Changes to Australia Immigration System in 2019

In 2019, changes to Australia visa programs signify the shift of focus towards regional and family immigration. While some of the changes are already in affect, others have only been announced. Like always, immigration authorities in Australia are dedicated towards providing immigrants with more opportunities to live a healthier and holistic life.

Here are the top changes to Australia Immigration System in 2019:

Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA)

Australia made an announcement for low skilled work visa that enables workers with lower educational qualification to get into the country. The primary focus of this visa will be to bring in workers for industries like agriculture, farming and hospitality. Further, it will boost the workforce of regional Australia which has witnessed a population decline in the recent years.

The low skilled work visa will be a regional sponsored visa. Therefore, the immigrant would be required to live and work in the sponsoring region for at least 3 years. Prior to this, immigrants with a regional sponsored visa had to live and work in the region for at least 5 years. The time was curtailed to provide more flexibility to both regions and immigrants.

Miguel Seibert, a migration agent in Darwin says, “this is a very good thing, in particular in light of the recent immigration law reforms which increased the requirements for most employer-sponsored visas and general skilled migration, such as higher qualifications, more work experience, and higher English language skills.”

This is indeed true, as the requirements for a regional low skilled visa won’t be as demanding as for high skilled visas. Immigrants can choose from 117 low skilled occupations for a DAMA visa. After 3 years of stay in the sponsoring region, the immigrant will be eligible to apply for an Australian Permanent Residency Visa.

Sponsored Parent (Temporary) Visa

Australia has announced the launch of the new sponsored parent (temporary) visa. The sponsorship applications for the same can be submitted from April 17, 2019. Via this visa, immigrants and permanent residents of Australia will be able to sponsor their parents for a temporary visa. The two step method for the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa includes:

1. Get the sponsorship approved

2. Get the application for Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa approved

Key details for the sponsorship program are mentioned below:

Cost of Visa

3 year: $5,000

5 year: $10,000

10 year: $20,000

Extension of 5 years can be sought by submitting extra fee

Around 15,000 applications will be approved each year

Sponsors are required to pay for the private healthcare of their parents

Sponsor must be one of:

Australian Citizen

Australian permanent residency

New Zealand Citizen

Unlike the Parent Visa (Subclass 103,) this visa won’t enable the visa holder to apply for permanent residency. Also, after 10 years of stay in Australia, the immigrant won’t be allowed to apply for a visa extension.

While announcing the launch of this new visa, David Coleman, Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs said, “Up to 15,000 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visas may be granted each year, ensuring reunions are possible for many families. This will make a big difference to many Australian families.”

Faster Processing of Regional Visas

Australia is all set to invest AUD 19.4 million to fast track the processing of regional visa applications. This investment will erase the backlog and provide enough resources to process the new applications at a faster rate. This move is aimed to reduce the negative impact of population shift from regional Australia to urban cities. The shift has resulted in unavailability of key professions like Doctors and Engineers in regional Australia.

According to Josh Frydenberg, Treasurer, "Two-thirds of new immigrants are going to our capital cities, in particular Sydney, Melbourne and in southeast Queensland...This is creating pressures on infrastructure, not only on our roads but also on our public transport, creating pressures on health, on education and other essential services."

As a solution, he recommends, "To send people where the jobs are and we need to cooperate across state and territories."

Till now, these are the major changes to Australia immigration in 2019. For information on any recent changes, you can visit our blogs.

Immigration Xperts

Australia PR visas are difficult to acquire due to the sheer number of applicants. As a developed country, Australia receives many applications for permanent residency. Hence to get your visa approved easily, you must rely on a certified migration agent for Australia. Certified migration agents to Australia are registered with MARA (Migration Agents Registrations Authority.)

If you want to acquire an Australia PR, then reach out to our MARA certified immigration agents at:

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0120- 6618011

0120-6618123 

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