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Recent GSM Changes
8 February 2010
On 8 February 2010, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, announced the following changes to the General Skilled Migration program:1 January 2010 legislative change | suitable skills assessment as a validity requirement for onshore GSM visas
January 2010
Pre 1 January 2010, applicants applying for permanent migration based on one of the onshore General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa subclasses were required, at time of application, to provide evidence that they had applied for a skills assessment by the relevant assessing authority. At time of decision, a suitable skills assessment was required.Amendment to the skills assessment criterion for certain onshore GSM applicants nominating a trade occupation from 1 January 2010
January 2010
From 1 January 2010, onshore applicants applying for permanent migration in a trade occupation will be required to demonstrate that they are 'job ready' as part of their skills assessment. The Job Ready Program has been developed by the relevant assessing authority, Trades Recognition Australia (TRA), for this purpose and will include a workplace assessment by a TRA approved assessor. This was previously referred to as the JobReady Test. This new job ready requirement will affect applicants applying for Subclass 487, 885 and 886 visas (but does not affect subclass 485 and 887 visa applicants).1 January 2010 legislative change | Australian Study Requirement and offshore GSM visa applicants
January 2010
From 1 January 2010, applicants nominating a trade occupation under one of the offshore GSM visa subclasses are no longer able to meet the Australian Study Requirement when seeking to migrate to Australia. This change impacts on the following visa subclasses:Changes to VETASSESS assessment requirements for General Occupations from 1 January 2010
29 OCTOBER 2009
From the 1st of January 2010, VETASSESS will be changing the requirements for assessment against these "Generalist Occupations" which are managerial, administrative, professional and associate professional occupations. The new assessment process will help to ensure that applicant’s who meet the requirements under the new process are job ready and have the relevant skills and qualifications for employment in Australia in their nominated occupation.
From 2010, in order to receive a positive assessment, you will need:
New priority processing directions for certain skilled migration visas
23 SEPTEMBER 2009
The Minister has set a new priority processing direction which comes into effect on 23 September 2009 and applies to certain skilled migration visas. These arrangements are designed to better address the needs of industry by targeting skills in critical need across a number of sectors.
The priority processing Direction gives priority to people seeking to migrate to Australia who have skills or qualifications in one of the occupations on the current CSL. This directive responds to the needs of the Australian economy.
The priority processing arrangements will apply to the following visas:
Tighter English language requirements from 1 January 2010
12 MAY 2009
The Minister for Immigration & Citizenship has announced there will be tighter English language requirements from 1st January 2010.
The English language requirement for all General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa applicants who nominate a trade occupation will be increased to a minimum of 6.0 in each of the four components of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test.
For Skilled-Regional Sponsored GSM visa subclasses, the threshold English language standard will be raised from an average of 5.5 to an average of 6.0.
These new requirements will apply to all new GSM applications lodged after 1 January 2010. Applicants who applied for a GSM visa before the commencement of these changes will not be affected.
The global economic situation has continued to deteriorate and this has significantly weakened Australia’s economic situation, including an increase in unemployment.The Government is committed to ensuring that skilled migration continues to meet the needs of the economy, in the wake of the global economic crisis. The migration program is continually reviewed and assessed for its relevance and outcomes in light of the economic and social needs of Australia.
Changes to the General Skilled Migration program
MARCH 2009
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, has announced further changes to the Skilled Migration Program:
The Minister has announced these measures to further assist in the management of the economy through targeting occupations in critical shortage. his will be achieved through managing the migration program down to a lower level than originally planned, and tighter targeting of program outcomes through the removal of certain trade occupations from the CSL. The new ceiling for the 2008-09 skills stream of the migration program is 115 000 places.
These measures allow skilled migrants who are sponsored by an employer for a specific job in Australia, are sponsored by a State or Territory government, or have skills in critical need to be given priority for the remainder of 2008-09 program year within the lower program ceiling.
These measures will preserve the selection of high-skilled migrants but reduce the emphasis on migrants and temporary entrants who compete with Australians in the job market where skills are not in critical demand.
New GSM Critical Skill List - Effective March 2009
16 MARCH 2009
This list will only apply to people who are seeking to migrate under the skilled migration program who are not sponsored by an employer or nominated by a state or territory government. Click here to view the list.
Update on the Capital Investment Scheme
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2008
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section on the Capital Investment Scheme.
Click here to read more.
Prior to 1 September 2007, General Skilled Migration visa applicants could earn 5 bonus points if they deposited at least $100 000 in a designated security for a term of not less than 12 months - known as the capital investment scheme. However, from 1 September 2007, this component was not included in the GSM points test and all applications lodged after that date were affected.
The States and Territories who had participated in this scheme for applications lodged before 1 September 2007, withdrew their support in December 2007 following allegations of substantial fraud. This means that currently no State or Territory will issue a security for a GSM visa application in which an investment is a designated security.
Solving skills shortage under the temporary skilled migration
22 JULY 2008
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has released new data showing a 27 per cent increase in the temporary skilled migration (subclass 457 visa) program for 2007-08.
The increase in the subclass 457 visa grants highlighted the importance of the program in delivering skilled labour to employers across a wide range of professions and industries. In total, 110 570 visas were granted to temporary skilled workers and their dependents in 2007-08 compared to 87 310 in 2006-07. The number of primary visa holders jumped 24 per cent in 2007-08 to a record 58 050 compared to 46 680 in the 2006-07 program.
The subclass 457 visa enables employers to employ skilled overseas workers to fill nominated positions in Australia for a period of between three months and four years. This scheme is demand driven and is vital to ease the national skills shortage when the unemployment rate is low in Australia.
The Government will also introduce new laws to help prevent the exploitation of migrant workers and ensure the wages and conditions of Australian workers are not undercut. A Bill to amend the Migration Act (1958) is planned for September and it is proposed that a range of measures be introduced, including:
In addition, industrial relations expert, Barbara Deegan is currently examining the adequacy of measures to protect 457 visa holders from exploitation and in order to improve the integrity of the 457 scheme. Ms Deegan is examining Minimum Salary Level provisions, English language requirements, health and safety protections, training requirements, and the opportunities for Labour Agreements to play a greater role in the program.
Need for state/territory sponsored migrants
4 JULY 2008
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has urged the states and territories to boost their use of state-sponsored skilled migration to meet labour market demands.
There is the capacity within the Federal Government's permanent skilled migration program for states and territories to sponsor overseas skilled workers in occupations in demand. There will be an additional 31 000 skilled migrants to the 2008-09 Migration Program to help employers with the skills shortage.
Overall, permanent skilled migration will make up 133 500 places in the migration program, which totals 190 300 for 2008-09. Last financial year's skilled migration outcome totalled to 108 500 places.
Figures from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship from recent years show that state and territory sponsored skilled migration forms less than 10 per cent of the overall skilled migration program whereas employer sponsored migration is closer to 20 per cent. Skilled workers migrating independently continue to comprise more than half the program.
The Government would consider providing greater flexibility for states and territories under the sponsorship program to enable them to sponsor more skilled workers in areas of high demand.
Quota on reduction of skilled migrants
18 DECEMBER 2008
The Australian governement has just released a response with regards to concerns over people who are wishing to move across to Australia on the quota reduction in skilled migrants.
You may refer to this link to read more about it.
Caution For Recent Returning Australian Graduates
DECEMBER 2008
If you had recently graduated after having studied in Australia and applying for a skilled visa, your application may fail unless you acted quickly and fulfilled the "2 year study rule"!
Australia immigration authorities, when considering a skilled visa applicant’s basic criteria, require the applicant to be engaged in full-time skilled work for at least 12 months out of the last 24 months at the time of the application. The only exception to this rule applies to returning graduates from Registered Australia Educational Institutions whose applications are lodged within 6 months of their course completion dates. Additionally, the course undertaken whilst studying full-time onshore should have measured up to the equivalent of at least 2 years for completion.
For detailed information, recent Australian graduates are advised to schedule a professional consultation with your Australian Immigration Specialists as misinterpretation of Australia Immigration Regulations is not an acceptable excuse for failed application.
Growing Asian population in Australia
30 JANUARY 2009
SYDNEY - AUSTRALIA'S Asian population is growing rapidly as more regional immigrants pour into a country once despised for its racially exclusive policies, official statistics showed on Thursday.
China and India provided increasing numbers of immigrants, while traditional sources of new arrivals in the so-called 'Lucky Country' - such as Britain and Italy - suffered a decline, a review of the latest census revealed.
The 'Portrait of a Nation' provided by the Australia Bureau of Statistics after analysis of the 2006 tally shows that a quarter of the population was born overseas.
Between 1996 and 2006, the overseas-born population grew by 13 per cent from 3.9 million to 4.4 million people 'and featured a major increase in Asian immigration,' the figures showed.
The former British penal colony, which has become a sought-after destination for its laid-back sun-and-surf lifestyle, was until 1973 ruled by a 'White Australia' policy restricting immigration to Westerners.
'Country of birth groups which increased the most between 1996 and 2006 were New Zealand (by around 98,000 people), China (96,000) and India (70,000),' the census revealed.
'In contrast, European country-of-birth groups declined sharply over the same period - Italy by 39,000 people, the United Kingdom by 35,000 and Greece by 17,000.'
However, while the ratio of Asian immigration to European arrivals changed - with six of the 10 most common birthplaces of migrants being Asian countries - 92,000 Britons still accounted for most new residents.
Apart from China and India, countries providing increasing numbers of immigrants included Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and South Africa.
From The Straits Times
Australia likely to cut down numbers on skilled migrants
30 JANUARY 2009
Australia will probably be reducing the number of skilled migrants into the country next year, due to the slowing economy and weakening demand for labour as indicated by the Immigration Minister, Chris Evans.
Minister Chris Evans said that the final number of immigrants that Australia would accept has yet to be determined for next year, but said that the government would also reconsider which occupations should be on the critical skills list.
About 190,300 migrants were projected to arrive for 2008-09, with skilled works accounting for the most places. But projections for growth have been slashed as the global economy slows and some industries have already started cutting jobs. However, the government will continue to target immigrants with skills for sectors where there is continued high demand, including the nursing and health sectors.
From The Straits Times & TODAY