Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance members will be extremley pleased with the following news in The Australian today:

The Coalition has vowed to remove "union red tape" on 457 visas as business steps up its demands for the turn-around of Labor's  baseless stomping on the scheme designed to bring overseas skilled workers to Australia.  Annabel Hepworth writes:

In a closed-door speech yesterday, Australian Mines and Metals Association chief executive Steve Knott advocated the dumping of Labor's "pre-election, last-minute, politically driven, ill-considered, unnecessary and cumbersome" labour market testing requirements for 457 visas.

The testing requirements were introduced by the Rudd government amid claims of "widespread employer rorting" and require companies to demonstrate that they have tried for four months to recruit Australians before nominating a foreign worker for a 457 visa.

The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison, said last night: "We strongly opposed these measures in opposition and will be consulting on how best to cut union red tape on 457s, while maintaining legitimate protections that support the integrity of the scheme.

Read more here

Migration Alliance members will be interested to learn about the following ACS updates which were received today:

Dear ,

This email is a notification of up coming changes to ACS skill sassessments.


Temporary Graduate - 485
As of Oct 28, 2013, the Recent Graduate application type will change name to Temporary Graduate - 485.
 
The assessment criteria will remain the same –
•    Bachelor degree or higher with a major in computing that is closely related to the nominated occupation.
 
All applications lodged on or after Oct 28, 2013, will receive a result letter stating that the result has been issued for the purpose of lodging a visa subclass 485.

Graduate Skills Assessment
As of Oct 28, 2013, the Recent Graduate wanting experience considered application type will change name to Graduate Skills Assessment.
 
Only applicants that hold a valid Recent Graduate or Temporary Graduate - 485 skills assessment will be eligible to apply for a Graduate Skills Assessment.
 
The Graduate Skills Assessment is to allow applicants that have previously applied for a Temporary Graduate - 485 to have their work experience assessed for a permanent skills assessment.
 
The assessment criteria will remain the same and the Skill Level Requirement Met Date will be noted as the completion date of the relevant Bachelor degree or higher on the ACS result letter.
 
This change will affect all applications lodged on or after Oct 28, 2013.
 
End of Year Closure 2013
The ACS office will close from Dec 23, 2013 and re-open on Jan 13, 2014. 
 
Phone and email enquiries will be not be available during this time.  Please refer to the skills assessment website for information.
 
All skills assessments not completed before Dec 20, 2013 will be finalized after Jan 13, 2013.
 
Due to a high number of applications at this time, we cannot guarantee any application time frames.
 
Kind Regards,

The Skills Assessment Team
Australian Computer Society

Web: www.acs.org.au  E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Update 29 /11/2016 - URGENT NEWS: Edward Kang convicted of 21 counts of fraud at Parramatta Local Court, on bail and due to be sentenced on or about 20 March 2017. Apparently fair trading will be publishing something in their website in the next hour or so.

Update: 14/11/2013 - Eddie Kang makes it onto Today Tonight

Update: 14/11/2013 - Meld Magazine reports on Eddie Kang and Singapore Oil

The DIBP has updated this information for persons in Australian dention centres.  If Migration Alliance members are interested in this information it is now available on Comlaw.

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2013L01785

Skilled - Nominated (subclass 190) visa -  Queensland Skilled Occupation List (QSOL)

The Queensland Government provides a limited number of nominations to those skilled migrants who have
an eligible skill and are assessed as likely to provide a clear benefit to the Queensland economy. DIAC eligibility is also a condition of Queensland nomination.

To apply for nomination, applicants must meet all requirements for their nominated occupation.  Each occupation on this list has its own: