Australian Immigration Daily News

Defence Minister, Senator Lynda Reyolds delivered a speech yesterday in Western Australia.  The hard-hitting parts of the speech, and the source document can be found below:

"Australia’s strategic environment – across all of our three oceans - is complex, is increasingly contested and is changing rapidly. It has changed more rapidly than anticipated in the 2016 Defence White Paper. Let me be quite blunt. The world we all grew up in is no more. Major power competition, militarisation, disruptive technological change and new threats - are all making our region less safe. Some countries are modernising their militaries and increasing their preparedness for conflict. Some nations are increasingly employing coercive tactics that fall below the threshold of armed conflict. Cyber-attacks, foreign interference and economic pressure seek to exploit the grey area between peace and war. In the grey zone, when the screws are tightened: influence becomes interference, economic co operation becomes coercion, and investment becomes entrapment.

Transnational threats also remain. Terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime and people smuggling. And the COVID-19 pandemic is still very much an active and unpredictable threat. One that is dramatically altering the global economic and strategic landscape. As the Prime Minister observed in his speech last Wednesday, he said this; “…we need to prepare for a post-COVID world that is poorer, that is more dangerous, and that is more disorderly.” All of these pressures are contributing to rising uncertainty and tension. The prospect of high intensity conflict in the Indo-Pacific, while still unlikely, is less remote than in the past. We must adapt to these new challenges.

The Director, Migration Assistance Policy Section, Immigration Policy Framework Branch, Immigration and Community Protection Policy Division,  Immigration and Settlement Services Group from the Department of Home Affairs has provided this response to Migration Alliance:

The State and Territory nominated visa programs will play an important part in Australia’s economic recovery and continue to be a part of the Migration Program. The Australian Government is considering how best to shape the Migration Program into the future to drive economic growth and support job creation. Nominations will be made available to States and Territories in line with these considerations, in the following categories:

• Skilled – Nominated (subclass 190).
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491).
• Business Innovation and Investment Program.

With regard to the invitation rounds for Skilled Independent (subclass 189) and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (Family Sponsored) (subclass 491), the Government is closely monitoring migration and visa settings to ensure they are consistent with public health measures, are flexible and do not displace job opportunities for Australians so that Australia can deal with the immediate and post recovery impacts of COVID-19. Targeted invitation rounds have continued each month and prioritise skills which are in critical need and will aid Australia’s economic recovery. 

Executive Chairman of Atlas Advisors Australia Guy Hedley said many high net worth individuals in Hong Kong were turning to investor migration programs around the world to seek a new path in life.

Reopening Australia’s Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) is critical to attract Hong Kong’s most wealthy investors, he said.

“Appetite for investment and migration in Australia from Hong Kong’s highest net worth individuals is ramping up,” Mr Hedley said.

“Australia must maintain a globally competitive migration program if it’s going to attract Hong Kong’s most wealthy investor migrants while also offering a safe haven to citizens in need.”

Source: Australia-needs-Hong-Kongs-high-net-worth-investors-seeking-refuge.pdf

Whilst we eagerly await for the composition of the new Skilled Occupations List, the Department of Home Affairs has released four new legislative instruments.

Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (Credit Card and PayPal Surcharge) Regulations 2020
This instrument amends the Australian Citizenship Regulation 2016, the Customs Regulation 2015 and the Migration Regulations 1994 to increase the surcharge applied to Visa and MasterCard credit card, and PayPal, payments for certain fees and charges, including visa application charges, nomination and sponsorship fees, citizenship-related fees and customs duties and taxes.
Some or all of this item commenced on 1/07/2020

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020L00705

NT State Nomination Authority

2020 to 2021 program year update 

The Australian Government has not yet allocated nomination quotas to the states and territories for the 2020 to 2021 program year. 

This means that the Northern Territory (NT) Government is currently unable to issue nominations under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) program and the Business Investment and Innovation Program (BIIP). 

At this stage, if you are currently living in the NT, you will still be able to lodge new applications for NT nomination under the GSM program, and these applications will continue to be assessed. Offshore GSM nomination applications remain closed. BIIP nomination applications remain open.