What is the update on immigration after Australian elections?

The Australian elections are over and the Coalition party will hold office for the next three years. There has been no announcement regarding the change in the Immigration Minister.

With the Coalition Party once again coming back to power, here are the updates on Australian immigration:

• Regional visas

The recently announced Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional Provisional Visa will be available from November 2019. So will the Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa. Moving migrants into the regional areas of Australia will be on high priority of this government.

• DAMA (Designated Area Migration Agreement)

More Designated Area Migration Agreements are being worked upon by the new Govt. DAMAs help businesses in regional areas address their skill gaps. The current DAMAs that have been introduced also have a pathway to PR for the migrants. A DAMA offers much more flexibility than the Standard Business Sponsorship Pathway.

The Cairns Chamber of Commerce in Northern Queensland is currently in negotiation for a new DAMA. This DAMA should be announced in the next few months.

Two DAMAs will come into effect in South Australia from the 1^st of July. These are the:

1. Adelaide Technology and Innovative Advancement Agreement
2. South Australian Regional Workforce Agreement

• Nomination rejections-Subclass 457 and Subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage)

Some data has been released under the Freedom of Information Act which showed the visa results of the Subclass 457 and 482 Visa. These outcomes were released between 1^st November 2016 and 31^st January 2019. Almost 10% of the visas were rejected while 7% were withdrawn or finalized, as per SBS News.

Customer Service Manager was the occupation with the highest number of rejections at 47%. Message Therapist at 40% and Web Administrator at 32% were the other occupations which received the most rejections.

• The Government inquiry into the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa

The Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee released a report in April 2019. The report assessed the effectiveness of the TSS Visa for addressing the Skill gaps in Australia. The Committee made the below recommendations:

1. The minimum income threshold should be increased to $62,000 annually
2. Review and update the health policies so that temporary migrants are not rejected on health grounds
3. The Govt. should publish reasons for the addition and deletion of occupations on the SOL so that there is greater transparency
4. There should be stricter requirements for Labour Market Testing. Also, there should be greater scrutiny into licensing and skills assessment.

• Accreditation through significant investment

The Govt. has announced a new category to become an accredited sponsor for the TSS Visa. The business will need to show an investment of at least $50 million. For businesses who do not make a significant investment but can generate employment, the Govt. will consider on a case to case basis.

Y-Axis offers a wide range of visa services and products for aspiring overseas immigrants including General skilled migration – Subclass 189 /190/489 with RMA review, General skilled migration – Subclass 189 /190/489, Work Visa for Australia, and Business Visa for Australia. 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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Australia Skill Select update for May 2019