Australian Visa and Immigration News - IN 2024

17 October 2024

Long Processing Time for Parent Visas!

In order to sponsor a parent overseas to join their Australian child or children permanently in Australia, they can go down one of two routes. The costly pathway is a contributory parent or aged parent visa with a price tag of close to $50,000 per person. The cheaper option is a standard parent or aged parent visa, which costs “only” $5125, but takes much longer. Currently, the government sets an annual cap of 8500 parent visas, with about eight in 10 granted to “contributory” applicants. This is 4000 more places than the Coalition granted in its last year in office, but is still too few to meet demand. Consequently, the logjam grows. On 30 June, 2023, Home Affairs had 140,615 parent visa applications on hand. A year later, it was 151,596. A year ago, Home Affairs advised new applicants that a contributory parent visa “may take at least 12 years to process”. Now it says the time frame is 14 years. This is ridiculous, but the wait for the cheaper, standard visa is beyond absurd – it’s now stretched to 31 years. Unfortunately, many applicants will die before their cases are considered. They, and their Australian families, are condemned to live in limbo, clinging to forlorn hope.

23 September 2024

Australia's Population Reaches 27 Million!

Now, in September 2024, Australia is home to more than 27 million people but policies over the last decade have failed to deliver the housing needed, an expert warns. New data issued by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the national population grew by 2.3 per cent to 27.1 million in March this year. It's an increase of about 615,300 people over the previous year, with net overseas migration driving about 83 per cent of this growth. The "natural increase", which means births and deaths, accounted for 17 per cent of the growth. All states and territories saw increases in population ranging from about 3.1 per cent in Western Australia to 0.4 per cent in Tasmania. Australian National University demographer Liz Allen said hitting the 27 million population milestone was a moment to consider the challenges and opportunities facing the country in the future. Dr Allen said often when the country experiences a population increase, especially when it was driven largely by overseas migration, there was a tendency to panic. "A type of population panic, we see this play out … we see particularly [some] politicians and commentators who perhaps are unhappy with the way the country is headed and blame the population for policy failures," she said. Has Audio Duration: 3 minutes 59 seconds. Listen 3m 59s Migration keeps economy out of recession Dr Allen said it could affect social cohesion and potentially drive harmful rhetoric around migration when Australia's population change was problematised.

10 September 2024

Government Rationale for Student Visa Caps

The Student caps are for two purposes. First, wresting control over student numbers from the Department of Immigration. This is a power struggle that goes back to the mid-1980s. Education thinks Immigration is limiting the size of the industry it is committed to growing, while Immigration thinks Education doesn't give a damn about the quality of education delivered, the ability of students to get skilled jobs and the risk of huge numbers of students ending up in immigration limbo — a problem that Immigration must manage, not Education. Second, the caps will enable Education to grow the industry much faster than compared to the levels that would result if current visa processing settings remained in place. Hence Jason Clare's demand for the Immigration Minister’s Direction 107 on risk rating providers to be abolished once caps are in place. The caps are about increasing aggregate student numbers, not cutting them. The outcome of the battle on student visa processing arrangements will be crucial. Jason Clare will demand Immigration get out of the way and let each provider get the students the caps provide for. Just as former Education Minister John Dawkins demanded control over student visas in the 1980s (and was effectively given that) until there was an overstayer blowout and Immigration Minister Robert Ray demanded his department again control student visas. There are two problems with control over student numbers being held by Education. First, Education has no interest in delivering the Government's net migration forecasts. Those are not Education's problem and if that is a problem for the Government, it's for Immigration to find other ways to deliver those forecasts (although Immigration may think those are Treasury's forecasts and not theirs). Second, Education has no interest in minimising the number of students that get stuck in immigration limbo (for example, around 240,000 temporary graduates currently in Australia, many of whom will struggle to get PR) or applying for asylum (asylum numbers in Australia continue to grow strongly, particularly those who have been refused at both the primary and AAT stages).

02 September 2024

Student Caps in Australia Posted on Chinese Social Media

In China, prospective students reacting to limits on overseas students coming to Australia are weighing up studying in other countries amid fears their fees will rise and uncertainty over their applications. Tracking of sentiment on social media reveals a growing frustration among some young Chinese people with Australia, as a swath of migration changes over the past year makes them feel increasingly unwelcome, says Angela Lehmann, head of research for consultancy The Lygon Group. “This is coming at a really delicate time for China and the way that it understands the value of international education,” Dr Lehmann said. “The graduate job market is softer due to the fragile Chinese economy. Parents are wondering whether it is worth sending their children overseas, particularly to Australia, because of all the policy changes.” On Thursday, shadow education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said the Coalition would support the caps, almost certainly guaranteeing their passage into law. The Education Minister Jason Clare said no more than 270,000 new overseas students could enrol across Australian universities and colleges next year. Each of the 1400 institutions registered to teach foreign students have their own caps, and the limits will hit hardest at the prestigious Group of Eight universities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Monash.

20 August 2024

150,000 Elderly Parents Await Australian Residency

The expensive Parent residency path is a contributory parent or aged parent visa with a price tag of close to $50,000 per person. The cheaper option is a standard parent or aged parent visa, which costs “only” $5,125, but takes much longer. The government sets an annual cap of 8,500 parent visas, with about eight in ten granted to “contributory” applicants. This is 4,000 more places than the Coalition granted in its last year in office, but is still way too few to meet demand. As a result, the processing delays grow. On June 30 2023, Home Affairs had 140,615 parent visa applications on hand. A year later, it was 151,596. Last year, The ABC cited Treasury estimates that each parent permanent migrant costs Australian taxpayers $393,000. Thus, the federal budget would be in the hole to the tune of $59.5 billion if all of the outstanding 151,596 parent visa applications were approved. Peter Strachan made the salient observation that parental visas actually create skills shortages because parent visas “create more demand for services and become dependents” The financial cost of parental visas is already enormous and rising, jeopardising the viability of Australia’s health system and welfare state. Parent visas also contradict the mistaken assumption that a robust migration program is required to address an ageing population and skills shortages. Instead, these visas make the ageing problem and skills shortages worse.

06 August 2024

Skilled Migration State Allocations for 2024/25

Monthly invitation rounds will begin in August 2024 for WA. The allocations for this year in WA are: Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa: 3,000 places and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa: 2,000 places. Tasmania’s State Nomination Program is open for Registrations of Interest from 12pm, 1 August 2024. The allocations are: Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa: 2,100 places and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa: 760 places. The allocations for South Australia are: Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa: 3,000 places and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa: 800 places. New South Wales has been allocated 5,000 places for skilled visa nominations: Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa: 3,000 places and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa: 2,000 places. Victoria has been allocated a total of 5,000 places for the upcoming program year: Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa: 3,000 places and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa: 2,000 places. The ACT has a flexible approach to meeting local labor market needs, with 1,800 nomination places allocated for this year: Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa: 1,000 places and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa: 800 places. Queensland has been allocated 1,200 places, split evenly between two visa types: Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa: 600 places and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa: 600 places. NT General Skilled Migration nomination applications can be lodged from 1 August 2024. The region has doubled its allocation from last year, now offering 1,600 places: Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa: 800 places and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa: 800 places.

22 July 2024

Surge in Expats Returning Home to Australia

A record number of Australians returning from overseas could thwart the Albanese government’s attempts to cut migration levels, as expats are enticed home by the strong jobs market. A net total of 37,380 Australians arrived in the country in 2023-24, a record number that reverses the trend of surging departures after the borders reopened, at the end of the pandemic. In the first year borders were reopened, in 2021-22, a record net of 380,510 Australian citizens left the country. Another 242,610 exited the country in 2022-23. Australia’s unemployment rate rose to 4.1 per cent in June 2024. However, Australia still boasts one of the lowest jobless rates across advanced economies. Previous volatility in net migration of Australian citizens followed the global financial crisis and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting more Australian citizens to return home than depart. The Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton has promised to reduce Australia’s permanent migration program from 185,000 to 140,000 for two years, or by 25 per cent, to ease pressure on housing demand and prices. Under the Coalition plan, the permanent intake would then increase to 150,000 in year three, and 160,000 in year four.

05 July 2024

Australian Student Visa Fees are Doubled

Australia has more than doubled the cost of student visa fees for international students from $710 to $1,600 AUD, a move which will impact Indians planning to study in Australia. The move has triggered outrage from student representatives who say that the price hike will drive potential students to competitors. From July 1, the international student visa fee has risen to $1,600 from $710. The federal government said the additional revenue will help fund initiatives in education including cuts to graduate debt, financial support for apprentices, and the ongoing implementation of its migration strategy, the report said. "International education is an incredibly important national asset and we need to ensure its integrity and quality," Minister for Education Jason Clare said in a statement. According to the Indian High Commission in Canberra, the number of Indian students enrolled for studying in Australia is estimated at around 1,20,277 as of August 2023, making Indian students the second largest cohort of foreign students in Australia. However, Yeganeh Soltanpour, the national president of the Council of International Students Australia, slammed the decision, noting the fee increase, combined with high deposit costs, places extra strain on international students, the ABC report said. "The possibility of spending all that money only to face rejection is quite disheartening for many students. It has caused many in the student community to explore other options and competitive countries," she said. Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia, told the ABC that the announcement was the "last straw" for the international education sector, which has already suffered from a slowdown in visa approvals. Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com "We are really in danger of losing a USD 48 billion a year industry," he said, adding that it will "heavily impact" on relationships with our Indo-Pacific neighbours who rely on Australia to deliver world-class qualifications to young people. He warned that this change could drive prospective students to the United Kingdom, Australia's closest competitor, which currently charges $900 for student visa fees.

18 June 2024

Slight Drop in Migration Numbers in last Quarter of 2023

Migration added just over 100,000 people to Australia's population in the last 3 months of 2023, according to new official figures that cast doubt on the government's own migration forecast. Net overseas migration (NOM) – a figure that tracks arrivals and departures – was 107,300 for the December quarter. While that is lower than the year before, it is not sufficiently low to meet Treasury's projection in last month's budget, which was 395,000 for the full financial year about to end. Data for half of that year is now available, and the running tally is at 252,000 — well past halfway. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton pointed to that record-high figure to mount a political argument about the cost of living and has promised to reduce the numbers of permanent and temporary migrants. But despite the heated politics, governments have minimal control over net migration. Most of the main entry streams are not capped, including international students and temporary workers. And where governments have tried to impose limits, they have encountered business anger and warnings of economic damage.

04 June 2024

Temporary Skills Migration Threshold Increased!

The TSMIT will increase from $70,000 to $73,150, from 1 July 2024, New nomination applications from this date will need to meet the new TSMIT of $73,150 or the annual market salary rate, whichever is higher. This new modification will not affect existing visa holders and nominations lodged before 1 July 2024. These changes are in conformity with the Government’s commitment at the Jobs and Skills Summit in September 2022.

17 May 2024

New Innovation Visa for Exceptionally Talented

On 14 May, the Australian Government announced the introduction of a new Innovation visa to attract exceptionally talented workers, replacing a controversial investor migrant program deemed economically ineffective. The new visa will replace the Global Talent visa (GTI) program, which is scheduled to end in late 2024. The government emphasized its goal "to target exceptionally talented migrants who will drive growth in sectors of national importance." This decision comes amid increasing demands for the centre-left Labor government to reduce migration. A post-pandemic surge in students and other arrivals has worsened an already strained rental market, contributing to higher inflation rates. Therefore, the government is intensifying scrutiny on student visas and will implement a ballot system for the popular work and holiday visa for applicants from China, Vietnam, and India, starting in the fiscal year ending June 2025. Consequently, these measures are anticipated to halve net overseas immigration to 260,000 arrivals in 2024-25, lower than 528,000 in 2022-23.

22 April 2024

63 Per Cent of International Students Choose Australia

Despite the Australian government's decision to cut the Post-study work visas for international students by two years, many still choose to study in Australia, specifically because of employment opportunities after graduation. A new study has found that 63 percent of international students have chosen to study in Australia because they believe the country offers better career prospects after attaining degrees. The survey of 1,058 international students, including current, former, and prospective students, was conducted by YouGov, an international data company, and published by Ascent One, an overseas education consultancy. Students responding to the survey are from the top five source countries of international students in Australia: Columbia China India Philippines Over half of students from Columbia, India, and the Philippines said there are better employment opportunities in Australia than in their home countries. On the other hand, only 34 percent of students from China believe the same. According to the results, 47 percent of students decided to study in Australia because of its good reputation for studying. Meanwhile, 29 percent said they chose Australia because they planned to live there permanently. About 41 percent of potential international students said they did not know any changes made by the Australian government in the migration policy released in December 2023. However, 27 percent said they would not continue studying in Australia due to these changes.

26 March 2024

New Visa Requirements Take Effect

The government announced on 21 March that it will deliver on key commitments from December’s migration strategy with important new changes on March 23, including introducing higher language requirements for visas and a new ‘no further stay’ rule on visitor visas. The Government said changes were required due to “pandemic-era concessions” it had inherited from the former government led by Scott Morrison. “Since September, the government’s actions have led to substantial declines in migration levels, with recent international student visa grants down by 35% on the previous year,” minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security Clare O’Neil said. Among actions it has made are closing unrestricted working hours for international students, in addition to the pandemic event visa. The English language requirements for student visas has increased from IELTS 5.5 to 6.0 and graduate visas from IELTS 6.0 to 6.5, which will both improve student experience and reduce potential workplace exploitation. New powers under Section 97 of the ESOS Act also took effect on March 23, which allows authorities to suspend high risk education providers from recruiting international students.

27 February 2024

Highest Student Visa Refusal Rate since 2005!

As at February 2024, Approval rates for Australian student visas have dropped to the lowest level, since 2005/06. In the six months to December 2023, 80.9% of total student visa applications were granted — down from 86% in 2022-23, 91.5% in 2021-22 and 89.9% before the pandemic in 2018-19. Refusal rates differ across countries, with offshore higher education visa approvals from India and Nepal dropping from 74.2 and 65.2% in 2022-23 to 60.8 and 47.8%, respectively. "We would have never gone to these sorts of levels before, in terms of approval rates — both in terms of percentage rates but also in terms of absolute numbers," said Abul Rizvi, a former deputy secretary of the immigration department. "We have never refused so many absolute numbers of students, ever." A package of integrity measures was announced under the strategy to lift standards for international students and education providers, alongside planned changes to English language and genuine student requirements. Therefore, certain Education Providers were attracting students where issues such as fraud and non-compliance are common, and they consequently get a high-risk rating and their applications are carefully scrutinized.

24 January 2024

188 Business Innovation and Investment Visa is Closed!

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has made the decision to close the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP), a scheme introduced in 2012 in a bid to attract high-net individuals into Australia. The program’s 188C Visa, Significant investor stream also known as the “golden ticket” visa allows foreign nationals to stay in Australia for up to five years if they invest at least $5 million AUD into approved investments. The 188C Stream has been long critiqued as a way of fast-tracking Chinese millionaires into Australia, with the cohort making up over 85 per cent of successful applications. The Permanent visa subclass was given the number 888 – which signifies ­triple good luck in Chinese ­numerology. Ms O’Neil stated that the recent changes were a part of an overhaul of Australia’s “broken” migration system. “It has been obvious for years that this visa is not delivering what our country and economy needs from a migration system,” Ms O’Neil said.More than 100,000 overseas migrants have used one of the BIIP streams to gain residency in Australia since 2012, according to the Home Affairs department. Therefore, applications for the entire BIIP 188 Visa Program had closed in lieu of an official announcement from the federal government.

27 February 2024

Significant Migration Strategy Reforms Planned for 2024!

The Government's strategy for 2024 will be to focus on making changes and improvements to Skilled migration and International Education. In this respect, stricter English language requirements will be implemented for students and temporary Graduate visas, and for In-demand Skilled occupations. Also, it has been announced that a new visa for Pacific migrants will be set-up. The government has stressed that Net Overseas Migration is not an immigration policy target, however, the new strategy aims to reduce the figure from 510,000 to the near-pre-pandemic level of 375,000 in the 2023-24 financial year, and then to 250,000 in 2024-25. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil stated that: "Our goal is to return migration to sustainable levels." The new Visa strategy will increase pathways to permanent residency and clamp down on exploitation of migrants through switching of Temporary visas.

04 December 2023

Sydney is Number One Destination for Irish Accountants!

Many Irish Accountants are moving to Sydney, Australia on Working Holiday visas, and their salary expectations are reasonable - just market-rate or even lower. In addition, if an Employer sponsors them, they have a tendency to stay loyal to the company for a few years. "Sydney is the No. 1 destination in the world for Irish accountants, and they can move over once they qualify," the Lemon Talent co-founder and Irish expat explains. Currently, the Jobless rate is at a near 50-year low of 3.7%, work-force participation at a record high, and with many businesses finding it tough to find employees, therefore, Australia needs more workers. It is forecast that Australia will need to rely on a large number of overseas workers to fill 880,000 roles in industries including health, housing, engineering and technology by 2030.

15 November 2023

Faster Pathway to Permanent Residence for 482 Visa Workers

The Government has announced that it intends to lift the cap on the number of 482 visa applications submitted in Australia, allowing for a larger number of applications. In addition, the Government stated that 482 Visa Applicants will now be eligible for a pathway to Permanent residence, regardless of whether their occupation is on the Short-term, Medium-term or Long-term Lists. Currently, only 482 visa Applicants who have Skilled occupations on the Medium-term or Long-term lists may apply for the ENS 186 visa, which is a route to Permanent residence. Therefore, this expansion to include Short-term occupations will now cover a wider range of occupations, encompassing roles, such as, cooks, chefs, hospitality, health and construction workers.

26 October 2023

Australia Increases Permanent Migration Program

In 2022/23, there has been a significant increase in Permanent residence applications, as well as Temporary Visas, and this had resulted in a backlog of permanent visa applications. In 2021/22. the number of Permanent visa applications increased by 63.5% from 185,030 to 302,434 in 2022/23. The largest source countries were from India then China, Nepal and Philippines. In addition, the Family stream grew by 27.3% in 22/23 compared to 21/22, with a substantial backlog of over 140,000 Parent visa applications. Finally, The Skill stream delivered a record high number of 142,344 applications, with a backlog of more than 184,000 in 2023 compared to 119,000 in 2022.

1 October 2023

Government to crack down on Education Providers Visa Scams

The Government's proposed changes are to restore integrity to the education and migration system, and include strengthening the 'fit and proper person test' for international education providers to avoid private college owners from also functioning as Education Agents.In addition, the Government will share data and statistcics about Education Agents performance, with private Colleges and Universities. Also, there will be a ban on paying Education Agents commissions for transferring students between higher education courses, so as to prevent unscrupulous Agents from enticing students to quit their University course and transfer to a low-fee course of questionable quality.

26 September 2023

Australia resumes Tourist visas for Chinese Groups

The Australian Government has re-commenced the processing of Visitor visas for Chinese Group Tours, for the first time since before the Covid-19 pandemic. Formerly, in 2019, Chinese Visitors were the biggest source of international tourists to Australia, totalling 1.4 million Visitors, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The Minister for Trade and Tourism described the resumption of Chinese Tour Groups as a significant boost to the Australian Tourism industry. He said: "The resumption of Chinese group tour travel will provide another welcome boost for Australia's hard-working tourism operators."

19 September 2023

Victoria's State Nomination Program has Re-opened

The Victorian Government has just re-opened their State Nomination program for the Skilled Nominated, Subclass 190 Visa for Permanent residence, as well as the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional), Subclass 491 Visa, which will remain open until early 2024. Note that Victoria has re-opened Nomination for Onshore and Offshore applicants. The process of applying is that Applicants must initially complete a 'Registration of Interest' (ROI). Currently, there is no timeframe until an ROI is selected, due to large numbers of applications and the fact that the Program is extremely competitive. However, if an Applicant has a strong ROI, then they may receive an application for Victorian Visa Nomination, within 1 -2 months.

12 September 2023

Filipinos to Join Australian Work and Holiday Visa Program

The Australian and Philippines Governmanets have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOA), which allows eligible citizens of both countries to apply for a 12 month multiple entry visa, which allows them to work. The Work and Holiday visa arrangement will be open to Filipino and Australian citizens who are 18 to 31 years of age, at the time of application and who are graduates of tertiary education or have successfully completed at least 2 years of undergraduate study or post-secondary education. In addition, Applicants must meet Health, Character and Security requirements and have medical insurance for the duration of their stay. The MOU is due to take effect at a date mutually agree by both parties, but probably in early 2024.

31 August 2023

Subclass 408 - Pandemic Visa is being Closed

The Immigration Minister, Andrew Giles has closed the Subclass 408, Pandemic Special Event Visa to new Applicants. The 408 Visa was created in 2020, during the Covid-19 restrictions, in order to fill labour shortages and assist International students, who were unable to depart Australia. However, the Visa has been controversial and had negative publicity due to the fact that it allowed APplicants to work full time for unlimited hours, for 12 months. Therefore, from 2 September 2023, the 408 Visa will only be open to applications from current Visa holders, and it will be closed to all Applicants from February 2024.

14 August 2023

Faster Visa Processing Times Now!

Recently, the Department of Home Affairs has hired more than 600 new staff members to support the faster visa processing. So, currently, a Student visa, Subclass 500 is being processed in under 2 weeks. In addition, the 482 Visas are being prioritised, and being assessed, and finalised where complete, within 1 business day, and Subclass 186 Employer Sponsored visas are also being processed very fast, within 2 days from date of lodgement. Also, Working Holiday visa processing times have been expedited and the Subclass 417 Visa is now being processed within a maximum of 14 days. Finally Permanent Skilled Migration applications are being processed within 7 months now, compared to 12 months processing, in February 2023.