Australian Immigration Daily News

The Migration Amendment (Family Violence Provisions for Skilled Visa Applications) Regulations 2024 introduces family violence provisions for secondary applicants of certain skilled visa categories. This regulation enables secondary visa applicants (spouse, de facto partners, or dependent children) to be granted a visa if their relationship with the primary applicant has ended due to family violence committed by the primary applicant.

Key points include:

• Secondary applicants may still be eligible for a visa even if they are no longer in a relationship with the primary applicant due to family violence.
• This provision applies to skilled visa subclasses such as the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186), Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Subclass 187), Skilled Independent (Subclass 189), and others.
• The amendment also ensures that family violence survivors are not required to pay additional fees for English language requirements or merits review applications.
• The regulations align with Australia's broader commitment to protect individuals from domestic violence as outlined in the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032.

These provisions are designed to ensure that individuals do not feel compelled to remain in abusive relationships in order to maintain their immigration status.

Source: Migration-Amendment-Family-Violence-Provisions-for-Skilled-Visa-Applications-Regulations-2024.pdf and

Migration-Amendment-Family-Violence-Provisions-for-Skilled-Visa-Applications-Regulations-2024-Explanatory-Statement.pdf