Horticultural industry labour agreement from 1 Jan 2020; 31 occupations available

Horticultural industry labour agreement from 1 Jan 2020; 31 occupations available

An early Christmas present for Australia’s crop farmers was announced yesterday with a horticultural industry labour agreement to start from 1 January 2020. This comes with it an unprecedented 31 available occupations along with concessions for English, skills, salary, age and a pathway to a permanent visa.

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Occupation list changes for 2020: massage therapist, hairdressers, and gardeners set for the axe

Occupation list changes for 2020: massage therapist, hairdressers, and gardeners set for the axe

The Traffic Light Bulletin, which is a list of proposed changes to the various skilled occupation lists in 2020 has been released by the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business. Their recommendations include removing massage therapist, hairdressers, and gardeners, and adding three personal care workers. These changes, if implemented, will have serious implications for prospective skilled migrants. All proposed changes are listed.

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Labour agreements: A small but growing part of Australia’s skilled migration program

Labour agreements: A small but growing part of Australia’s skilled migration program

A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request provides keen insights into labour agreements up to July 2018, including processing times, popularity, and its use compared to the standard business sponsor regime for Subclass 482 – Temporary Skill Shortage visas and the Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme visa under either the Temporary Residence Transition stream or the Direct Entry stream.

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Regional 494 and 491 visas: Minimum salary/income threshold set to TSMIT $53,900 per year

Regional 494 and 491 visas: Minimum salary/income threshold set to TSMIT $53,900 per year

The Department of Home Affairs has made known that the minimum salary threshold for nominations for 494 visa and the minimum taxable income threshold for 191 visas will be pinned to the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) which is currently $53,900 per annum, with exceptions for 494 nominations under labour agreements and Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs). There is, however, an important difference on how this will operate for both visas.

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