Australian Immigration Daily News

Australia’s health care system is among the best in the world, but it’s complicated and can be confusing for visitors to navigate. 

Migration agents play a pivotal role in explaining the health system to newcomers, helping them decide which private health insurance provider and plan to choose, answering any questions they have, and discussing any concerns about accessing health care in Australia and the costs associated with this.

In this article we’ve broken down how health care is delivered in Australia to make it easier for you to guide your clients through this complicated topic and arm them with the knowledge they need.

We’ve all read and thought (fleetingly) about them, but few of us have actually assisted with one; Labour Agreements. 

What are these things anyway? 

Put simply, Labour Agreements allow concessions to normal requirements for business sponsors, most commonly for off-list (or non-existent in ANZSCO) occupations, but sometimes for English, skills, salary, and potentially other requirements. 

The purpose of the instrument is to specify an additional approved form, place and manner for Distinguished Talent (Migrant) (Class AL) visa and Distinguished Talent (Residence) (Class BX) visa (Distinguished Talent visa) applicants.

A Distinguished Talent visa applicant may make their application using Form 47DT (Internet) as an internet application.

This is in addition to the ability of Distinguished Talent visa applicants to make their application using Form 47SV by post, courier or using the Global Talent contact form available at the following address: https://immi.homeaffairs.com.au/global-talent-contact-form. Distinguished Talent visa applicants will therefore have more options in which to lodge an application for a visa, providing an additional benefit to these applicants.

In the interest of test takers and in support of public health initiatives related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), ETS and the Chinese National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) have cancelled all TOEFL® tests in Mainland China through the end of March. Students whose tests were cancelled will have their fee refunded, and they will be able to select a new test date without paying a reschedule fee.

ETS will continue to provide all affected test takers with a free, full-length TOEFL® Practice Online (TPO) test. Test takers who were scheduled in March have received a voucher code in their test registration account, which can be redeemed on the TPO website.

Test administrations in Hong Kong are scheduled to resume on February 29, 2020. Test administrations in all other locations are taking place as scheduled.

Under these changes, WHMs will be able to be count paid or volunteer work on bushfire recovery efforts in a declared disaster area as 'specified work' towards eligibility for a second or third WHM visa.

This will include recovery work currently being undertaken by WHMs in these areas. The Department’s website will be updated with further details when the changes are in place.

In addition, Working Holiday Makers (subclass 417 and subclass 462 visa holders) assisting bushfire recovery efforts can now do paid or unpaid work for up to 12 months with the same employer or organisation without requesting permission from the Department.