April at Nomos
April has come and gone, but it was yet another month filled with exciting new developments in the immigration space. Here’s the key takeaways of the month at Nomos:
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- In April we were pleased to see more grants in the TSS (subclass 482), Temporary Activity (subclass 408) and Temporary Work (subclass 400) visa categories for our clients.
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- The Federal Government has increased its focus on the upcoming Skills in Demand (‘SID’) visa, which, at this stage, we expect to replace the Temporary Skills Shortage (‘TSS’) subclass 482 visa near the end of the year. At present, it is understood that the new 4-year visa will be comprised of three streams – Specialists Skills stream (for applicants being offered a salary over $135,000), Core Skills stream (for applicants being offered a salary between $70,000 and $135,000) and Essential Skills stream (for applicants being offered a salary under $70,000). Each will have a clear pathway to Australian permanent residency. In support of this endeavour, the government department Jobs and Skills Australia (‘JSA’) is currently undertaking the stakeholder engagement and labour market analysis which will help finalise the Core Skills Occupation List (‘CSOL’). JSA has split the draft CSOL list into three separate lists for the feedback process, those being the confident on-list (occupations that should be on the CSOL), the confident off-list (occupations that are unlikely to be on the CSOL) and the targeted for consultation list (the primary list upon which JSA is seeking feedback from various stakeholders to inform their recommendation to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. The lists make for interesting reading, and anyone who is concerned by the proposed changes and is keen to make a submission on the list should consult the JSA website. Stay tuned for more information on this forthcoming visa as new announcements are made.
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- On 7 April, changes were implemented to the New Zealand Accredited Employer Work Visa (‘AEWV’) that have changed a number of criteria connected with the visa. Specifically, the changes affect the minimum standard of English required, the minimum skill requirement and the length of time an AEWV holder will be able to remain in New Zealand. The changes will also affect employers of AEWV holders, including the requirement to employ migrant workers for at least 30 hours/week. Employers will also be required to verify that an applicant is suitably skilled and qualifies for a role and they must also inform Immigration New Zealand when a migrant worker’s employment ends. If you would benefit from some deeper insight into the changes, please contact us for specific and personalised advice.
That’s the Nomos wrap-up for April. See you next month!
*This is general information only, as at the date of publication, and should not be interpreted as legal advice. For an accurate and current assessment of your circumstances and visa options, please contact us to receive this advice.
