News

Changes to GSM Skilled Occupation Lists (SOL) From 5th December 2010, the changes to the Skilled Occupation Lists are: Schedule 2 SOL 1. Building and Engineering Technicians nec - 312999 Engineers Australia has been added to Vetassess as an Assessing Authority. 2. TRA is now the Assessing Authority for the following occupations: Motor Mechanic (General) - 321211 Diesel Motor Mechanic – 321212 Motorcycle Mechanic – 321213 Electrician (General) – 341111 Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic – ... Read More

Northern Territory (NT) State Migration Plan The Northern Territory’s State Migration Plan is now available on the Northern Territory Government’s website. http://www.migration.nt.gov.au/documents/SMP_Shortage_List_FA.pdf  The website is in the process of being updated with more detailed guidelines. The applicant must show that they have close ties with the NT  and this must be verified. Read More

Student Visas: Change of Course Types for Student Visa Subclasses Effective from 1 January 2011, Diplomas can only be studied under Subclass 572 if they are Vocational Education and Training Diplomas, and Advanced Diplomas can only be studied under Subclass 572 if they are Vocational Education and Training Advanced Diplomas. Certificates (other than Certificate I, II, III and IV, and other than ELICOS), Advanced Certificates and Associate Diplomas have been removed from the Subclass 572 list. ... Read More

 New General Skilled Migration (GSM) Points Test to apply from 1 July 2011 - The Minister for Immigration the Hon Chris Bowen MP has today announced a new General Skilled Migration (GSM) Points Test to apply from 1 July 2011 with a new Pass Mark of 65 points. This change will not affect every type of skilled migration visa and only applies to applicants for the following visas: Subclass 885 Skilled Independent Subclass 886 Skilled Sponsored Subclass 487 Skilled Regional Sponsored Subclass 175 ... Read More

A.C.T. Implements State Migration Plan The SMP Occupation List identifies occupations that are currently in demand in Canberra.  The occupations listed do not relate to a specific job vacancy, nor represent a guarantee of a job in a specific occupation. The applicant should understand that the ACT Government is NOT responsible for finding them employment or for providing any form of financial assistance. Applicants must compete for positions with all people in the labour market as part of the ... Read More

Victoria implements the State Migration Plan - Under Plans, state and territories are able to nominate only those applicants whose nominated occupation is included on their respective Plan. States and territories will however have some limited capacity to nominate applicants where their occupation is not specified on their Plan. These provisions allow states further flexibility in providing nominations which may be valuable in meeting shortages in very specialised occupations. The availability ... Read More

As reported by the AFP, Australia has been named the 2nd best place to live in the world! The United Nations has named oil-rich Norway as the country with the best quality of life, followed by Australia and New Zealand, while Asia has made the biggest strides in recent decades. However, the UN's annual A-to-Z of global wealth, poverty, health and education highlighted that it is becoming ever more difficult to break into the rich club of nations. Norway - with its 81 years of life expectancy and ... Read More

Partner Visa Processing Changes From 1 October 2010 When an applicant lodges an application for a Partner (Temporary) visa they in effect also lodge an application for a Partner (Permanent) visa the assessment of which is usually is done two (2) years after the original application was made. Please note the following the changes: If the original Partner visa application was lodged at an overseas post (on of after 1 October 2008), and the permanent visa assessment is due on or after 1 October ... Read More

The Department of Immigration and Border Patrol (DIBP) has announced new General Skilled Migration (GSM) processing priorities: 1.     Applications from people who are employer sponsored under the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS); 2.     Applications from people who are nominated by a state or territory government agency with a nominated occupation that is specified on that state or territory’s state migration plan: - Applications which have ... Read More

Studying in Australia after July 2010 Obviously the legislative changes in relation to the new Skilled Occupation List (SOL) for General Skilled Migration (GSM) purposes has had and will continue to have far reaching consequences in terms of the Student Visa Program numbers. In the past, some overseas students may have made educational decisions on the basis of choosing a course which could lead to obtaining a Pre Application Skills Assessment (PASA) in an occupation which would allow them to ... Read More