Global (Distinguished) Talent Independent Program…another roll of the innovation visa dice

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Global (Distinguished) Talent Independent Program…another roll of the innovation visa dice

Details that candidates for the Global Talent Independent Program will be applying for a Distinguished Talent visa was made known yesterday in an email to stakeholders and on the Department of Home Affairs’ website. While this makes good sense, being able to ascertain the effectiveness of the program will be much harder down the years, not least because distinguished talent visas are permanent visas.

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

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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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491 and 494 visas: 2,000 more regional visas; regional areas defined; extra year for graduates clarified

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491 and 494 visas: 2,000 more regional visas; regional areas defined; extra year for graduates clarified

Today, the Government announced there will be an increase of 2,000 regional visas due to the high demand and a rise in visa grants in the first quarter of the program year. The regional/non-regional dichotomy will be split into three categories: Major cities, Cities and major regional centres, and Regional centres and all other locations. This will impact the new Subclass 494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa and Subclass 491 – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa. Incentives for these areas are also explained, including the potential for an additional 2 years for international students who study at a regional university for a Subclass 485 - Temporary Graduate visa under the Post-Study Work stream.

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

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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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