Australian Immigration Daily News

South Australian State Government published further information in relation to their Designated Area Migration Agreements, both of which are due to commence on 1 July 2019.

Briefly, the designated area migration agreement (DAMA) programme has been developed to supplement the workforce strategies of states, territories and regions, to support economic performance and help them adjust to changing economic conditions.  The DAMA is a two-tier agreement: the first tier consists of an overarching five-year deed of agreement with a designated area representative setting out occupations, ceilings and concessions; and the second tier comprising individual labour agreements with direct employers.

The overarching nature of a DAMA allows employers streamlined access to a broader range of overseas workers than available through the standard subclass 482 visa programme (as well as permanent residency in some cases), without the need to individually negotiate terms and conditions. DAMAs are attractive to small businesses which may not have the resources to develop a labour agreement directly with the government.

The following information has been released on the Home Affairs website:

Invitations issued on 9 May 2019

The table below shows the number of invitations issued in the SkillSelect invitation round on 9 May 2019.

During 2018-19 program year the following numbers of invitations have been issued:

Below is a link to the AAT Bulletin for the 20 May 2019.  Citizenship decisions are on page 3 and Migration decisions are on page 4.

https://www.aat.gov.au/AAT/media/AAT/Files/AAT%20Bulletins/20-19.pdf

Insufficient evidence of Labour Market Testing (LMT) is now becoming common reason for applications receiving an unfavourable outcome.  Whilst the Instrument that dictates  LMT framework has been in effect since August 2018, there is still level of confusion in terms of the type of supporting documentation considered to be sufficient in order to satisfy this requirement. A number of agents have addressed their concerns as well as questions relating to LMT criteria. 

Below are some of the common questions surrounding LMT:

Do I need to submit evidence of LMT as part of my subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme?

Skills Assessments are an integral part of visa application process.  This week, Legal Training Australia in partnership with ANMAC provided a presentation to Migration Agents discussing ANMAC skills assessment process including common pitfalls associated with lodging a skills assessment application, the assessment process as well as review rights.

For agents who were unable to attend due to the event being sold out, below is a recap of the webinar.

Only programs of study that are accredited by ANMAC and approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia will lead to registration in Australia as a nurse or midwife under the approved qualification pathway of the Health Practitioner Regulation Act (2009).