Latest Australian Immigration News

The latest news on Australian immigration, including changes to regulations, government policy announcements, and analysis of media releases affecting current and future applications.

Latest Australian immigration news

For Australian immigration news and important announcements. To receive notifications as they are posted, make sure you follow Peak Migration's Linkedin page or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Disclaimer: Any posted material is not intended to be immigration advice and does not purport to represent all requirements for a successful application or applications. No person should act on the basis of the material contained in any post without obtaining advice relevant to their situation, and without considering and taking professional advice where necessary. All opinion expressed is that of the author and nobody else.

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November 25, 2021

457/482: Age caps lifted for 457 visa holders for PR, Short-term stream pathway for 482 visa holders; Switzerland added to WHM visa program

November 25, 2021/ Alex Petrakos

The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs announced a raft of changes today that will see the age cap for legacy 457 visa holders lifted and a pathway to permanent visas for 482 visa holders in the Short-term steam. Major benefits to 485 visas were also announced. Switzerland will be added to the WHM program from 1 January 2022.

November 22, 2021

BREAKING: Vaccinated temporary visa holders allowed to enter Australia from 1 December 2021, visitor and bridging visa holders absent

November 22, 2021/ Alex Petrakos

Temporary visa holders will be able to enter Australia from 1 December 2021 without the need for a travel exemption provided they are fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption. Notable exclusions from this major announcement are visitor visas and bridging visas.

November 01, 2021

491/494/190 visas: Bar from further application lifts from 13 November 2021; Hong Kong pathway to PR from 5 March 2022

November 01, 2021/ Alex Petrakos

For the first time in many years three skilled visas have been added to the small list of visas for those affected by the infamous section 48 bar from 13 November 2021. New streams for the 189 and 191 permanent visas have been registered for Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders to apply from 5 March 2022.

July 18, 2021

COVID-19: Over half of inbound travel exemptions for 457/482 visa holders refused

July 18, 2021/ Alex Petrakos

The number of inbound travel exemptions approved for 457 or 482 visa holders from 1 August 2020 to February 2021 was just under half of all applications decided during this time. Critical skills represented over 86 per cent of approved travel exemptions for these visa holders.