Australian Immigration Daily News

The Australian Government has suspended processing of ETA visas until further notice. The ETA page used to make an application displays the following message

“Important notice
Strict travel restrictions are in place for all countries due to COVID 19. You should not apply for any visa until checking the latest information”

This visa is designed to allow a streamlined pathway for individuals from the following countries to enter and remain in Australia for up to three months per stay:

The purpose of the instrument is to amend a drafting error, where the option for an application for a dependent child outside Australia to be made outside Australia, was removed from the principal instrument16/051when it was amended by 20/049. The amending instrument, Migration (LIN 20/049: Arrangements for child visa applications) Amendment Instrument 2020, was signed on 27 March 2020and will be in force until this amending instrument is made. This amendment instrument provides further guidance on how such an application is to be made.

Source: LIN20179.pdf and LIN20179-Explanatory-Statement.pdf

GRANTS TO SUPPORT VULNERABLE TEMPORARY VISA HOLDERS AND SPECIALIST MIGRANT AND SETTLEMENT NGOS DURING COVID-19

NSW Treasury has sent this information to Migration Alliance this afternoon:

As part of the NSW Government’s stimulus package in response to COVID-19, Multicultural NSW is running a $4 million emergency relief grants program. The program will support vulnerable temporary visa holders and specialist migrant and settlement NGOs across metropolitan and regional NSW. 

The Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186 visa) (‘ENS’) is designed to enable Australian businesses to find skills overseas for the purposes of filling permanent, full time, skilled positions in their business.  This framework works alongside temporary visa solutions such as Labour Agreement facilities, RSMS(The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Subclass 187 visa – transitional arrangements) and others, to assist the skills/ labour shortage in Australia

Ove recent months it has become harder for employers to nominate their employees for permanent residency.  The Department of Home Affairs is places greater scrutiny on certain applications depending on the industry, the number of years the business has been operating and the number of employees is being employed by the business

When applying for ENS, it is important to consider the following factors: