Changes in Australia immigration that will impact migration in 2020

Australia implemented a series of changes and reforms to its points-based system and its various visa categories in the past few months which are bound to have an impact on immigration.  Let us look at some significant changes and their impact.

Changes to the points system

The   Australian government implemented changes to its points-based immigration system in November last year. Below are the changes to the points-based system:

• 10 points to applicants who do not have a spouse or a partner.
• 10 points if you have a skilled spouse or partner
• 15 points for applicants who are nominated by a State or Territory government or sponsored by a family member residing in Australia
• 10 points for applicants for STEM qualifications
• 5 points for applicants who have a spouse or partner who has competent English. The spouse or partner need not go through a skill assessment if this is the case

The above changes have created an impact on General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa categories.

Introduction of two new regional visas 

 The Australian government introduced two visas that came into effect from November 2019. This is intended to attract skilled migrants to settle down in regional areas. The two visas Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional visa (subclass 494) will have 25,000 visa places reserved for them out of the total permanent migration planning level of 160,000 by the Australian government. The two new visas have replaced the Subclass 489 and Subclass 187 visas.

The key changes these visas have brought include:

• Priority processing of these visa applications
• Visa holders will be eligible for permanent residency without the need to undergo a second nomination stage
• Subclass 491 visa applicants get access to more points
• Regional visas have a wider range of occupations compared to non- regional pathways
• Time required to live and work in regional Australia has been extended to three years from the earlier two years
• Validity of the visa has been extended to five years

The Australian government introduced these visas to encourage immigrants to settle in regional areas and reduce their concentration in the three major cities of Australia.  These visas are expected to provide incentives to migrants to settle in regional Australia and consequently help to improve the economy in these regions.

Changes to Skilled Occupation List

The government proposes to make changes to the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) next month. The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business have indicated that it will make changes to 38 occupations.

The changes can include removal of 11 occupations from the list, 17 occupations will move between the lists while four occupations are expected to be added to the list.

The changes in the SOL will affect the ability of Australian employers to use the temporary and permanent visa programs available to them.

 Visa for overseas farm workers

Horticulture farm workers in Australia will now be able to sponsor overseas farm workers to work in their farms. The permission granted in January this year provides concessions for English language requirements and the minimum salary the sponsoring employee must pay.

 This change is beneficial to both employers and employees. Salary concessions are advantageous to employers while relaxation of English language requirements opens more opportunities for migrant farm workers.

The important fact that this can be a pathway to permanent residency makes it a strong motivating factor for these workers to stay on in their jobs.

Introduction of the temporary parent visa

The Australian immigration department introduced the Temporary Parent visa last year. The number of places under this visa will be limited to 15,000 per year.

Parents can get this visa for either three or five years in Australia. The three-year visa will cost AUD 5,000, while the five-year visa will cost AUD 10,000.

Parents who come to Australia under this visa will be eligible to re-apply for a Subclass 870 visa, and if it is approved, can stay in Australia for a cumulative period of 10 years. But they cannot work under this visa.

The temporary parent visa offers the option for Australian permanent residents and citizens to bring their parents to Australia on a temporary basis.