Australia Visas: What has changed since 1st July 2019?

Australia has reduced its immigration level for the very first time in almost a decade. 2019 has seen some of the most significant changes to Australia visas. 

Here are some of the changes that you can see since 1st July 2019: 

• Immigration intake decreased 

The Federal Govt. of Australia announced in March that the immigration intake would be slashed by 30,000 to 160,000. The immigration intake had a cap of 190,000 since 2011, however, the actual intake decreased to 162,000 in 2017-18 for the very first time. 

The reduction in immigration cap largely affected the Skilled Independent Visa. The yearly quota for the same was slashed from 43,000 to just 18,000. 

The Govt. says that the cap will remain the same for the next 4 years. 

• New Regional Visas 

The Govt. has increased the quota of Regional Visas to 23,000 to attract more immigrants to live and work in the regional areas. Two new Regional Visas will be introduced in November this year- the Subclass 194 (Skilled Employer-Sponsored )Visa and the Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional ) Visa. The cap for them will be 9,000 and 14,000 respectively within the annual cap of 160,000. 

Regional Visa holders would need to spend at least 3 years in a regional area to qualify for Australian Permanent Residence.  

Australia will introduce a new Regional Permanent Visa in 2022, as per SBS News. 

International graduates will get an extra year on their Post-Study Work Permit if they study in a regional University. 

• Additional points for skilled migration 

Visa applicants who have been nominated by regional areas will get 5 additional points on the GSM points test. 

Applicants who have a skilled spouse or the ones who do not have a spouse will get 10 points. STEM qualifications will also earn extra points. 

• New Parent Visa 

Australia has started accepting applications for the Temporary Sponsored Parent Visa from 1st July 2019. The new Parent Visa requires the sponsor in Australia to first submit a sponsorship application. Once approved, they can then lodge a Parent Visa application. The new Visa allows visa holders to live in Australia for up to 5 years with a provision for renewal. The annual quota for this visa is 15,000. 

• Citizenship changes dropped 

The Federal Govt. has dropped changes to the citizenship process which required applicants to prove they had Competent English. 

Y-Axis offers a wide range of visa services and products for aspiring overseas immigrants including Australia General Skilled Migration Program via RMA, Australia Skilled Regional Visa, Australia Temporary Skilled Work Visa, and Australia Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485. We work with Registered Migration Agents in Australia. 

If you are looking to Visit, Study, Work, Invest or Migrate to Australia, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Consultant. 

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