South-west Victorian dairy farmers have welcomed federal budget visa changes, which they say will enable them to secure a more permanent, skilled workforce. Development has been curbed because skilled staff are not available. Changes to the Australian Skilled Occupation List were introduced in the budget, opening the door for skilled migrants to settle permanently, to…

The federal government has introduced three new visas to replace current visas available for the migrants to move to regional Australia. Australia has introduced a new permanent visa to bring more skilled workers to regional Australia. The subclass 191 (Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa will commence from 16 November 2022. The explanatory statement of the…

Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored: Substituting the current 187 (RSMS) visa and commencing November 16, 2019 the 494 visa has 9,000 places allocated per year. It requires employer sponsorship and the position must be likely to exist for 5 years. It has a 45 year age limit, competent English, RCB advice and must meet the AMSR. Visa applicants must have a suitable skills assessment and…

Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa: Replacing the current 489 visa and commencing November 16, 2019 the subclass 491 visa has 14,000 places allocated per year. This is a skilled migration (points tested) visa which requires either state government nomination, or sponsorship by an eligible family member who is settled in a designated regional area. It has…

Subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional): To meet the requirements of the permanent visa (from November 2022) applicants must: hold a regional provisional visa subclass 491 or 494 visa when they apply for the Subclass 191 visa, and have held that visa for at least three years;  have earned a minimum income for at least three…

According to the Migration Amendment (New Skilled Regional Visas) Regulations 2019, three new visas have been introduced to ‘assist regional Australia.’ The explanatory statement issued by the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs states, “The amendments introduce a revised points system for the subclass 491 visa as well as existing General Skilled Migration visas….

The instrument operates to specify a class of persons who are “fast track applicants”. The specification will become relevant if a person in that class of persons makes an application for a protection visa, as they will be subject to the processing of their protection visa and any available review rights as a fast track…

The cap is being cut from 190,000 to 160,000 for the next four years. Scott Morrison said the move is designed to ease congestion in Australia’s busiest cities. Australian National University demographer Liz Allen said “Immigration is scapegoated as Australia’s problem when immigration is Australia’s solution.” Australia has cut its annual immigration cap by nearly 15% and…

New regional visas announced as immigration levels slashed The Australian Government has slashed the number of permanent visas it grants every year while announcing two new ‘geographically restricted’ skilled visas for regional areas of the country. But some fear that the road to permanent residency for those on temporary visas will become much tougher with…

Refugee footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi, who was detained in Thailand while on his honeymoon, has become an Australian citizen in a ceremony at Melbourne. Footy-loving Hakeem Al-Araibi has become a dinky-di Aussie during a citizenship ceremony in Melbourne. The Bahrain-born 25-year-old has travelled a rocky road, including a stint in a Bangkok jail, to realise his…

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