The Government’s Migration Strategy has revealed how Australia’s Skilled Visa and Migration System will change in 2024 and beyond to better support the nation’s skills needs for decades to come. 8 Key Actions have been identified to deliver strategic outcomes outlined on the Government’s roadmap. Here’s a summary of what is expected to change for Businesses...

One of the changes in the Government’s Migration Strategy that will have the biggest impact on employers and skilled visa applicants will be the replacement of the Subclass 482 Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Visa with a new Skills in Demand Visa. Written by Sheila Woods (MARN: 0533879) of Interstaff 27 February 2024 This will involve several shifts for temporary...

In 2023, it became particularly evident that Australia’s migration system is indeed ‘broken’, based on an expert panel’s findings and the Nixon report confirming widespread abuse of the visa system. The reviews also found that employers and migrants grapple high costs, slow visa processing and uncertain pathways to Permanent Residence (PR), while the media and...

The process of testing the local labour market before sponsoring a worker on a Subclass 482 or 494 Visa has now become simpler following Government changes that came into effect on 11 December 2023. Here’s what employers and skilled visa applicants/holders should know. Written by Sheila Woods (MARN: 0533879) of Interstaff 18 January 2024 What has changed? | Labour...

Applications for employer-sponsored visas for regional Australia will be prioritised for processing in 2024 according to the Government’s new Ministerial Direction (No. 105). The Government will also continue to prioritise skilled visas for occupations in healthcare and education, as well as employer-sponsored skilled visas for applicants that are nominated by a business with Accredited Sponsorship...

Australian immigration was again a very topical issue in the media in 2023. In the 2022-23 financial year, we saw a record in Net Overseas Migration with 510,000 people arriving in Australia throughout the year. This was more than 25% above the 400,000 expected in the May Federal Budget 2022-23 and more than twice the October 2022-23...

The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs has today decided that from 1 January 2024, Working Holiday Makers (Subclass 417 and 462 Visa Holders) in some circumstances will have access to extended work rights for work with the same employer for more than six months. Written by Sheila Woods (MARN: 0533879) of Interstaff 21 December 2023 While the...

The Australian Government has released its long-awaited Migration Strategy, revealing how the Skilled Migration visa system will be re-designed to support Australia’s skills needs in coming decades. Interstaff’s Managing Director, Sheila Woods was interviewed on ABC Radio Perth last week to discuss some of the major changes in the Migration Strategy. The discussion starts at the...

Australia’s state and territory nominated visa options to migrate without an employer sponsor have become more competitive due to the government significantly reducing its 2023-24 allocations for these visas. Nomination allocations refer to the number of new primary applicants each state or territory can nominate in a program year. It is likely that the reduced...

Just how broken is Australia’s migration system? One of the government’s focus areas in 2023 has been to address worker exploitation in the migration system, as recently seen in an increase in sponsorship audit requests of sponsor companies. Written by Sheila Woods (MARN: 0533879) of Interstaff 2 November As the government strengthens Australia’s visa system, it’s important that employers...

The Subclass 408 Pandemic Event Visa will close on 1 February 2024, signifying the normalisation of the migration program after years of pandemic recovery efforts. The 408 Visa was originally intended to allow temporary visa holders to extend their stay for work in Australia if they had ‘critical skills’ or if their travel arrangements had...

The Department of Home Affairs has revealed that employer-sponsored Permanent Residence (PR) pathways for Subclass 482 Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Visa Holders will change from 25 November 2023, subject to the approval of regulation changes. Written by Sheila Woods (MARN: 0533879) of Interstaff 2 November Which Visas Will Be Impacted? What Will Be Changing? Changes to the Subclass 482 TSS...