Australian Immigration Daily News

Once again there are price increases across visa classes in Australia from 5 August 2013.  For the latest amendments please see ComLaw link:

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2013L01534

When are the visa application charges going to stop going up? 

The State Government of South Australia has updated it's occupations list (yesterday) and changed some of the demand levels for certain occupations for migration purposes.

Some of the occupations have been now ranked as higher in demand:

Quality Assurance Manager has gone from medium to high demand.

I received an email today about Australian Computer Society Skills Assessments and I wanted to share it, as follows:

Hi Liana

There's another issue that wasn't covered - it's not just about skill assessing authorities using a different basis for skill level, ACS also have decided they will ignore partial months. This impacts the many IT clients who do contract work and have many short periods of employment, and as a result their partial months at the start and end of each period are not considered. This can add up and make a difference when trying to meet the 3/5/8 years of experience to obtain points.

As an example 15/03/2013 to 15/05/2013 wouldn't be 2 months, it would be 1 month according to ACS. (The 1/2 month for March and May each would be discarded)

I do around 70 - 100 ACS skill assessments a year and while ACS have improved their communications significantly in the last few years (gone are the days where they refuse to communicate) there are still some remaining issues like this that need to be resolved.

I guess this shows us a little bit more detail about 'What PNG is getting out of this'.  I am not sure this really is a solution to the 'boat people' problem facing Australia since the Labor government came into power, but what it does do is give migrants and migration agents a little more of the nitty gritty on the 'arrangement'.  I still can't see PNG getting a whole lot of of this deal.   Will they be sending Women?  Children?  I don't think so.  

Anyway, the link to the new arrangement can be found below and is taken from the DIAC website:

https://www.immi.gov.au/visas/humanitarian/novisa/_doc/transfer-assessment-settlement-arrangements.pdf

There is a new occupations list for NSW:  http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/25147/NSW-State-Occupation-List-06.08.2013.pdf

Under subclass 190 you can see a list of the occupations which have been suspended.  Migration Agents can find a full list of occupations on the above list.