Australian Immigration Daily News

Overview of the Disallowable Legislative Instrument

The Migration Amendment (Temporary Sponsored Parent Visas) Regulations 2021 (the Disallowable Legislative Instrument) amends the Migration Regulations 1994 (the Migration Regulations).

The Subclass 870 (Sponsored Parent (Temporary)) visa enables parents sponsored by their adult Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen children to travel to, enter and remain in Australia for up to three or five years at a time, and may be held for a maximum total cumulative period of up to 10 years. Subclass 870 visas commence at the time they are granted irrespective of where the applicant is located at that time.

The amendments made by this Disallowable Legislative Instrument automatically extend for 18 months, in addition to the period for which the visa was originally granted, Subclass 870 visas held by persons who are outside Australia on 1 July 2021 and have faced difficulties in using the visa to travel to Australia due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and the practical difficulties of travel at this time.

The amendments limit the adverse impact of COVID-19 related travel restrictions and practical difficulties on holders of Subclass 870 visas who may have been granted the visa while outside Australia and now may have difficulty in travelling to Australia, or who may have left Australia while holding the visa but may now have difficulty in returning. The amendments assist Subclass 870 visa holders who are outside Australia on 1 July 2021 by allowing them additional time to travel to and stay in Australia when travel resumes.

Source: Migration-Amendment-Temporary-Sponsored-Parent-visas-Regs-2021.pdf and Migration-Amendment-Temporary-Sponsored-Parent-visas-Regs-2021-Explanatory-Statement.pdf

The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alex Hawke MP has today announced the inclusion of pharmacists on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL).

The new occupations are (including ANZSCO codes):

- Hospital Pharmacist (251511)

- Retail Pharmacist (251513)

- Industrial Pharmacist (251512)

"With thousands of community pharmacies across Australia being invited to join the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, it's all hands to the pump as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues," Minister Hawke said.

Source: Suporting-Australias-COVID19-vaccine-rollout-through-skilled-migration.pdf

The Department is proposing a number of legislative reforms in a Bill (Protecting Migrant Workers) to amend the Migration Act 1958. These are aimed at strengthening existing protocols to address worker exploitation involving non-Australian workers in Australia.

The intention is to send a strong message to unscrupulous employers and labour hire intermediaries that the exploitation of migrant workers as cheap labour is not acceptable. It is not only unfair to migrant workers, and to those employers who seek to do the right thing, but it also damages Australia’s reputation as a destination of choice. The Bill also seeks to send a strong message to temporary migrant workers that the Government is committed to combatting migrant worker exploitation, supporting them to feel more confident and secure about working in Australia.

The Department invites public submissions on the Exposure Draft of the draft Migration Amendment (Protecting Migrant Workers) Bill 2021 until midnight (AEST) on Monday 16 August 2021.

Source: Exposure-Draft-Migration-Amendment-Protecting-Migrant-Workers-Bill-2021.pdf

Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs, Jason Wood today released an updated Consumer Guide which supports individuals seeking immigration assistance from Registered Migration Agents.

The updated Consumer Guide reflects recent amendments to the Migration Act 1958 which removed unnecessary dual regulation for legal practitioners operating in the migration advice industry.

“The protection of consumers remains a key focus for the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) and the updated Consumer Guide is another example of our commitment to ensuring a world class migration advice industry," Assistant Minister Wood said.

This compilation was prepared by the Department of Home Affairs on 7 July 2021 taking into account amendments up to Migration (Complying Investments) Amendment Instrument (LIN 21/041) 2021.

A summary of these changes implemented on 1 July 2021 can be accessed by clicking on this link BIIP and CIF summary post 1 July 2021:

streamling-biip-and-cif-summary-landscape-1.pdf