Australian Immigration Daily News

General Skilled Migration – Overview

The subclass 189 visa is a permanent residence visa for points-tested skilled workers who want to work and live in Australia. The 189 visa is intended for individuals who are not sponsored by an employer or family member or nominated by a state or territory government.

To be able to apply for this visa you need to submit an expression of interest and then be invited through SkillSelect to apply.  You can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is granted.

Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) published report with recent migration numbers for FY 15/16. 

The report indicates that a staggering 7.7 million temporary visas were granted to foreign nationals.  Close to 2 million temporary visitors were New Zealand nationals travelling on Special Category 444 visa. Detailed breakdown of each visa subclass is below:

Whilst February is expected to be generally a quiet month in migration, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection has nonetheless made a number of important changes to arrangements which may impact current and prospective visa applicants as well as visa holders. 

Prospective as well as existing visa applicants should review these changes and where appropriate discuss with a migration agent whether any of the changes impact their initial immigration strategy.

Prospective applicants – Approved forms

March 15th holds particular significance to many international students who have recently completed their studies.  This date in most cases signals expiry of their student visa.  By now most students would have completed their studies and received or about to receive their qualification.  These bright individuals are about to enter the next chapter of their journey living in Australia.  Naturally, the question on the minds of student visas holders wishing to remain in Australia and their employer where applicable is “Where to from here?”

If you are employing a student visa holder, there certain considerations to bear in mind:

• Have you conducted a VEVO check and kept record on file;
• Can you document the number of hours worked by student visa holder during the study session;
• When is the visa due to expire, it may not necessarily be March 15^th; and,
• What visa options are available to continue employing a student visa holder

If you are a holder of a student visa, it is worthwhile considering whether: