Australian Immigration Daily News

The Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon Jason Wood MP, today launched the Government's first annual report to Parliament on the implementation of Australia's landmark Modern Slavery Act (the Act).

“Modern slavery is an abhorrent crime that has no place in our communities or our supply chains" Assistant Minister Wood said.

“This report showcases our work to implement the Act and eradicate modern slavery from the supply chains of our goods and services."

The Joint Standing Committee on Migration shall inquire into and report on the breadth of migrant settlement strategies and migration settings including for skilled and humanitarian migrants in regional Australia, with reference to:
- national and international best practice strategies to encourage people to settle and stay in regional areas;
- strategies to develop regional skilled migration;
- strategies to develop regional humanitarian migration;
- key local, state and federal initiatives for successful regional settlement outcomes;
- local volunteers, employers and community organisations and their role in facilitating regional settlement;
- relevant migration policy, including administration and state specific migration mechanisms;
- related infrastructure matters; and
- any other related matter.

The Committee shall give particular consideration to how communities and settlement services can best assist migrants to gain successful employment outcomes in regional Australia, including local work experience opportunities, skills certification and training, knowledge of Australian workforce regulations, accommodation and travel to and from the workplace.

Source: Report-of-the-Inquiry-into-Migration-in-Regional-Australia.pdf

The instrument operates to specify foreign currencies for the purposes of paragraph 5.36(1A)(a) of the Regulations, as well as their relevant exchange rate in relation to the Australian Dollar. The currencies’ corresponding International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code has also been noted in the instrument. The instrument assists in working out the amount of a payment of a fee, as defined in subregulation 5.36(4) of the Regulations (other than a visa application charge payment to which subregulation 5.36(3A) of the Regulations applies).

The purpose of the instrument is to undertake a biannual update of the foreign currency exchange rates.

Source:

LIN20003.pdf and LIN20003-Explanatory-Statement.pdf

The following email has been received from NSW Treasury this afternoon:

Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491)

NSW Treasury is extending applications to all eligible candidates who are currently residing in a designated regional area in NSW. Please see detailed information below.

With significant slowdown of the processing times relating to TSS visas as well as increased scrutiny of ENS visa applications, migrants are encouraged to investigate other options that may be available to them in order to secure residency in Australia. 

Some of these options include Business Stream visas (which are also limited as they are largely governed by the States) and State Nomination Visas.

What appears to be an underutilised visa framework is the Global Talent (Independent) as well as Global Talent (Employer Sponsored) visas.