August at Nomos
The last month of winter was certainly a month dominated by changes to the immigration space. Here’s a snapshot of some of the events that filled August:
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- The month ended with the announcement that the subclass 408 Pandemic Event visa will be gradually phased out – something we all knew was coming. The visa will only be available to existing subclass 408 Pandemic Event visa holders with effect from 2 September 2023, and from February 2024 it will be closed to all applicants.
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- Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon. Clare O’Neil MP, announced that there will be a crackdown on the integrity of Australia’s student visa programme. The government has already acted to prevent concurrent enrolments which was previously used by education providers to shift international students from genuine study to an arrangement that facilitated their access to employment in Australia. In conjunction with this crackdown, the Department will (from 1 October 2023) also increase the amount of savings required by international students upon their application for a Student visa to $24,505 (a 17% increase from today’s required amount). The government also plans to apply additional scrutiny to ‘high-risk’ cohorts (meaning more requests for more information and/or documentation) and has confirmed that it intends to consider issuing suspension certificates to ‘high-risk education providers’, which would leave the educational institute in question unable to recruit international students.
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- Towards the end of the month the State and Territory nomination allocations for the General Skills Migration program for the 2023/24 migration year were published. The allocations were unexpectedly and significantly reduced from the previous year’s program, and as of this post there has been no allocation for the business skills stream. The rationale for this is because there is a significant pipeline of business skills visa applications, and the Department is focussed on clearing that backlog without adding to the queue or creating further delays. The current State/Territory nomination allocations are as follows:
State/Territory Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visas Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visas NSW 2,650 1,500 ACT 600 600 VIC 2,700 600 TAS 600 600 SA 1,100 1,200 WA 1,500 850 NT 250 400 QLD 900 650 Total 10,300 6,400 More information can be found for each State or Territory by clicking each link above. The States and Territories have understandably reacted to the decreased number of places available, with Western Australia adjusting their nomination criteria given the skills shortage in that state. As is always the case, demand for state nomination typically exceeds supply, and given the reduced numbers, ensuring you can capitalise on your circumstances is key. Get in touch with us to speak to an advisor if you want to understand whether this is a realistic pathway for you.
- Towards the end of the month the State and Territory nomination allocations for the General Skills Migration program for the 2023/24 migration year were published. The allocations were unexpectedly and significantly reduced from the previous year’s program, and as of this post there has been no allocation for the business skills stream. The rationale for this is because there is a significant pipeline of business skills visa applications, and the Department is focussed on clearing that backlog without adding to the queue or creating further delays. The current State/Territory nomination allocations are as follows:
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- The Migration Agents Capstone Assessment – the assessment that tests the central knowledge and skills of those aiming to become registered migration agents – has undergone a restructure which will take effect from October 2023. The changes to the assessment programme will consolidate the two written assessments into a single written assessment, will provide an extended oral assessment, reduce the number of intakes from 4 to 3 per year, and reduce the cost of taking the Capstone assessment from $2,690 to $2,156. The purpose of the Capstone assessment is to ensure that candidates wishing to become registered migration agents meet the occupational competency standards and that they are prepared to be migration practitioners. For more information on the Capstone assessment and the October changes, you can visit the OMARA website.
- That’s the Nomos wrap-up for August. 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.