Welcome to June 2023, this has to be the fastest year ever!
Australian Immigration Changes Coming Up
There has been so much information released over the past few months about upcoming Australian immigration changes, it’s hard to keep on top of it all. The below is a summary of the important changes in the Australian immigration taking effect from the 1st July 2023.
Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) Changes
TSMIT will increase to $70,000 from $53,900. Australian employers will need to meet the new TSMIT or the annual market salary rate (AMSR) whichever is higher, if they want to progress with a Subclass TSS 482 visa. This is a part of a number of very important Australian immigration changes in the employer sponsored program which will take place in the near future.
The link to the official update here
Increase in Government lodgement fees
From the 1st July 2023 the Government lodgement fees will increase around 6% to 15% depending on visa subclass. If you have a visa that needs to be lodged and you want to avoid the increase in fees, please ensure you lodge before 1st July.
Visa application charges will increase on 1 July for all visas except for the Pacific Engagement Visa and Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Visas.
Work Limitations reverting for students and working holiday visa holders
Student visa holders will no longer be able to work unrestricted from 1 July.
Student visa holders will have their working hours reduced from full time presently to 48 hours per fortnight from 1st July 2023. Student visa work conditions allowed for only 40 hours per fortnight before the COVID-19 pandemic and were relaxed for a few years during that period to support employers.
Students working in aged care can continue to work full time for now and these will be reviewed in December 2023.
Working holiday visa holders have also had their work conditions relaxed during the pandemic however these will revert back to 6 months with any one employer from 1st July 2023.
From 1 July, working holiday makers will generally only be able to work for any one employer for up to 6 months as per their original visa condition. Any work that is carried out for an employer before 1 July will not be counted towards the 6 month period.
This means that from 1 July 2023, a working holiday maker may work for an employer for an additional 6 months even if they worked for that same employer before 1 July 2023.
Increase in superannuation guarantee payments
The Superannuation Guarantee (SG) will increase from 10.5% to 11% and this applies to Subclass 482 visa holders as well. We remind employers that primary sponsored 482 visa holders must be paid at least the guaranteed annual earnings in the most recent nomination approval or the market rate (whichever is higher).
Employers are expected to increase total remuneration packages to align with the increase in the superannuation guaranteed payments. If there is a reduction in the guaranteed annual earnings of the primary sponsored 482 visa holder, a new nomination must be submitted and approved first.
Australia – UK Free Trade Agreement
The agreement has come into effect on the 31st of May 2023 and it is one of the major Australian immigration changes this year.
- From 1 July 2023, UK passport holders can apply for a Working Holiday visa between the ages of 18 and 35 years inclusive. This is a five years increase.
- From 1 July 2024, UK passport holders can be granted up to three separate Working Holiday visas without having to meet any specified work requirements.
Employer Sponsored Visa – (LMT) Labour Market Testing
As a result of the trade agreement, another important Australian immigration change is that the UK has been added to the list of ITO countries and this translates into a claim for LMT exemption.
There is no need for the Australian employers to post job advertising for 28 days prior to the lodgement of a business nomination application if the nominee is a UK citizen or permanent resident.
The link to the official media release here
Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement
This new labour agreement was created to address the skills shortages in the aged care sector. It allows Australian employers to sponsor workers for the subclass TSS 482 visa in direct care occupations such as:
- nursing support worker
- personal care assistant
- aged or disabled carer
Key concessions from the standard skilled visa requirements:
- Two-year pathway to permanent residency through the Employer Nomination Scheme
- Streamlined visa nomination and priority visa application processing
- No post-qualification work experience requirement
- English language concessions for workers with relevant community language skills
- Annual salary of at least $51,222 or the Australian Market Salary Rate, whichever is higher.
For subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa, the aged care workers must have at least two years of full-time work experience in Australia in a relevant direct care occupation. However, the two years of work experience is no longer tied to a particular employer or visa subclass.
VISA LOUNGE AUSTRALIA has a team of labour agreement and DAMA experts who can assist with labour agreement applications, labour agreement variations, designated area migration agreements for all approved DAMA areas.
Check out our most recent article on Navigating DAMA Australia – Application Process and Updates for 2023
New Employer Nominated Scheme 186 Visa Pathway
The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that all STSOL visa holders will be able to apply for an employer nominated Subclass 186 visa under the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream by the end of 2023.
We will keep you updated as more Australian immigration changes and information comes to light.
Direct pathway to Australian Citizenship for eligible New Zealand Citizens
From 1 July 2023, New Zealand citizens who are long-term residents of Australia will be able to apply for Australian citizenship without first having to obtain a permanent visa.
All Special Category Visa holders will be able to apply directly for citizenship, as long as they meet a four-year residence and other eligibility requirements. This is a major Australian immigration changes recently announced by the government.
BOOK A CONSULTATION today to find out more about upcoming Australian Immigration changes and how these changes may affect your personal circumstances.
Please reach out to the VISA LOUNGE AUSTRALIA team if you have any questions regarding 1 July and its Australian immigration changes by filling out our contact form.
For employers, if you have any concerns about the Australian immigration changes taking effect from 1st July, please ensure you get in touch to discuss how VISA LOUNGE AUSTRALIA can assist you with your temporary visa holders.