Australian Immigration Changes in 2020
Immigration law is ever-changing, so when applying for any visa in Australia, it is always important to stay up-to-date with the latest immigration changes, especially that the Department of Home Affairs has recently been making more changes than ever with many significant changes lined up for 2020 as well as recent changes announced in 2019. AustraliaMigrate, your specialist migration agent (MARA 0001947) brings you exactly what you need to know.
Points Score
Applicants who wish to apply for independently for a visa need to note that there are different categories, which are as follows:
| Visa Categories | Type of Visa | Who is Eligible |
| 189 | Permanent Residence – independent application | Occupation has to be on the Medium & Long Term List and meets point test of at least 65 |
| 190 | Permanent Residence – state nomination | Occupation has to be on a State/Territory List and meets point test of at least 65 |
| 491 | Provisional Visa for 5 years based in a Regional Part of Australia and after 3 years can apply for PR. | Occupation has to be on a Regional area State/Territory List and meets point test of at least 65. Some States and Territories are considered completely regional such as SA, WA, TAS, ACT, NT, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong |
Our MARA migration agents advise all potential applicants about best strategies to obtain an invitation to lodge an application under Expression of Interest (EOI) and how to approach a skills assessment for different occupations.
The points test has recently been restructured and now there are more opportunities to score more points than there were before. Although the points requirement is still set at 65, in most occupations a higher score is needed to receive an invitation. This differs from occupation to occupation depending on the demand of the occupation, for example, there is still a high demand for the occupation of accountant positions.
Some of the new categories of points are, for example, are extra points for being single (10), having a skilled spouse or de facto partner (10), with competent English (5) and having a certain STEM qualification (10). State sponsorship or being sponsored by a family member in regional Australia will also score 15 additional points.
New Visas
Regional migration was the biggest change introduced in late 2019 since the government is now providing a greater focus on regional migration with more spots allocated to the state/territory nominated and employer-sponsored visa categories dedicated for regional areas.
In late 2019, two new regional visas have been introduced with a pathway to apply for permanent residency in Australia starting 2022 for eligible applicants. The newly introduced visas are the subclass visa 491 skilled work regional (provisional) and subclass visa 494 skilled employer-sponsored regional. These visas intend to attract more migrants to fill skill shortages in regional Australia.
The good news is that there are 25,000 dedicated slots for this visa and that the regional areas include Gold Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong and Perth.
The Traffic Light Bulletin
The Australian Government’s Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business has outlined proposed changes in its Traffic Light Bulletin of Skilled Migration Occupation Lists, which is created and opened for public submissions to flag occupations likely to be added to or removed from the current lists when the Australian Government introduces updated skilled occupation lists which will be published in March 2020.
The proposed changes include 32 occupations that have been flagged for a change to their status where 11 are marked for removal and 6 have been recommended for salary caveat.
The proposed additions to the Skilled Migration Occupation Lists include Corporate Treasurer, Aged or Disabled Carer, Nursing Support Worker and Personal Support Assistants, which should be eligible to apply for Australia’s permanent residency after the updated SOL is published. These were proposed based on many factors, including the number of local graduates who will be looking for work and Australia’s ageing population.
As usual, there is no guarantee that a certain occupation will remain on the list for several years, so those who are looking to migrate to Australia should engage an authorised migration agent as soon as possible.
If you are looking to migrate to Australia or apply for any visa, AustraliaMigrate can help you with your visa application and throughout the entire process through a team of MARA agents and an experience of 20 years in the migration field.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. For specific visa advice, please contact our registered migration agents in Australia to assess your personal situation.
Source: Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business www.employment.gov.au
