Australian Border Force (ABF) is very strict and passengers have to undergo tight scrutiny when they arrive. A 62-year-old Japanese woman arriving at Sydney airport went through a baggage search on 26 th August and was found to be carrying methamphetamine a fine crystalline substance in ring binders. If found guilty by the court she can face maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Visa applicants need to ensure that their application is processed by a registered migration agent. There are many visa scams being used to take advantage of people wanting to travel to Australia. Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs, Jason Wood, said visa applicants need to be aware of visa scams and fraudulent operators. “To avoid being scammed, you can check the Register of Migration Agents, published on the OMARA website.” “There are Australian registered migration agents working all around the world in countries such as India, the United Kingdom, China and New Zealand, just to name a few.” “These agents are subject to the same Code of Conduct, professional development and regulations as registered migration agents based in Australia.”
Regional Australian businesses will soon have access to more workers, thanks to an increase in the number of Work and Holiday visa places available to young people from Vietnam. From 2 nd September, the number of places available to Vietnam will increase from 200 to 1,500, meaning more people who can holiday, study and work in Australia, particularly in regional areas. Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman, said the increase would maximise the benefits for both nations of the already successful program. “Demand for the Work and Holiday visas from Vietnamese nationals has been strong since the agreement began in 2017, with all 200 places allocated in the past two program years,” Mr Coleman said. Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said the increase would encourage more Vietnamese nationals to choose Australia for a working holiday. “We’ve seen Vietnamese visitor numbers to Australia grow by 10 per cent over the past year, and this is an opportunity to continue to capitalise on this emerging tourism market,” Minister Birmingham said. The Work and Holiday visa requires first-time Vietnamese applicants to hold or be studying towards tertiary qualifications and to speak a functional level of English.
The next round of invitation will be held on 2nd September. In the 15th August round 152 invitations were issued with a score of 130 to 70 points. Additional applications submitted before 29th June 2019 with a score of 65 points were also accepted.
The subclass 489 visa will close from 16 November 2019. Department of Home Affairs have announced that the last day for states and territories to nominate and issue invitations for the subclass 489 applicants will be 10 September 2019. MigrationNT will stop accepting subclass 489 visa nomination applications in the following order: offshore applicants have already closed on 30 August 2019 onshore applicants – close of business on 6 September 2019. Applicants must note the following key points: Large volume of applications received, MigrationNT cannot guarantee that all subclass 489 nomination applications will be finalised before the deadline of 10 September 2019 If the application is not finalised by 10 September 2019, MigrationNT will contact the applicant after this date. If it’s an onshore application and have a visa expiring before 16 November 2019, contact MigrationNT through the online application portal Key dates 6 September 2019: last day for onshore applicants to lodge nomination application to MigrationNT. 10 September 2019: last day to issue nomination for subclass 489. 16 November 2019: subclass 491 visa program opens Applicants can lodge an expression of interest for subclass 491 visa through the Department of Home Affairs’ SkillSelect system Subclass 491 nomination applications can be lodged through the MigrationNT online application.
As of 14 August 2019, Immigration SA is no longer accepting state nomination applications for the 489 visa. State nomination applications for the 190 visa can continue to be submitted. A new Skilled Worker Regional (Provisional 491) visa will be introduced on 16 November 2019 and this will replace the 489 visa.
The Department of Home Affairs announced that 10 September 2019 will be the last day for States and Territories to be able to nominate and issue invitations for subclass 489 applicants. Victoria’s Skilled & Business Migration Program (SBMP) will close subclass 489 nominations on 5 September 2019 (11.59pm AEST) and will not be accepting any new subclass 489 nomination applications after this time. This will not affect applications already lodged with our office. SBMP will finalise subclass 489 applications lodged on or before 5 September by 10 September 2019. If your client receives an invitation to lodge a subclass 489 visa with the Department of Home Affairs, please lodge the visa within 60 days of invitation, as the program will be unable to issue you with another nomination from 10 September 2019.
David Coleman – Minister for Immigration Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs in discussion with Ross Greenwood of 2GB touched upon some burning topics on skilled migration and global talent independent program. In his discussion he clarified that the cap for the permanent migration has been reduced from 190,000 to 160,000 this year out of which two third of those people are skilled migrants. The minister further elaborated that there are various visa categories and their focus is on the top talent as these are the people who will start companies and employ other Australians. In order to build high growth businesses within Australia especially in the emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and previously researched industries financial technology and agriculture technology the government has to focus in bringing in highly skilled talent in the country.
The High Income Threshold under the Fair Work Act increased on 1 July 2019 from $145,000 to $148,700. Applicants relying on meeting this threshold for an ENS or RSMS age exemption must ensure that the relevant threshold is met for each of the three requisite years.
Australian businesses and start-ups will have streamlined access to the best and brightest talent from around the world with the continuation of the Global Talent – Employer Sponsored program (GTES), formerly the Global Talent Scheme. Following a successful pilot last financial year, the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman has made the GTES an ongoing program. Mr Coleman said the pilot showed the GTES has strong support from industry and highlighted the economic benefits of recruiting overseas talent directly to Australian businesses. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said making the program permanent would give the technology sector the certainty it needs to grow. 23 GTES agreements have been entered into with companies seeking to fill specialised positions. The GTES agreements last five years and provide access for up to 20 highly-skilled visa applicants per year for established businesses and five per year for start-ups. Online graphic design business Canva is one of Australia’s most valuable and successful start-ups and has been involved in the GTES pilot. CEO and cofounder of Canva Melanie Perkins said the program has helped to fill critical roles in the multi-billion dollar business. The Start-up Advisory Panel will continue to be a key feature of the ongoing GTES program. The Panel endorses eligible start-ups for access to the scheme and enables start-ups access to the critical skills required to advance their businesses and create more jobs for Australians. Chair of the Start-up Advisory Panel, Alex McCauley, said the continuation of the GTES is great news for high growth young businesses in Australia. Q-CTRL Pty Ltd, a company at the forefront of the emerging quantum computing industry, has had an agreement in place in the Startup stream since November 2018. CEO and Founder of Q-CTRL Michael Biercuk said that Australia has an opportunity to build global-scale companies in quantum technology, and doing so requires global-scale searches for highly skilled talent. The Department of Home Affairs aims to finalise all GTES agreements within two weeks of a complete application being submitted, allowing businesses to fill critical vacancies quickly. Businesses applying for the program are required to demonstrate they are unable to source Australian workers for the roles they are seeking to fill.