Australia to issue unprecedented number of visas
Australia is well and truly opening its borders with a number of recent legislative changes and announcements which will:
· Remove the subclass 186 age requirement for legacy 457 visa holders.
· Allow applicants to apply for three (3) onshore short-term subclass 482 visas.
· Expand Australia’s migrant intake in the coming financial year.
These changes and program updates will see a substantial increase in the number of visas being granted.
Subclass 186 Age Concession
Today, the Australian government announced it will remove the age limit for legacy 457 visa holders to apply for permanent residency under the subclass 186 scheme.
A legacy 457 visa holder is a person who
· held a subclass 457 visa on or after 18 April 2017; and
· was in Australia for at least 12 months between 1 February 2020 and 14 December 2021.
The removal of the age requirement for legacy 457 visa holders will commence from 1 July 2022.
If you consider that you meet the above legacy criteria but are ineligible for PR on account of the fact you are 45 or over (or will be 45 or over at time of 186 application), please contact us and we will be pleased to assess your eligibility under this change.
If you will be less than 45 at time of application for PR under the 186 scheme, you are unaffected by this announcement.
Onshore short-term 482 applications
In addition to the above, the Department has also announced that from 1 July 2022, short-term 482 visa holders will now be able to apply for a third short-term 482 visa from within Australia.
The ability to apply for a third 482 short-term visa from within Australia will be available for applicants who:
· were in Australia as the holder of a subclass 482 visa in the short-term stream for periods that total at least 12 months between 1 February 2020 and 14 December 2021; and
· make that further application before 1 July 2023 (unless the Minister specifies a later date).
Prior to this announcement, the majority of short-term subclass 482 visa applicants were only permitted to lodge two (2) applications from within Australia and were required to be outside of Australia when lodging a third.
Increased visa numbers
To address Australia’s critical skills shortages, drive innovation, and attract investment, the Migration Program ceiling will increase to 160,000 places in the 2023 financial year.
The major benefactors of this announcement are:
· Skilled Migrants
· Families
· Working Holiday Makers
This is great news for families; Australian businesses who have been dealing with labour shortages, and for highly skilled individuals seeking to work and/or permanently reside in Australia.
Skilled migration
The Skilled migration stream will increase to 109,900 places which is more than 30,000 places above the 2021 financial year levels.
Within the Skill stream the categories of Employer Sponsored (30,000 places), Skilled Independent (16,652 places) and State & Territory Nominated (20,000 places) have all been significantly increased.
Regional visas will more than double to 25,000 places to support growth in regional Australia.
Business Innovation and Investment (9,500 places), Global Talent (8,448 places) and Distinguished Talent (300 places) categories will ensure that Australia remains a favoured destination for the world’s best and brightest individuals and entrepreneurs.
Skilled occupation lists will be reviewed and updated in early 2022-23 to reflect changes in Australia’s labour market. We will provide further information as and when this occurs.
Family stream
The Family stream will provide an estimated 50,000 places to support family reunion.
The Partner and Child visa categories are estimated to deliver 40,500 and 3,000 visas respectively (delivery of Partner and Child visas will be subject to demand and visa processing requirements); while 6,000 places will be available for Parent visas; and 500 places for Other Family visas.
Working Holiday Makers (WHM)
To support Australia’s economic future and the sustained growth of the tourism sector a one-off cap increase to the number of places available to WHMs from countries with which Australia has a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa arrangement will be introduced.
As a result, around 11,000 additional WHM visas will be available for prospective backpackers.
To further encourage the arrival of WHMs to Australia, between 19 January 2022 and 19 April 2022, Working Holiday Maker (WHM) (subclasses 417 and 462) visa holders who arrive in Australia can apply for a refund of the visa application charge (VAC).
If you would like more information, please contact a member of our team.
