More information here.

The report of the 4-month independent review into integrity in the 457 programme was published today.

There are 22 recommendations aimed at strengthening integrity of the programme and ensuring that business sponsors for 457 visa holders do not discriminate against Australian workers.
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The four-person panel conducted extensive consultations across Australia, read 189 submissions and met over 150 stakeholders around the country.

The government has not yet provided a detailed response.

A copy of the report, Robust New Foundations: A Streamlined, Transparent and Responsive System for the 457 Programme is available on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s website at the link below.

 

The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon Scott Morrison, and the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, announced the signing of a reciprocal work and holiday visa arrangement between Australia and Spain.

The arrangement will give young people from both countries to experience each other’s culture. There will be 500 places for each country each migration program year.

A commencement date has not yet been set.

More information here.

The NSW Government announced today a change to its Significant Investor Visa (SIV) requirements to make it easier for applicants to seek NSW nomination and invest in a broader range of investments.

From 1 September 2014 visa holders are no longer required to hold $1.5 million of their $5 million investment in NSW Waratah Bonds. Applicants will still be required to invest the full $5 million in approved complying investments.

More information here.

As of 1 August 2014, Poland will be added to the list of countries eligible for the Work and Holiday visa. The list includes Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Poland, Thailand, Turkey, United States of America and Uruguay.

Polish applicants must hold tertiary qualifications or have successfully completed at least 2 years of undergraduate university study.

From 1 August 2014, passport holders of the countries listed below will be eligible to make online applications for Subclass 600 (Visitor) visas in the Tourist, Sponsored Family or Business visitor stream.

The additional countries able to make online applications are Angola, Anguilla, Armenia, Benin, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Cayman Islands, the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Falkland Islands, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, the Philippines, the Pitcairn Islands, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, the Republic of South Sudan, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Turkmenistan, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, Uzbekistan, the Virgin Islands, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

For the 2014/15 financial year:

A maximum number of 1550 visas will be granted for:

Parent (Migrant) (Class AX) visas; and
Aged Parent (Residence) (Class BP) visas.​

These figures include grants to New Zealand citizens that are not included in the Migration Program.

The maximum number of 510 visa will be granted for:

Other Family (Migrant) (Class BO) visas; and
Other Family (Residence) (Class BU) visas.

These figures include grants to New Zealand citizens that are not included in the Migration Program.

There will be changes to the interpretation of the ENS/RSMS nomination legislation from 1 July 2014.

The new policy will allow certain applications for Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream where the nominator has not been the sole standard business sponsor for the nominee during the required period of 2 years. The Department will no longer utilise s50AAA of the Corporations Act to determine whether TRT applicants had worked for the same employer for two years, specifically where businesses have undergone change in the form of restructures,takeovers and sales.

From 1 July 2014, the following changes are applicable:

Occupations added to the SOL

The following occupations will be added to the SOL:

Chef (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) 351311)
Bricklayer (ANZSCO 331111)
Wall and Floor Tiler (ANZSCO 333411)

Occupations added to the CSOL

The following occupations will be added to the CSOL:

Hydrogeologist (ANZSCO 234413)
Exercise Physiologist (ANZSCO 234915)

Changes to occupation titles

The following titles will be changed:

Ship’s Surveyor will be titled Marine Surveyor (ANZSCO 231215)
General Medical Practitioner will be titled General Practitioner (ANZSCO 253111)

Changes to assessing authorities

For new applications for the above visas made on or after 1 July 2014, new assessing authorities will be specified for the following occupations:

Nurse Manager (ANZSCO 254311): Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC)
Nurse Educator (ANZSCO 254211): ANMAC
Nurse Researcher (ANZSCO 254212): ANMAC.
Marine Transport Professional not elsewhere classified (ANZSCO 231299): Vocational Education and Training Assessment Services (VETASSESS)

 

From 1 July 2014, skills assessments issued by assessing authorities for the purpose of visa applications are only valid for a period of three years, or if a shorter validity period is specified in the assessment, for that shorter period. Skills assessment do not currently expire for the purposes of visa applications.

From 1 July 2014, the Visa Evidence Charge (VEC) will increase from $70.00 to $150.00. The VEC is a charge payable if a person requests a visa label affixed to their passport as evidence of their visa grant. In accordance with the move toward digital services, all visa grants are recorded electronically and can be verified online. It is expected that the higher charge will encourage visa holders to use online verification.

Senators Michaelia Cash and Andrew Robb have announced that Chefs, tilers and bricklayers will be added the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) from 1 July 2014, as recommended by the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA).

The SOL currently lists 188 occupations that are in demand in Australia. No existing occupations will be removed from the SOL.

More information here.

Following the announcement of the closure of Parent, Remaining Relative, Aged Dependent Relative and Carer visas, the DIBP gave notice today that no further applications will be accepted from 2 June 2014.

The 2014 -15 Migration Programme size will remain the same at 190,000 places, including 128,550 Skilled Stream places, 60,885 Family Stream places and 565 Special Eligibility Stream places.

From 1 July 2015, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection will become a single agency called Australian Border Force.

There are 18 new occupations including Cooks and Hairdresser introduced to the new South Australian State Nominated Occupation lists – State Occupation List and South Australian Graduates List.

From 1 September 2013, there will be a 15 % rise in all visa application charges, except for certain Student visas and Tourist visas.

The following table lists the current and new visa application charge (VAC) for a selection of visa subclasses.

Visa Name		Current VAC	New VAC
Subclass 400 – Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) visa	Primary Applicant	$145	$165
	Secondary Applicant Over 18	$75	$85
	Secondary Applicant Under 18	$35	$40
Subclass 457 – Temporary Work (Skilled) visa	Primary Applicant	$900	$1 035
	Secondary Applicant Over 18	$900	$1 035
	Secondary Applicant Under 18	$225	$260
Subclass 401 Temporary Work (Long Stay Activity) visa	Primary Applicant	$315	$360
	Secondary Applicant Over 18	$315	$360
	Secondary Applicant Under 18	$80	$90
Subclass 402 Temporary Work (Training & Research) visa	Primary Applicant	$315	$360
	Secondary Applicant Over 18	$315	$360
	Secondary Applicant Under 18	$80	$90
Subclass 188 – Business Skills – Business Innovation & Investment (Provisional) visa	Primary Applicant	$4 065	$4 675
	Secondary Applicant Over 18	$2 035	$2 340
	Secondary Applicant Under 18	$1 015	$1 170
Subclass 888 – Business Skills – Business Innovation & Investment (Permanent) visa	Primary Applicant	$1 960	$2 255
	Secondary Applicant Over 18	$980	$1 130
	Secondary Applicant Under 18	$490	$565
Subclass 186 –  Employer Nomination (Permanent) visa	Primary Applicant	$3 060	$3 520
	Secondary Applicant over 18	$1 530	$1 760
	Secondary Applicant under 18	$765	$880
Subclass 187 – Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa	Primary Applicant	$3 060	$3 520
	Secondary Applicant over 18	$1 530	$1 760
	Secondary Applicant under 18	$765	$880
Subclass 189 – Skilled & Independent Visa Subclass 190 – Skilled & Nominated Visa	Primary Applicant	$3 060	$3 520
	Secondary Applicant Over 18	$1 530	$1 760
	Secondary Applicant Under 18	$765	$880

English Language Requirement
From 1 August 2013, some of the retrospective aspects of the legislation introduced on 1 July 2013 has been removed. It means that applicants who lodged a Subclass 457 visa application prior to 1 July 2013 and who were exempt from the English language requirement at that time on the basis of their nominated occupation will continue to be exempt at the time of decision.

The English language requirement for the Subclass 457 applications will continue to be a time of decision requirement.

Mandatory Skills Assessments
Effective from 1 July, all applicants nominated in the occupations of Program and Project Administrator or Specialist Manager nec are required to undertake formal skills assessment.

Cap on Nominations
Employers are now required to state and justify the number of nominations they wish to apply for the duration of the sponsorship.

Mandatory electronic lodgement
All subclass 457 sponsorship, nomination and visa applications must be lodged using the online facility. Sponsorship, nomination and visa applications associated with overseas business sponsors will now be processed in Australia.

Employment conditions
If 457 primary visa holders cease to work for their sponsor, they are now given 90 days instead of 28 days to:

• find another employer to sponsor them
• apply for a different visa
• make arrangements to leave Australia.

Labour Market Testing
The requirement for employers to undertake labour market testing to look for local candidates first is expected to come into effect later in the year before November.