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Frequently Asked Questions – Attestation

On 1 April 2009, the Minster for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans announced a requirement for sponsors to attest in writing that they have a strong record of, or a demonstrated commitment to employing local labour  and non-discriminatory employment practices.

What the heck is an attestation?

Attestation is the  witnessing of the execution by the method that is appropriate to the situation.

Attestation of a document is certification that the document has been executed correctly and is signed by the witness or witnesses to the execution. Continue Reading

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Yesterday we posted an article detailing the significant delays for folks applying under certain visa classes and following numerous discussions in our forum on the topic a number of additional factors have come to light.

Firstly, Visa Subclasses 485 (Skilled – Graduate visa) 476 (Skilled – Recognised Graduate visa), 487 (Skilled – Regional Sponsored visa and 887 (Skilled – Regional Residence visa) are exempt from the priority processing changes.

Applications under these subclasses will continue to be processed in the order in which they were received by the Department of immigration so if your applying under these visa classes then you shouldn’t be impacted.

The Australian Imigration Department have also confirmed that these changes will not affect people who have or are going to apply for Tourist, Family, Spouse or Prospective Marriage visas!

As before, we would encourage you to post in our forums if you have any specific questions. Lots of discussions in this thread

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The Australian Immigration and Citizenship department have started issuing letters to visa applicants who have applied for Australian Residency under certain visa classes.

The letter confirms that priority will be given to applicants who are applying under the employer or state sponsored visa classes. In addition the letter also confirms that priority will remain for those holding a primary occupation which is listed on the Critical Skills List (CSL)

Essentially though, the letter goes onto confirm that if you do not fall into one of these three categories, it now looks almost certain that the processing of your application will be delayed into the 2010 – 1011 Migration program year.

The key text taken from the letter is as follows: Continue Reading

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The Australian visa application fee increases have been formally announced, with the skilled migration fee set to increase by 20 per cent as of 1 July 2009.

The Australian Government reviews the Australian visa application fees on an annual basis, as part of the release of the Federal Budget release. Typically, fees will increase in accordance with changes in the Consumer Price Index, resulting in an increase of approx. AU$40 – AU$60 for the skilled migration visa application fee.

However, this year has seen a 20 per cent increase applied to some Australian visa application fees, including the skilled migration fee. Continue Reading

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G’Day UK 2009 kicks off this weekend delivering two weeks of food, wine, cultural and business events.

Top of the list will be Australian immigration and tourism which will be sold to Brits interested in making the move Down Under.

Being a major source of skilled workers and tourists for Australia, organisers of G’Day Week have targeted the UK to showcase Australian immigration and Australian tourism.

G’Day UK 2009 is a chance for Australian celebrities, governments, businesses and agencies to show off the sunshine in Australia. Two week’s worth of events will showcase Australia as a place of investment, tourism, business, and more importantly, as a prime destination for skilled migrants. Continue Reading

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Alan Collett at Go Matilda often writes a good article and his more recent article;   ’skilled migration, dispelling the myths’ is no exception.

Within the article, Alan talks about some of the misconceptions now held by people looking to make the move down under following the announced changes to the skilled migration program made towards the end of last year.

In no particular order, here are some of the comments heard in recent months:

Australia has stopped accepting skilled migrants

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Australia’s skilled migration program (the amount of visas the Immigration Minister requires his Department to grant annually) is the highest on record this year, with a planned 115,000 skilled visas to be granted in the year to 30th of June, 2009. Continue Reading

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I read a very interesting letter printed in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning

Within the letter a chap by the name of Michael Jones writes about the strong link between overseas students studying in Australia and perminant Australian residency. He also points out that the $16 billion education industry, our third largest export earner, is largely about selling visas, not education. Very strong words indeed!

Now the thing is… Does he have a point?

I think for starters it’s fair to say that there is indeed a very strong link. Afterall, anyone applying for permanent residency under the skilled migration program needs to show acceptable qualifications and 12 months’ recent, full-time, skilled employment. On the other hand, those with an ‘Australian qualification’ can, after only two years’ study in Australia, qualify for a permanent visa without any work experience, or any intention to work in their field of study. Continue Reading

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The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) has warned the government that work on infrastructure projects will be difficult to accomplish following the decision to put restrictions on the skilled migration program.

While the MIA welcomed the Australian immigration ministers decision to increase the number of humanitarian and family reunion Australian visas for the 2009/10 Migration Program, they were less than impressed with the decision to remove a number of trade-level occupations from the skilled occupation list.

“The MIA awaits with great interest to see how the Government proposes to administer the new job-readiness criteria for trade occupations. It’s hard to imagine a one-size-fits-all assessment system of employability,” said Maurene Horder, CEO of the Migration Institute of Australia. Continue Reading

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There is less than one month to go before the changes to the Australian skilled migration will come into effect, as outlined in last month’s release of the 2009-10 Budget.

As of the 1 July, the Australian skilled migration program will be downsized again, so that only 108,100 skilled visas are available for people emigrating to Australia. Further, as of this date, the Government will raise the English language requirements for trades occupations in the independent skilled migration pathway so that overseas workers in trade positions are better prepared for working in the Australian workforce.

The Government has made it harder for people emigrating to Australia through the Australian skilled migration program during the recession so that those skilled workers emigrating to Australia support economic growth rather than unnecessarily add to employment competition. Not only has the Government been gradually downsizing the skilled migration program, but it has also implemented a priority processing order for all Australian skilled visas so that the program can target the skills it needs. Continue Reading

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A world-wide survey has found that Australia has been voted the best place for business during the economic downturn, meaning that all those emigrating to Australia will benefit from greater investment security and a stronger economy during the recessionary and recovery period.

As we reported earlier this year, the government restricted the Australian skilled migration program so that fewer people are emigrating to Australia during the recession. Despite this, the program remains at significantly high levels, with 108,100 places for skilled migration to Australia, and the government has sufficient reasons for doing so.

While other countries such as the UK are deeply entrenched in the recession, Australia seems to be fairing well and are even tipped to come out stronger than before. Continue Reading

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Following last week’s changes to the Australian skilled migration program, occupations have been removed from the temporary business Australian visa (subclass 457) program in line with the current needs of the Australian economy.

The temporary business Australian visa (subclass 457) program allows employers to sponsor overseas workers to work in Australia on a temporary Australian working visa. While employers must first prove that there are no local workers available to take that position before they sponsor an overseas worker, the Australian immigration department has taken further measures to cut back the program so that Australians have a better chance of employment during the global recession. Continue Reading

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The Australian Immigration Authority has recently published the latest edition of their booklet titled “Beginning a life in Australia”.

The booklets welcome newly-arrived migrants to Australia and provide useful national, state/territory and local settlement information.

This information is available to download in PDF format and is provided in English and 37 community languages for each state and territory.

The document is broken down into 14 sections and covers approx 60 Pages Continue Reading

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The Rudd Government is going to announce its latest budget tonight with an expected deficit of about $60 billion most likely making the biggest headline.

For those looking at making the move down under however, the slashing of a further 7000 places from the general skilled migration intake will be the news that hurts the most!

The cut will take the general skilled migration intake for the next financial year to 108,000.

Added to the decision in March to axe 18,500 places, the total reduction of 25,500 will constitute a 20 per cent cut to the program. Continue Reading

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Changes to the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) have been made by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) in consultation with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).

The Skilled Occupations List (SOL) lists all occupations that the Government considers to be a skilled profession for purposes of migration to Australia. Applicants for a General Skilled Migration visa must nominate a skilled occupation listed on the SOL in order to gain points towards their Australian visa application.

They must also have their nominated skills assessed by an approved assessing body before their application will be accepted by DIAC. Continue Reading

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Australian visa holders who own or who are looking to buy property in Australia are now subject to updated policies.

As of the 31st March 2009, Australian visa holders must adhere to new regulations implemented by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).

These include the re-definition of ‘temporary residents’ for investment purposes. An Australian temporary resident includes all holders of a temporary Australian visa that has a validity period greater than 12 months, or all non-Australian citizens who have submitted an Australian visa application for permanent residency (PR) and are holders of a bridging visa that allows them to stay in Australia until DIAC approves their PR application. Continue Reading

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Yet more restrictions  on the number of options for wannabe Aussies with the Australian business visa program (under the Skills Stream) being capped until the start of the next financial year, 01 July 2009.

The Australian business visa program allows investors and senior executives to settle in Australia so that they may develop opportunities in Australian business.

The Australian Government provides two options for emigrating to Australia through the business skills stream.

These include the Provisional Business visa, which can result in a permanent Australian visa, and the Permanent Residence Business visa, for those sponsored by a State/Territory.

Four types of people can apply for an Australian business visa in the Skills Stream, including owners/part-owners of a business, senior executives of major businesses, investors, and senior managers who have sponsorship from a State/Territory government.

In response to the current economic conditions, the Government assessed the number of people emigrating to Australia through the Australian business visa program and how that matched with the planning levels for Australian General Skilled Migration, and has decided to cap this financial year’s business skills visas.

This means that until 01 July 2009, no more than 6,650 offshore Australian business skills visas (class EA and UR) can be approved by the Government and an overall limit of 7,500 places for both onshore and offshore business skills visas.

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