemployment rate.

Australia’s inflation rate continued to fall in the second half of 2023 and the country managed to avoid an economic recession as it continues to recover from 2 years of border restrictions and a falling population. Call Easy Migrate to find out more about employer sponsored skilled visas and how your business can take advantage of the new processing changes.

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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.

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On November 25 2023 the employer-sponsored visa will become a pathway to permanent residency if visa holders work a minimum of 2 years for their sponsor.

Once this threshold has been met, employers will be able to sponsor migrants for permanent residency in Australia through the subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa.

Subclass 482 visa holders must find an alternate sponsor if they wish to leave the workplace where they are sponsored and must earn above the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) of $AUD70,000.

Visa holders must tell the Department of Home Affairs if they take on new duties at work, change location or get a promotion if that promotion involves new duties not specified in the original application.

The visa was designed to relieve acute skills shortages and allows for a stay of up to 4 years if the visa applicant is from a country with which Australia has an International Trade Obligation (ITO). Hong Kong passport holders can stay up to 5 years.

Applicants for the subclass 482 visa (Short-Term Stream) must practise an occupation on the Short-Term Skilled Occupation List. It costs $AUD1,455 and 90% of applications are processed within 64 days. 

The other 482 visa stream is the Medium-Term Stream which covers occupations which requires applicants work in an occupation on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List. This Stream allows a four year stay and costs $AUD3,035.

The subclass 186 visa allows holders to stay permanently, costs $AUD4,640 and most applicants should receive a reply from the Department of Home Affairs within a year.

Call Easy Migrate now for your best chance at securing a visa to live and work in Australia.

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482 visa holders who work in a job that is on the Regional Occupations List (ROL) can now apply for a Subclass 186 visa in the Temporary Residence Transition stream, thus securing themselves an opportunity to progress to permanent residency and onto citizenship.

Applicants must have had been in the country for at least one year between 1 February 2020 and 14 December 2021 and must be lawfully employed at the time of their application.

The Subclass 186 visa allows for a permanent stay in Australia and costs AUD$4,240. Usually applicants must have worked for their employer for at least three years previous to applying for it.

It is one of the most popular permanent residency pathways for migrants who work and live in Australia.

Doctors and medical practitioners often stay in Australia on Subclass 186 visas, and in another change, they may now be provisional or limited members of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Medical Practitioners who apply for the Subclass 186 visa used to have to have been a member of the organisation, but now a lesser commitment is required.

Visa-nominating organisations may also have to provide a letter stating that they are aware of the “type” of application and agree that the registration held is sufficient.

Finally, Applicants for General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas now have 60 days to obtain a relevant skills assessment.

Meaning that if you were in possession of a valid assessment result when you applied, but did not hold it when you were invited to submit the relevant skills assessment results, you now have an extended period to do so.

Visas which require a relevant skills assessment are the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190), Skilled Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 489), Skilled Work Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 491).

Now is an excellent time to move to Australia, the unemplyment rate is incredibly low and those with sought after skills are being head hunted by firms across many sectors and industries. 

Visa processing times have been slashed by a recently elected government that is putting the rights and wellbeing of migrants first. 

The post Permanent Residency Pathways for Short-Term Skilled Visas and Provisional Registration for Sponsored Doctors appeared first on Easy Migrate.

Another important reason Australians are not being vaccinated is the lack of qualified Pharmacists in the country to administer the vaccine.

The Priority Skilled Migration Occupation List was created by the Australian Government to find people to work in sectors which are critical to Australia’s Covid-19 response and recovery, It has now been updated to include Hospital Pharmacists (ANZSCO code: 251511), Retail Pharmacists (251513) and Industrial Pharmacists (251512).

This presents a fantastic opportunity to qualified migrant pharmacists and Australian pharmacies to work together to help the vaccine rollout.

If you are a qualified pharmacist you will now have priority when it comes to your visa application and if you are applying for an employer sponsored visa you will also be prioritised over other visas.

If you need help lodging your employer-sponsored visa or making any visa applications contact Easy Migrate to secure a hassle-free visa application process.

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The PMSOL is a list of occupations that are first to be granted Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional (temporary) visas (subclass 494), Temporary Skills Shortage visas (subclass 482), Employer Nomination Scheme visas (subclass 186) and Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visas (subclass 187).

The list was made to address the skills shortage resulting from halted migration during the pandemic, it currently has 41 occupations on it.

The 22 new occupations on the PMSOL with ANZSCO codes are:

• Accountant (General) (221111)
• Accountant (Taxation) (221113)
• Accountant (Management) (221112)
• External Auditor (221213)
• Internal Auditor (221214)
• Electrical Engineer (233311)
• Civil Engineer (233211)
• Structural Engineer (233214)
• Geotechnical Engineer (233212)
• Transport Engineer (233215)
• Mining Engineer (233611)
• Petroleum Engineer (233612)
• Surveyor (232212)
• Cartographer (232213)
• Other Spatial Scientist (232214)
• Medical Laboratory Scientist (234611)
• Orthotist / Prosthetist (251912)
• Multimedia Specialist (261211)
• Analyst Programmer (261311)
• Software and Applications Programmers (261399)
• ICT Security Specialist (262112)
• Chef (351311)

The recent federal budget suggests temporary and permanent migration is expected to re-commence in early to mid-2022, so now is the time to start planning if you intend to migrate to Australia.

These occupations are lacking applicants and there is a surplus of jobs in these occupations in Australia, the government says the PMSOL is essential to revitalising Australia’s post-pandemic economic recovery. 

“The Morrison Government will continue to support Australian businesses, including through skilled migration, as the engine room of our nation’s economy,” said Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.

Do you or anyone you know want to live and work in Australia? 

Practising these occupations in Australia would mean a bright future for you and your family.

This work is available and many industries in Australia continue to cry out for more people to apply for some very desirable jobs.

So start planning for your future now and remember to contact EasyMigrate in order to give you the best chance to secure your Australian visa.

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