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The Australia government is introducing a new visa for semi-skilled migrants with only Basic English skills. It gets even better: This visa offers a pathway to permanent residency, which means you will become a permanent resident of Australia! Sounds too good to be true? Well, the only catch is that new migrants would have to live in a regional area. Under this new agreement, the so called Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) the requirements for skills, language and income will be lowered allowing lower skilled migrant workers to move to Australia permanently. Migrants will have to commit living in the Northern Territory for only 3 years for them to become eligible for permanent residency. Employers hiring those migrant workers will have to prove, just as is the case for the current 482 visa that they have tried to find a local worker before they sponsor a foreign worker. Migrants from 117 different occupational fields (farm and hospitality skills) will be eligible for this visa in the NT. A separate agreement will be allowing migrants workers in the field of meat-processing, diary and other agricultural sectors to move to Victoria’s Warrnambool region. The government is currently also discussing including a wider range of regions inlcuding Pilbara and the Kalgoorlie-Boulder regions in WA, Carins in far North Queensland and the Orana region in central NSW. Occupations included in the NT DAMA agreement: Occupation English concession may be available TSMIT concession may be available Accommodation and hospitality managers Accountant – general Aged or disabled carer* ✓ Agricultural and horticultural mobile plant operator ✓ ✓ Aircraft maintenance engineer – avionics Aircraft maintenance engineer – mechanical Aquaculture farmer ✓ ✓ Arborist ✓ ✓ Automotive electrician ✓ ✓ Baker ✓ ✓ Bar attendant – supervisor ✓ ✓ Barista ✓ ✓ Beauty therapist ✓ ✓ Boiler or engine operator ✓ ✓ Bus driver ✓ ✓ Butcher or smallgoods maker ✓ ✓ Cabinetmaker ✓ ✓ Cabler – data and telecommunications ✓ ✓ Café or restaurant manager Carpenter ✓ ✓ Chef ✓ ✓ Chief executive or managing director Childcare worker* ✓ Community worker* ✓ Conference and event organiser Conservation officer Cook ✓ ✓ Cook – specialist ethnic cuisine** ✓ ✓ Corporate general manager Corporate services manager Counsellors nec Customer service manager Crowd controller ✓ ✓ Deckhand ✓ ✓ Delivery driver ✓ ✓ Dental assistant ✓ ✓ Dental technician Diesel motor mechanic ✓ ✓ Disabilities services officer* ✓ Diver ✓ ✓ Drug and alcohol counsellor Earthmoving plant operator – general ✓ ✓ Earth science technician Electronic instrument trades worker – general ✓ ✓ Enrolled nurse Facilities manager Family day care worker* ✓ Family support worker* ✓ Finance manager Fitter – general ✓ ✓ Fitter and turner ✓ ✓ Fitter-welder ✓ ✓ Fruit or nut grower ✓ ✓ Gaming worker ✓ ✓ Glazier ✓ ✓ Hair or beauty salon manager ✓ Hairdresser ✓ ✓ Health and welfare services manager nec Health practice manager Hospitality retail and services managers nec ✓ ✓ Hotel or motel manager Hotel service manager ✓ ✓ ICT business development manager ICT project manager Interpreter Judicial and other legal professionals nec Landscape gardener ✓ ✓ Licensed club manager Master fisher ✓ ✓ Metal fabricator ✓ ✓ Metal machinist – first class ✓ ✓ Motor mechanic – general ✓ ✓ Motor vehicle parts interpreter ✓ ✓ Motorcycle mechanic ✓ ✓ Nurse manager Nursery person ✓ ✓ Nursing support worker or nursing assistant* ✓ Office manager ✓ ✓ Other sports coach or instructor ✓ ✓ Parole or probation officer Personal care assistant* ✓ Pressure welder ✓ ✓ Production manager – mining Residential care worker* ✓ Resident medical officer Retail manager – general ✓ ✓ Retail pharmacist Retail supervisor ✓ ✓ Roof plumber ✓ ✓ Sales and marketing manager Security consultant ✓ ✓ Sheetmetal trades worker ✓ ✓ Small engine mechanic ✓ ✓ Sound technician ✓ ✓ Storeperson ✓ ✓ Supply and distribution manager Taxation accountant Telecommunications cable jointer ✓ ✓ Telecommunications linesworker ✓ ✓ Telecommunications technician ✓ ✓ Tour guide ✓ ✓ Training and development professional Truck driver – general^ ✓ ✓ Tyre fitter ✓ ✓ Upholsterer ✓ ✓ Vegetable grower ✓ ✓ Veterinary nurse Waiter – supervisor ✓ ✓ Welder – first class ✓ ✓ Welfare worker Youth worker* ✓   Contact Us if you wish to find out more about your eligibility for this visa. We offer free initial consultations. Useful links: The Northern Territory Designated Area Migration Agreement Skilled Regional Visa – 489 Regional sponsored migration visa – 187  

What happened to the Partner Visa? On the 28th of November the Australian government approved a new act in the Migration Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill. What that means, is that all partner visa sponsors will need to first be officially approved as sponsors before their partner can lodge his/her visa application. Are the changes in effect already? The changes are approved but not in effect yet. They could technically come into effect any day from today to 28 May 2018 (6 months after the bill has passed). Once this new legislation receives the Governor General’s Royal assent, we will have more details on how the changes will be implemented and what that means exactly in relation to partner visa requirements. What will happen once the changes are implemented? There will be separate applications and assessments of the partner visa sponsor and the partner visa applicant. This is similar to many employer sponsored visas, where the company needs to be an approved sponsor before you can lodge your visa application. What does this mean for couples thinking of applying soon? It is still unclear whether it will be possible to lodge both applications (sponsorship and visa application) at the same time. This is particularly important for those applicants who are already in Australia and whose current visas are about to expire. If you have to wait for your partner to become an approved sponsor first before you can apply for your partner visa application, your might have to lodge the visa from outside of Australia (which would be a subclass 309 partner visa). If you apply while you are in Australia, you are applying for a partner visa – Subclass 820. If this is the case, the applicant can apply from outside of Australia and needs to stay overseas until a decision is made on their partner visa application, which can take many months as per current processing times (anywhere between 17 to 25 months without your loved one). Should the applicant meet the criteria for any other visa, he/she might apply for that visa to enter Australia and then apply for the partner visa while onshore. What about the partner visa costs? Again, there is no official information about this yet but having a separate partner visa sponsor application may also mean additional application fees. This would make the world’s most expensive partner visa even more expensive and put even more pressure on genuine couples. Why these changes at all? According to the government the reason for these changes is to better protect visa applicants from potentially violent partners. Given the fact that there are already checks in place for visa sponsors, it remains unclear as to why exactly an additional challenge has had to be implemented making the process longer, more complicated and maybe even more expensive. Want to apply for a partner visa soon and not sure what to do now? Given the current situation, we strongly advise you to get in touch with us as soon as possible so we can help you lodge your partner visa before the change are implemented. This is especially the case if the visa applicant is already in Australia and his/her visa is about to expire soon (less than 6 months). Contact Us  

I dare say that 90% of immigrants have at some point had a discussion either with other immigrants or Australians about the importance of speaking English in this country. And I also dare say that 90% of us (immigrants and native speakers) agree that speaking the language of the country you live in, is important. It’s important for your education, your job employment, your health, your social life … everything really. It goes without saying that not speaking the language of the country you’re in, is simply going to make your life harder. Learning a new language is so easy … except for when it’s not That aside, we should hold on for a second and think about what’s involved in actually learning a new language and acquiring language skills to a level that allows you to communicate with others without feeling embarrassed, shy or even stupid. While children of migrants usually don’t seem to have much of a problem learning the new language, it’s much harder for their parents. It will take years and years of practice, time, money and effort to get to a certain level and you will most likely never sound like a native speaker, no matter how hard you try. So now, if you are reading this and are someone who’s never lived in a country of which you didn’t speak the language and as someone who might be lucky enough to have been born in a country that you do not wish or have to leave, you might wonder why an immigrant would even come to a country they don’t speak the language of? Why wouldn’t they just stay in their own countries or move to a country in which the same language is spoken? The answer to that question is as diverse as it gets. The reason might be better a better economic situation, a better standard of living, a simple adventure, life threatening environment, love … anything goes. Easier said than done I believe that the most important part here is trying and doing your best and that goes for both, the immigrants and the Australians. It’s the immigrant’s job to try and do their best to learn the language if for no other reason than for their own sake, for improving their own lives. What’s required from the native speakers is to try and put themselves in the immigrant’s shoes every once in a while. Try and understand how not knowing a language (think back of that trip you took to Italy for example) made you feel, how you weren’t quite yourself when you didn’t know how to express yourself … didn’t even know how to ask for where the bathrooms are, or how much something costs. Give each other a fair go. Immigrants need to try to get their language skills up to a level where an Australian will be able to understand you. After all, if we can understand each other, we can hear each other and get to know each other better and maybe, maybe start judging each other less. You’re lucky if you speak English Last but most certainly not least, I would say that it’s harder for English native speakers to imagine how one must feel not being able to communicate with the person you depend on or need something from. After all, English is the lingua franca. Wherever you go on, you will be able to communicate in English. Maybe the other person will not understand you perfectly or you them, but the chance of you going on holidays to almost anywhere in this world and not meeting at least a handful of people who will be able to speak English with you, is almost zero. You’re lucky English is the lingua franca and that’s the truth. You’re lucky you’re a native speaker of a language that is globally accepted as THE language to communicate in, if everything else fails. The majority of immigrants aren’t that lucky, yet are still trying to do their best to become better at what is most likely their second language (or third, or fourth ….). Apart from being under extreme stress, not knowing what’s going to happen to their life here, depending on a visa, depending on the employer to not fire them because that makes them lose their right to stay here and so much more, a majority is still trying to learn and improve their English so they will be more accepted and welcomed in Australia. Let’s all start to think about not just ourselves, but from time to time about the other person and where they’re coming from (literally and figuratively).

After the good news about the increased age limit from 30 to 35 for Canadian and Irish passport holders, there’s even more good news for all backpackers in Australia! More areas From November 5, 2018, there will be more regional areas eligible to work in (agriculture, plant and animal cultivation) to use to stay in Australia for a second year. Currently only working holiday visa makers in Northern Australia are eligible. 6 – 12 months with same employer From November 5, working holiday visa holders can stay with the same agricultural employer for 12 months instead of only 6. 3rd year on a WHV After July 1st 2019, working holiday visa holders who undertake 6 months of specified work in a specified regional area during their second year will have the option of staying for a third year in Australia. Increase in annual cap In the next few weeks the annual cap will be increased for a number of countries participating in the 462 visa program. (Check eligible countries). The reason behind these changes is the fact that the Australian government is trying to increase the number of WHV holders available for seasonal work in Australia. What is plant and animal cultivation? This type of work generally includes: the harvesting and/or packing of fruit and vegetable crops pruning and trimming vines and trees general maintenance crop work cultivating or propagating plants, fungi or their products or parts immediate processing of plant products maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or their bodily produce immediate processing of animal products including shearing, butchery, packing and tanning manufacturing dairy produce from raw material Where are the new regional areas? Apart from Northern Australia, the regional areas will also be located in parts of NSW, QLD, VIC and WA as well as all of the NT, SA and Tasmania. The exact details of the specific postcodes will be published on the Department’s website soon. You’ve got more questions about the working holiday visa? Check out our Factsheet!  

RPL is short for Recognition of Prior Learning and it means exactly that. Based on your prior learning you will be recognised as an Australian qualified professional in your occupation. What does “prior learning” mean? Prior learning takes into account the skills and knowledge that you have gained through previous training, work or life experience. For example: You have worked as a hairdresser but do not have official qualifications to prove that you are a qualified hairdresser. You can undergo an RPL Assessment to receive an official Australian qualification as a hairdresser without having to study for any exams, simply by submitting evidence. More on evidence see below. What evidence do I need? The evidence you need to provide can include the following: Work samples (videos or photos of your work) Resume Employment contracts Reference letters Overseas qualification Transcripts/Assessment from any former qualifications Apprenticeship papers (if applicable) Where can I get the RPL qualification from? The Qualification is used by an RTO which is a Registered Training Organisation in Australia. An assessor assesses your skills and qualifications against the requirements and if satisfied, you will be issued with the official qualification, just as if you had studied the course in a classroom. There are companies who help you put together your evidence and work together with the RTO on your behalf. One of these is Skilled To Qualified. How does RPL help me? An Australian recognised Qualification can help you with Finding employment opportunities Reducing the duration of further studies (e.g if you wish to pursue a degree) Obtaining a license to work in a certain profession Strengthening your Australian visa application RPL for ICT professionals Professionals in the field of ICT that do not have any or tertiary ICT qualifications, will be assessed by the Australian Computer Society (ACS). A registered migration agent can help you with this process. How much does it cost? The cost will vary depending on factors such as: Where you get the assessment done What qualification/s you wish to obtain Previous work experience Request a free assessment from Skilled to Qualified to get a quote for your individual situation. Generally speaking, an RPL is cheaper than undertaking the same course through classroom based training. How long does it take? As a general rule of thumb a soft copy of the certificate is issued between 3 – 4 weeks. Do I have to be in Australia? Yes and No. For certain occupations you will have to be in Australia, whereas for others you can be overseas. Please contact Skilled to Qualified for a more exact answer or visit their website to find out more. Should you have any questions about RPL for Migration Purposes, feel free to give us a call on (02) 4626 1002 or contact us online.    

The Government’s ‘new’ migration strategy is to send migrants to live and work in regional areas in Australia because cities such as Sydney and Melbourne are overcrowded. The minister for population explains how the issue of overpopulated cities is not so much ‘historically high immigration levels’, but rather a backlog in major infrastructure. He further says that the biggest challenge with bringing more migrants to regional areas will be finding the right incentives and conditions for migrants to move to regional areas and smaller cities. “People are finding the trains are full and the roads are congested and people are blaming it purely on the growth rate when there is actually a number of issues at play,’’ Mr Tudge said. While many quickly tend to blame migrants for congested roads and population growth, he also says the issue is “the lack of infrastructure keeping up with that growth”. Tudge also mentioned introducing a “designated area migration scheme” (see current designated areas of Australia) which would mean that new migrants arriving in Australia would have to spend a certain period of time in a regional area or smaller city. How will it work exactly? There is criticisim as to how exactly the idea of moving jobs from Sydney or Melbourne to a small town in the regional area should take place. After all, migrants are migrating to the major cities because that’s where their skills are in demand. That’s where they have been sponsored to work or that’s where there are likely to find a job and contribute to the Australian economy. One should also not forget that the Government has already introduced certain visas to attract migrants to the regional areas, such as subclass 489 or subclass 187. There are even Government sponsored regional visas in additional to state sponsored ones (see Occupation Lists for all states and regions). While those incentives exist already, the question remains whether migrants will remain there long-term as hope for by the Government. One should also never forget that migrants often have some family members here living in the bigger cities, another reason for them to move closer to their family and friends. People after all have the right to freedom of movement and will be interesting to follow if and how the Australian government will try to settle migrants permanently in regional Australia. Another important factor to keep in mind is that the majority of migrants are temporary visa holders and international students make up the largest cohort of those migrants. Often they live in major cities out of pure necessity seeing how the majority of training institutions and universities are also located in the major cities. Conclusion: While there is no deny in Melbourne and Sydney dealing with congested roads and full trains, simply channelling all new migrants to regional areas won’t be as simple a solution. Infrastructure, planning and job creation will have to be in place first. Let us know what you think with a comment below!   You might also like: Entice migrants to regions rather than major cities, Tudge says Opinion: Sending migrants to regional centres is not the answer New visa could keep migrants in regional Australia  

The TSS visa (482 visa) replaced the 457 visa in March 2018 and left many employers and employees confused. While there are certain changes in place, there are not as many as often portrayed and the visa process also remains similar. There are basically 3 steps involved if you wish to hire a non-Australian citizen or permanent resident. 1.Become an approved Standard Business Sponsor If you still have a valid 457 visa sponsorship, then this can also be used to hire employees under the 482 visa. You need to be lawfully operating in Australia and to provide documents such as the ABN registration certificate. For a full document checklist you can contact us and/or refer to the official Government’s website. 2.Nominate the occupation At this stage the employer shows how the nominated position fits into the business and that the market salary rate will be offered. You can nominate positions from this list. If there are caveats for the nomination, the business will need to meet those. If and which caveats apply to a certain position can be found here. The business also proves that Labour Market Testing has been in place. 3.Visa application The applicant will have to provide evidence of at least 2 years relevant work experience in the nominated occupation. The work experience must also be met in addition to any requirements as outline by ANZSCO. For example: If you are nominating a marketing specialist, you can check ANZSCO here. You will then see what skills are required (in this case a formal qualification of at least a Bachelor degree or 5 years of experience if the nominee doesn’t hold a degree). You will also see the tasks and duties the specific occupation usually includes. What are the costs? Standard Business Sponsorship: $420 TSS Nomination: $330 TSS Visa (Short Stream – up to 2 years): $1150 TSS Visa (Medium Stream – up to 4 years): $2400 SAF (Skilling Australians Fund): This amount depends on the business’ turnover in the 12 months prior to lodging the nomination. Turnover greater than $10 million: SAF Levy is $1,800 for each year of the 482/TSS visa Turnover less than $10 million: Levy is $1,200 for each year of 482/TSS visa There are also several reasons for refunding the SAF levy such as refusal of sponsorship or nomination application. In urgent cases, you don’t need to wait for the sponsorship to be approved before lodging the TSS/482 visa nomination and visa. This can be added to the pending sponsorship application. If for example you have an applicant you wish to hire and he/she is currently in Australia on a substantive visa, then you can lodge the sponsorship which will keep the applicant in Australia lawfully while waiting on his/her new visa. The overall processing times are currently 2 – 3 months. The current Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold is $53,000 plus Super. Contact Us  

Labour agreements are negotiated between the Australian Government and employers. As a general rule, they are in effect for 5 years and can be used to sponsor overseas workers for: Temporary Skill Shortage visa (TSS – subclass 482) Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS – subclass 186) There are 5 main types of labour agreements: Company-specific labour agreements Industry labour agreements Project agreements Designated area migration agreements If a labour agreement is in place, then the employer can hire overseas professionals for occupations that are approved under the agreement. However, the employer still needs to prove that they have tried to fill the position with an Australian worker and undertaken Labour Market Testing (LMT). You can check the list of already existing Labour Agreement. 1.Company-specific labour agreements This type of labour agreement is developed directly with the employer and will only be used for genuine skills or labour shortages that are not already provided in other labour agreements (industry, project or designated area migration). Find the current company specific labour agreements. 2. Industry labour agreements This type of agreement is based on fixed terms and conditions that are agreed to by the Minister and key stakeholders for specific industry sectors. Such a labour agreement could be used in cases where the Department has received a higher number of submission from the same industry but there is still ongoing labour shortage for that industry. The existing industry labour agreements cover the following industries: fast food restaurant (fine dining) snow sports meat fishing fast food dairy on-hire pork On-hire industry labour agreements On-hire businesses can recruit temporary skilled worker for occupations that are on the combined list of skilled occupations. Evidence of not being able to fill the position with an appropriately qualified Australian worker needs to be provided. On-hire businesses with relevant labour agreements act as approved sponsors for your visa and can nominate and hire overseas workers in the approved occupations. Pendragon, Polyglot and other companies have established on-hire industry labour agreements. 3. Project labour agreements Under this agreement, project companies that are facing genuine skills or labour shortages, can hire temporary skilled overseas workers under the TSS visa to ensure there is enough workforce during a construction phase of resource or infrastructure projects. 4. Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA) These agreements are for state or territory governments who are wishing to strengthen their unique economic and labour market conditions through this agreement based network. Employers in areas that are facing skills and labour shortages can sponsor skilled and semi-skilled workers.   Source and more information: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/WorkinginAustralia/Documents/requesting-labour-agreement.pdf  

Yes, that’s right. The Australian Government is bringing back the discussion on changing Australian citizenship requirements. In the coming spring session in September 2018, the proposed changes to Australian citizenship are back on the agenda as a priority. This means the government will discuss the implementation of a ‘package of reforms designed to strengthen the requirements to become and remain and Australian citizen, including in relation to residency, English language, Australian values, integration into the Australian community and good character’. These changes were announced on 20 April 201 for the first time and the Government tried to have them take effect on the same day. Fortunately for many, a Bill had to be drafted and passed through Parliament first, which then failed on 18 October 2017. What are the proposed changes? If the new requirements come into effect, applicants will: Prove they have lived in Australia for at least 4 years as a permanent resident Prove they have passed an English test; the recommended level would be competent English Prove they have passed a new citizenship test designed to assess the understanding of, and commitment to Australian values Have to pass the test within the first 3 attempts (currently no limit to the number of times it can be failed). If applicants are cheating during the test, they might get an automatic fail. When will the changes be introduced? This is dealt on a priority basis. The legislation needs to first be discussed and then passed by Parliament. This has been a topic of discussions for more than 12 months, so the changes might be come into effect soon. What should you do now? Apply If you fulfil the current requirements for Australian citizenship, consider lodging the application soon. If you lodge now and the legislation is passed after you have lodged but before a decision is made on your application, the new changes may be retrospective, which means your application could get refused. However, while you will not get back the application fee of $285, the refusal will not have an effect on your PR or any other consequences. Fortunately, the majority of legislative changes have not been applied in retrospective, which would be a good reason to lodge your application now if you can. Wait You you can obviously also wait for the changes to come into effect but bare in mind that that would mean an additional 3 years on a permanent residence visa. Source: Strengthening the integrity of Australian citizenship