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Working Holiday Visa Programme Re-launched With the Australian economy fast leaving the recession behind, the Migration Bureau – one of Australia’s leading immigration consultancy companies - has re-launched its “Go Australia” programme to help 18-30 year olds take up the fabulous opportunities to be found there. Grant King, Director of the Migration Bureau, announced the details of the Programme, which will provide everything from an arrival meet & greet, to airport transfers, opened bank accounts, accommodation, visa consultancy and job search assistance. As an incentive, the Migration Bureau is offering an initial discount of οΎ£100 for the next 14 days, off the normal price of the programme. For full details of the “Go Australia” Working Holiday Visa Programme, please visit http://www.migrationbureau.com/goaustralia.php Changes to the General Skilled Migration Program - Removal of the MODL
On 8 February 2010, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, announced the outcomes of a review of the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL).
New Skilled Occupation List from mid-2010
In addition, the new SOL will not apply to people applying for a Skilled—Graduate (subclass 485) visa who at 8 February 2010 hold a:
However these student visa holders will be required to have an occupation on the new SOL to apply for a permanent GSM visa. GSM applications lodged before 1 September 2007 Under section 39 of the Migration Act 1958, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship has the power to set a maximum number of visas of a class that may be granted in a particular financial year. Who do the changes to GSM apply to?
Source: DIAC Feb 2010 Given these new changes in Australian immigration policies, it is even more important for potential applicants to contact their registered migration agent - who can provide guidance and reassurance on the best way to meet the changes. They will be able to advise on how to adapt your application to suit the new requirements or suggest alternative "routes" to achieve your residency visa. Act now - before further changes occur. Click here to contact your Migration Bureau agent today! New levels in the 2009/10 Migration Program 30/05/09 The Australian Government recently cut the permanent skilled migrant intake to 108,100 places for the 2009/10 Migration Program, in response to the continued economic slowdown. This follows an earlier cut in March 2009 of 14%. The total reduction is almost 20% on previous planning levels. Senator Chris Evans, , said, “The migration intake in the coming year reflects the economic climate while ensuring employers can gain access to skilled professionals in industries still experiencing skills shortages. The reduction is being achieved through a cutback in places for the general skilled category rather than in the high-demand employer-sponsored category or in areas in which Australia has critical skills shortages.” At the same time, the Australian Government will provide more opportunities for family reunions with an increase of 3,800 places in the family component of the Migration Program, to 60,300. The increase includes an additional 2,500 places for partners, 1000 places for contributory parents and 300 for child visas. “We are recognising the importance of family through this boost which will benefit Australians who seek to have their parents, partners or children join them to live here permanently,’ the minister said. Are you eligible to emigrate? Find out now. Click here for a FREE initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants). New Priority Processing times set for Australian Immigration 29/09/09 The Australian Department for Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC) has announced policy changes that will have implications for those currently applying to immigrate and for those intending to do so. The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, has set new priority processing arrangements for certain Skilled Migration visas. These arrangements are designed to better address the needs of the Australian economy by giving priority to people seeking to migrate to Australia who have skills or qualifications in one of the occupations on the current Critical Skills List (CSL). The new arrangements apply to applications in the pipeline that have not been finalised, and to applications lodged with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, on or after 23 September 2009. For information on - - the new priority processing times Essentially, the changes mean that it is now even more important for all applicants to be fully informed of the best way and the best time to apply, in order to achieve visa success. “We recommend that all eligible candidates for immigration to Australia apply now, without delay”, said Grant King of the Migration Bureau/Visa Centre. “Although the DIAC changes may entail longer processing times under certain skilled visa categories, it is essential that all prospective settlers to Australia lodge their applications now in order to secure their position and protect themselves from further changes.” WHY YOU NEED TO ACT NOW - Using a registered Migration Agent will ensure that applicants are kept well informed of all such developments and of the different options open to them. “In many cases,” Grant King advised, “intending migrants can adjust or improve the quality of their applications in order to suit the requirements of other visa classes. For instance, we are currently re-assessing all of our clients to determine whether they could apply under a different visa class which would be more advantageous for them. If applicants can obtain a qualifying job offer, they can in fact speed up their visa processing by applying under an employer-sponsored category or a temporary work visa class (eg. 457).” New applicants are definitely recommended to seek the professional advice of a registered Migration Agent in order to ensure that their application to immigrate to Australia is drafted in the best way possible and targeted to the visa category most likely to ensure them success. For Business migrants the need to act now is imperative. The Australian Government has advised that changes to business visa regulations are likely to follow in the near future, so prospective candidates should apply without delay to safeguard their opportunities to immigrate. Are you eligible to emigrate? Find out now. Click here for a FREE initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants). Source: Media Release from Chris Evans, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Australia Implications of new federal policy for immigrants to Victoria 30/09/09 Victoria confirmed that non-State Sponsored applicants would be subject to longer processing times, if their nominated occupation is not on the federal Critical Skills List (CSL). This would affect applicants who had applied to Victoria for a Skilled-Sponsored (subclass 176) sponsorship before 23 September 2009, or who intend to apply before the end of 2009. In such cases, it is unlikely that their visa will be finalised before the end of 2012. For State-Sponsored applications on the other hand – whose occupation is on the Victoria “Skills in Demand” list - their applications will be given priority once the higher priority groups are finalised in accordance with the Ministerial Direction. Without an occupation on the CSL, or sponsorship by an employer, State Government or family member resident in Australia, a client’s application will not be processed until after 2012. Business migration visa applications for Victoria are not yet affected by these changes. Are you eligible to emigrate? Find out now. Click here for a FREE initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants). Assessment changes for Skilled Migrants 01/06/09 New assessment criteria have been introduced by the Australian Government, meaning that trades people applying (under the General Skilled Migrant category) to live and work in Australia permanently will require increased English language skills (new IELTS level). This change will bring trade related occupations in line with the English language level required for all other occupations on the Skilled Occupation List. Research has shown that migrants who are proficient in English have better employment outcomes once they arrive. The minimum salary levels for Temporary Skilled Overseas Workers (subclass 457 visas) will increase by 4.1 per cent from July 1, consistent with the change in average employees’ total earnings since the level was last reviewed in August 2008. Where necessary for safety or to prevent fraud, Australia will undertake more extensive skills assessments to confirm skills claimed by applicants. Australia is improving its skills assessment processes to provide for formal skills testing of some trade occupations. Australia maintains its competitive edge 15/06/09 Australia retained its 7th place ranking in the IMD World Competitive Yearbook listing of 57 international economies. As such, the country underlined the strength of its economy and its ability to weather economic downturn with good levels of efficiency and infrastructure. It also gained this high rating on the basis of other factors such as the environment, quality of life, technology and education. Australian cities amongst the best in the world 3rd June 2009 The Economist Intelligence Unit has placed Melbourne as the 3rd best city to live in, with Perth in 5th place and Sydney 9th. This is a remarkable showing for any one country, thus underlining the excellent quality of life to be found in Australia’s urban areas. The survey highlighted relatively low population densities, an abundance of cultural and recreational facilities, lower crime levels, lower rate of poverty and good public infrastructure. 5th March 2009 Australia's four biggest banks - which between them control more than 90 per cent of New Zealand's banking - are among the world's 20 safest, a survey has found. National Australia Bank, owner of the BNZ, beat heavyweights such as HSBC, Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank to reach number 11 on the US-based Global Finance magazine list. The twice-yearly assessment - which examines the 500 largest banks in the world - is based on a comparison of the long-term credit ratings from agencies Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch as well as banks' total assets. NAB is followed by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia - owner of the ASB Bank - at number 12. ANZ Banking Group is ranked 15th, followed by Westpac in 16th place. The credit ratings of the New Zealand subsidiaries of the big four Australian banks are similar to those of their parents, which are largely uniform. But only the Commonwealth Bank's New Zealand subsidiary - ASB Bank - is on Global Finance's top 50 list, in 18th place. 18. The world's safest bank, says Global Finance, is Germany's KfW. The safest bank with a significant New Zealand presence is the Netherlands' Rabobank. Joseph Giarraputo said ”more than ever, customers are viewing long-term creditworthiness as the key feature of the banks with which they do business." New Zealand's banks - and their Australian owners - have been spared the worst effects of the global financial meltdown mainly because of their staid business philosophies. And they have generally been considerably more conservative in their lending than their American and European counterparts. Are you eligible to emigrate? Find out now. Click here for a FREE initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants). Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz NEWSFLASH: More trades occupations can now apply under RPL RPL (Recognised Prior Learning) skills assessments are now becoming a very important part of the Australian immigration programme. ACTS (Australian Construction Training Services) is one of the three major Australian Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) agencies in the UK and they have recently announced that they have added four new trades to their RPL programme. Essentially, this means that applicants WITHOUT a formal qualification but 4 years or more proven work experience in one of the four following occupations can now complete an RPL and a skills assessment to achieve an AQF level 3 qualification certification. This certification then in turn enables the applicant to be ultimately granted the qualification necessary points necessary to consider an application for skilled migration to Australia (formally these applicants were ineligible).These four new trades are as follows;
In addition to these four new trades ACTS can also provide RPL skills assessments for the following trades;
Are you eligible to emigrate? Find out now. Click here for a FREE initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants). The Migration Bureau can co-ordinate both your visa application and skills assessment process. TRA to delay implementation of proposed revised assessment standards - solution for some UK and Ireland based tradespersons. Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) has announced its decision to delay the implementation of its proposed revised assessment standards and procedures- the Migration Assessment Policy (MAP) - indefinitely. This means that all applications will continue to be assessed against the current Uniform Assessment Criteria (UAC). A new independent company, Australian Trade Assessments (ATA) has been set up in the UK offering a programme whereby unqualified or partly qualified tradespersons from the UK and Ireland in the following occupations and with significant work experience can obtain an AQFIII Certificate. Through an association with the Master Builders of Australia (MBA) and the Queensland Hairdressing Academy (QHA) AQF III certificates can be obtained for the following occupations: Solid Plastering * Please note that initially, these tests will run in Ireland only for the purposes of obtaining a TRA Pathway E assessment as Vetassess cover the UK for these two occupations. It should also be noted that the Master Builders will also be able to assess against the new supervisor Licensing Requirements for these trade qualifications where relevant. With an AQFIII Certificate applicants can then apply for a skills assessment to the Trades Recognition Australia with Skill Pathway E. An AQFIII certificate does not necessarily mean that applicants will be successful in their skills assessment which is necessary for migrating to Australia under any of the General Skilled Migration visas. Applicants will need to meet the full requirements of the TRA. An AQFIII Certificate enhances new migrants’ chances of finding employment in Australia. The reason for this is that obtaining an AQF III enables new migrants to secure employment immediately on entry. Employers will not generally hire migrants until they have appropriate Health & Safety standards met of which is achieved through obtaining an AQF III.
ACTS can also provide RPL skills assessments for the construction occupations listed above.
New laws to protect overseas workers pass Parliament Thursday 4 December 2008 The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, on December 4th, welcomed the passage through Parliament with bipartisan support of new laws to better protect temporary overseas workers in Australia. The Migration Legislation Amendment (Worker Protection) Bill 2008 was introduced after extensive consultation with industry and unions to strengthen the integrity of temporary working visa arrangements including the subclass 457 visa program. The subclass 457 visa program is an uncapped scheme driven by labour market demand which enables employers to sponsor overseas workers to fill nominated skilled positions in Australia for up to four years. Almost 60 000 primary visas were granted to overseas workers in 2007-08 and while the vast majority of employers did the right thing, there have been concerns about the incidence of employer breaches in the program. A total of 192 sponsors were formally sanctioned and a further 1353 employers were formally warned in 2007-08. This compares with 95 sanctions and 313 formal warnings issued in 2006-07. The new laws will enable specially trained officers with investigative powers to monitor workplaces and conduct site visits to determine whether employers are complying with the redefined sponsorship obligations. The powers will be similar to the powers of workplace inspectors under the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Employers found in breach of the obligations in the Migration Regulations could be fined up to $33 000 and the department will retain the ability to cancel an employer’s approval as a sponsor or bar them from making further applications for overseas workers. The new laws will also enable the Commissioner of Taxation to disclose tax information to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in order to ensure correct salary levels are being paid to visa holders. The Government is consulting the Skilled Migration Consultative Panel, which comprises business and industry groups, state governments and unions, over the development of regulations setting out the obligations of employers of temporary overseas workers. The recommendations of the recently released Deegan report into the integrity of the subclass 457 visa program will inform development of the employers’ sponsorship obligations. Source: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/ Are you eligible to emigrate? Find out now. Click here for a FREE initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants). For information on the Migration Bureau Click here. Residency Applications: High Failure Rate reported. Up to 50% FAIL..... Industry feedback has indicated that an estimated 30% of applicants under some visa classes who lodge their application online and directly with the immigration authorities get it WRONG AND FAIL because they did not use a registered migration agent to compile and double check their application and immigration eligibility first. It is estimated that a further 20% of applicants who do not use an agent become confused and frustrated with the application process and find it difficult or impossible to get answers to their specific concerns or questions from the immigration authorities. As a result, they unnecessarily drop out of the application process. Overall, this equates to an estimated up to 50% FAILURE RATE for "do-it-yourself" applicants applying directly to the immigration authorities under some visa classes. This compares with a SUCCESS RATE OF 98.5% for applicants that apply through officially-recognised migration agencies such as the Migration Bureau. Grant King of the Migration Bureau, one of the largest international immigration agencies, commented that "We believe this failure and drop out rate is unacceptably high. Every day we receive many concerning phone calls from applicants who have tried to apply online or directly with the immigration authorities and have got it wrong. Many fail outright. They are generally very stressed and are frustrated by the delays and problems that this causes, not to mention left out of pocket. We are able to assist at this late stage, but it is more difficult and time-consuming to correct an incomplete or incorrect application. Additionally, it is difficult to go back to re-lodge or change an application after an original submission has already been made to the authorities. It is also more expensive". "We want to protect applicants from these risks and ensure that applicants secure the right of residence that they are entitled to in the quickest possible time. To do so, the key is for new settlers to use an officially -recognised agent BEFORE applying and to instruct the agent to compile, double-check and lodge your online or physical residence visa application on your behalf - this will avoid unnecessary delays and risk, and means that you will receive your visas as soon as possible, and not be one of the thousands of applicants who are unnecessarily refused every year. So the moral of the story is to get it right the first time" said Mr King. For a FREE assessment of your eligibility to lodge a residence visa application, please Click here. Back to top
More Migrants now Using Agents The Emigrate Australia reader survey looked at various issues of the immigration process including demographics, family factors, motivations and the immigration process. Other significant trends for Australia include Western Australia taking out a clear victory as the preferred destination for UK migrants (followed by South Australia) and financial motivations rising in comparison to lifestyle and climate factors. Most respondents indicated that the WAITING was the most difficult part of the process. Therefore, there is a strong case for using an immigration consultant, who can help the applicant AVOID DELAYS and assist with QUICKER PROCESSING by presenting a 100% correct and complete application. Secondly, the application process and preparing paperwork was also perceived to be a difficult part of the process. Again, there is a strong case for IMMIGRATION CONSULTANTS who can make the application process smoother and clearer and provide personalised assistance and representation in this bureaucratic process. The vast majority of readers indicated the more appealing lifestyle and safer place to bring up children, with climate being a major factor for emigration to Australia. If you would like to know if you meet these pass marks, we will work it out for you for FREE. Click here to complete a free initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants). Migration Bureau attends training at Australian High Commission The Director of the Migration Bureau, Grant King and his London office team have had a busy year attending numerous events at the Australia High Commission to receive immigration policy training and information on State Government regional sponsorship opportunities for clients. Grant and his team received training from the South Australian, Western Australian, Victorian, and Queensland Governments, as well as meeting staff from the Australian Department of Immigration (DIAC). For more information visit www.migrationbureau.com
Australia Pass Mark Watch – current points-tested visa pass mark update The current points tested Skilled Independent Class visas are the most popular type of visa for migrants. For you to migrate under this class you will have to satisfy certain conditions and meet the pass and pool marks.  |
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