Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance has been provided with the following information:

The Government has made changes to the Temporary Skilled (Subclass 457) visas.  These changes action the recommendations in the 457 Integrity Review.  Assistant Minister Cash announced the Government Response to the 457 Integrity Review on 18 March 2015.

The Government:

The RRT have permitted the following information to be sent to members:

"Dear NSW community liaison network members,

Kay Ransome, the Principal Member of the Refugee Review Tribunal will be holding information sessions about the Immigration Assessment Authority (IAA) in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth in May 2015. 

For the complete update please see the link below for Temproary Protection Visas (TPV) and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas (SHEV):

TPV-and-SHEV-briefing.pdf

Minor changes on approved forms and place of lodgement:

8. Specification of Arrangements for E-Visitor and Subclass 676 Applications: http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2015L00559

The purpose of the Instrument is to specify the form numbers of the approved form or forms, the manner of lodgement and the addresses to which an application must be made for applications for subclass 676 (Tourist) and subclass 651 (eVisitor) visas

1: New TSMIT and highly paid position for 457 and ENS: http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2015L00569

The purpose of the Instrument is to specify that the annual earnings threshold for the purposes of subregulation 2.72(10AB) and paragraph 2.79(1A)(b) is AUD 180,000. In addition, the Instrument retains the temporary skilled migration income threshold, specified in paragraph 2.72(10)(cc) under the previous Instrument, at AUD 53,900.

The Instrument is made following an independent review of the Subclass 457 Programme, the 457 Integrity Review, which recommended amending the threshold annual earnings amount to improve the flexibility with which businesses can employ skilled and desirable employees.