The Immigration Updates from Australia after elections

The federal election in Australia is over now and it is expected that the Government will be retained by the Liberal National Party coalition for the next 3 years. As of now, no announcement has been made regarding changing the Immigration Minister.

Here we present some top Immigration Updates post-elections:

Regional Visas

There is some assurance on the Regional Visas with the Liberal National Party coalition retaining the Government. The declared Provisional Skilled Work Regional Subclass 491 Visa and Skilled Employer Sponsored Subclass 494 Visa will start in November 2019.

DAMA - Designated Area Migration Agreements

More DAMAs are being worked out supporting the push for Regional Australia, as quoted by the SBS. It is also to assist businesses in regions to access semi-skilled and skilled overseas workers for meeting their operational needs. DAMA arrangements have greater flexibility in comparison with Standard Business Sponsorship pathway. It includes threshold salary concessions, access to a wide range of occupations, and age concessions for Australia PR Visa.

457 and 482 (TSS) Visa - Nomination Refusals

A few interesting details have been published under the Freedom of Information Act. It reveals the nomination outcomes for Subclass 457/482 (TSS) Visa from November 1, 2018, to January 31, 2019. As per the report, around 10% of all nominations were rejected. Another 7% were withdrawn or 'otherwise finalised'.

SAF - Skilling Australians Fund Review

The data released under FIA also reveals that there may be many businesses in Australia out of pocket because the SAF levy is non-refundable if the nomination is rejected. Luckily, legislation for SAF levy is due for a review by 2019 November. Many stakeholders have advocated changes to the provisions for refund.

Temporary Skill Shortage Visas Senate Inquiry

A report that assessed the success of the current TSS Visa system was published in 2019 April. It focussed on the capacity of the TSS Visa system to address the genuine shortages of skills. Several recommendations have been made The Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee that released the report.

As of now, there is no official response from the Government of Australia. So it will have to be watched if any of these recommendations are implemented.

Authorization through Major Investment

The Immigration authorities in Australia earlier this year announced a new prospective category for becoming an authorized sponsor for TSS Visas. The businesses will have to demonstrate an investment of minimum AUD$50 million. A lower level can be considered on the merit of the individual case. This is if the investment will generate employment and is significant. No additional information of the policy is available as of now.

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