Australian Immigration Daily News

To manage the Australian border, the Department implements Australia’s universal visa system, under which all non-citizens require a valid visa to come to Australia. The Department also confers citizenship on eligible applicants. There are broadly two types of visas:

• higher volume, generally simpler, temporary entry visa products
• lower volume, longer-term migration visas requiring more complex assessment.

Business visitor visas allow for travel to Australia for short term tourism or business visits.

The principles governing the entry of visitors are that visitors to Australia must: 

Source:  Benchmark Inc

Many agents are still trying to complete all their annual 10 CPD points via distance learning (private study) then submitting their re-registration application to the Office of the MARA.

The Office of the MARA are asking RMAs who have done this to go back and do 5 extra CPD from Category A activities.  The law changed on 1 January 2018 and transitional exemptions no longer exist.

Distance Learning (Private Study) is a Category B activity and RMAs must only do a maximum of 5 Category B Activities per registration year towards their 10 points for re-registration. 

At least 5 CPD activities should be from Category A every registration year. Examples of Category A activities would be webinar workshops and face-to-face workshops.   

The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business is undertaking a Review of the Australian Apprenticeships National Skills Needs List with a view to advising the Government on the methodology for identifying skills shortage occupations and the inaugural composition of the replacement list.

To assist this process, the Department is seeking input from industry and employer groups, and other interested stakeholders, through a two-stage consultation process. In this first round of consultation the Department is seeking input on the broad design principles that should underpin a methodology for identifying skills shortages for the purpose of targeting apprenticeship incentives.

A second round of consultation will occur later this year, seeking comment on the proposed design of the replacement skills shortage methodology. The attached Issues Paper outlines the motivations for the Review and highlights six possible design principles for a replacement skills shortage methodology.

An interview today from THE TODAY SHOW:

KNIGHT: A three-year old girl, lured from a play area while her mother was Christmas shopping. The CCTV pictures of this are absolutely chilling and it's really struck a nerve with you, hasn't it?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, as a parent, like any parent, it's absolutely sickening. To anyone, it's sickening and some years ago when I was Immigration Minister I introduced a new law which said If you’re sentenced - if you're on a visa - to more than 12 months, well, your visa will be cancelled and you'll be deported and on more than 4,000 cases we've done that. And in this case we'll be doing it as well, and doesn’t matter if you're on a permanent protection visa or any other visa, it applies to you. This is a sickening crime and this person has no business being in this country.