2023’s most important immigration changes in Australia
The Australian Government has made a new plan to fix some problems with their immigration system. Here are some important things to know:
Migration Plan:
- They will plan immigration for more than just one year.
- Fewer people will be allowed to move to Australia in the coming year, and this will continue for some time.
- They are replacing a visa called Temporary Skilled Shortage with a new one called Skills in Demand. This new visa has different rules depending on how much money you earn and what kind of job you have.
Skills in Demand Visa:
- The Skills in Demand visa will be replacing the Temporary Skilled Shortage (subclass 482).
- The Skills in Demand Visa lets people stay in Australia for 4 years.
- People with this visa can change their job sponsor within 180 days.
- If you have this visa, you can apply for permanent residency.
- They are making it easier for employers to hire people from overseas.
Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy:
- Discussions about a new payment model for the SAF Levy allowing smaller increments over time.
Labour Market Testing (LMT):
- The requirement to advertise on Workforce Australia has been scrapped.
- The LMT advertising period will increase from 4 to 6 months.
- Government indicates a gradual phasing out of the LMT requirement
Points Test – General Skilled Migration:
- A new points test will be developed to streamline skilled migration.
Student Visas:
- Replacing the ‘Genuine Temporary Entrant’ requirement with the ‘Genuine Student Test.’
- Efforts to control the number of student visa applications being processed.
- Increased English language test score requirements.
- Reduction in the list of eligible courses and restrictions on course swapping.
Temporary Graduate Visas:
- Prohibition on applying for another student visa.
- Reduced eligibility age from 50 to 35 years.
- Increased English language test score requirements.
- Extended eligibility for students in regional areas.
Regional Migration:
- Increased support for regional areas with fast-tracking of regional visa applications.
- Collaboration with regional areas to identify population needs and skill shortages.
Working Holiday Makers:
- No dramatic changes announced yet, but potential changes to length of stay and the 88-day work requirement are being discussed.
Global Talent and Business Innovation and Investment:
- Focus on applicants who can make a substantial contribution to Australia.
- Consideration of a new ‘Talent and Innovation’ visa.
- Expected continuation of the Significant Investor stream for the Business Innovation and Investment visa.
These changes are part of the Australian Government’s effort to reform its migration system, and the strategy is expected to be introduced in late 2024, subject to legislation being introduced. Further details are yet to be released, and updates will be provided as the changes roll out.
Book a consultation today to find out your migration options in Australia, all in one consultation.
Vignesh M
April 24, 2024.
Bill Questra is nothing short of exceptional. His assistance was instrumental in helping my wife and me navigate the complexities of the visa process, ultimately leading to our successful visa grant.
What sets Bill apart is not just his expertise, but his approachability and willingness to go the extra mile for his clients. He patiently guided us through each step, answering our questions, addressing our concerns, and ensuring that we felt confident and supported throughout the process. His professionalism, coupled with his warmth and empathy, made all the difference during what could have been a stressful ordeal.
Thanks to Bill's tireless efforts and unwavering commitment, my wife and I can now embark on this new chapter of our lives with peace of mind and excitement for the future. He is truly an amazing person and a consummate professional.
vanessa prieto
April 15, 2024.
My and my family have done 2 different visas with Questra and both were granted. The team supported me in each step giving me all the information and advice I needed to understand the best options we had based on my profile.
Thank you Bill and Dahiana. I definitely recommend Questar for any Visa process.
Alice Sharma
February 16, 2024.
Bill and his whole team have been so excellent throughout my partner visa application. Lina and Bill truly helped me understand the process better and were impressively thorough with their visa preparation. They really took everything into consideration,cross-checked multiple times to ensure my application was decision ready and now I have my permanent partner visa application approved and I can’t thank the team enough.I would recommend Questra Immigration to anyone and everyonelooking for quality and trustworthy visa services.
Chelsea M
June 30, 2023.
We engaged with Questra through my classmate. After initially consultation with lawyer- Bill, we decided to see how it goes. Basically, you would be assisted by Questra team with your application. Lots of people might think you engage with law firm and paid them nothing is needed to be worried. I have to slightly correct those idea from people who wish engaging with Questra. First of all, it’s your responsibility to provide legitimate information to them. The team of Questra is playing a role like a coach to assist with your application to become more smoothly and persuasively way but remain all legitimate information for your application. Hence, you have to write all information that you wish to include into your application by yourself first. During our preparation phase before offical lodgement of our application, we have been assisted by all Questra team and ensured all supportive information have been provided and if we missed anything, the team will let us know ASAP. We got our 820 very soon after lodging our application within 6 months during Covid, which we were very grateful for the result and after two years of waiting, we continued with Questra to lodge our 801 as they have all information of ours. We received our 801 within 11 months of waiting time. However, this timeframe is just for your reference as each case have different requirements and conditions that might be required more time to process. In the conclusion, we are very grateful to engage with Questra, they made the whole process was so smooth and less hassle for us. We highly recommended to engage with them if your need some assistance with your visa application.
ana vaca
June 5, 2023.
Highly recommend
Ioannis Karagiannis
May 25, 2023.
Very friendly staff who know what they are doing. They have helped me with my VISAs since I landed on Australia and they have been very professional and attentative to detail. They triple check everything before it gets lodged which makes me feel safe and confident that I can rely on them.
Angelo Vitale
May 23, 2023.
Simply amazing!! I have applied for 186 DE with Bill and his work has been perfect.
Great communication, always ready when I had a question or a doubt and great promptness. Absolutely recommended!
Namita Devi
May 6, 2023.
I have recently received notice that my 485 visa has been granted, after over three years of being separated from my family. I am extremely grateful for the excellent service provided by Bill and Dahiana from Questra Immigration. Their exceptional service, guidance, and expertise played a vital role in the successful outcome of my application, and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts. They were always available to answer my questions, offer advice, support and provide reassurance, even during my frustrating and emotional moments. This made a significant difference to my experience. I am truly grateful for their professionalism, dedication, and attention to detail, which ensured that my application was submitted accurately and efficiently. Their extensive knowledge of the visa application process and regulations gave me the confidence that my application was in the best hands possible. Their service and work was outstanding , and I would not hesitate to recommend their services to anyone in need of an immigration agent.
Maria Alejandra Bracho
April 24, 2023.
A+++ experience with Bill and his team as their support trough our 186 application was above and beyond at all times. Our Visa was granted within just a month of lodging and it wouldn’t have been possible without their extensive knowledge and top notch customer service. Thank You Questra! Highly recommend
Liliana Gracio
April 24, 2023.
Everyone at Questra have been absolutely amazing and delightful to work with. They have assisted me for some years, first with my Chef career pursuing my permanent residency and then with my partner visa. They are extremely competent and have given me all the support needed in these years. All the visas that I applied with their guidance was quickly approved. They do know what they are doing, and I wouldn’t trust anyone else.