December 30th, 2023 at 04:28 am
6 Changes in Australian Immigration for International Students ~ Australia Immigration
As you are undoubtedly aware, Australia has made significant adjustments to its laws regarding student visas to support legitimate students and strengthen the credibility of international education. This update provides an overview of all the developments that will assist you in making decisions about your future as an international student in Australia. Among these modifications are
- Reduction of post-study work visa duration
- End of COVID-19 pandemic concessions
- Increased Financial requirements
- Enhanced scrutiny of visa application
- Streamlining of graduate Visa route
- Increased English language requirements
1. Reduction of post-study work visa duration
The Australian government has reduced the amount of time that international students can work after studying by two years. It should be emphasized that master’s students in several subjects will now have three years rather than five, while undergraduates in some programs who were previously eligible for four years of post-study work will now only have two years.
2. End of COVID-19 pandemic concessions
It has also been verified that the COVID-19 pandemic concessions have ended. Note that certain accommodations made during the pandemic, such as the lifting of the cap on working hours for international students, will no longer be in place.
3. Increased financial requirements
There were also announcements of increased financial needs. Note that international students will now need to save 24,500 Australian dollars (a 17% increase from prior levels) to apply for a visa.
An introduction to the actual student test was also given. Instead of giving priority to career opportunities in Australia, the purpose of this new test designed to verify if international students are indeed interested in studying at Australian universities is the goal of the genuine student test. It takes the place of the prior actual temporary entering responsibility.
4. Enhanced scrutiny of visa application
Additionally, expect a closer examination of your visa applications. Aside from that, it was announced that the Visa Processing Unit will be strengthened to stop Visa hopping and more quickly review applications for fake student visas.
5. Streamlining of graduate Visa route
The processes for obtaining graduate visas will be simplified. The current pathways for converting student visas to graduate visas will be simplified into more straightforward Routes referred to be post-vocational and post-higher education work
6. Increased English Language Requirements
Please be aware that starting in early 2024, the minimum English language proficiency requirements for graduate and student visas will be increased to Al scores of 6.0 for student visas and 6.5 for temporary graduate visas.
Please remember that the Australian government is implementing these new regulations as part of a larger plan to ensure that graduates are hired for positions that appropriately match their qualifications and skill sets, particularly in industries where there is a skills shortage. This change in approach follows a worldwide trend of nations reevaluating their policies on international students to strike a balance between educational possibilities and domestic labor market demands.
Australia Major Visa Changes 2023
We’ll look over the most recent developments in the employer-sponsored sector as 2023 comes to an end and give you an idea of what the Australian government’s immigration policy has in store for you.
1. Pathway to PR for 482 Visa Holders
No matter what their occupation, all holders of subclass 482 visas now have a path to permanent residency under the subclass 186 Employer Nomination Visa Temporary Residence Transition Stream. Like the Subclass 482 Visa, there are two requirements for this Employer Sponsored Visa: an application and a nomination.
The person on a 482 Visa needs to have performed the job duties for at least two years. Furthermore, the employees must stay open for at least two years following the issuance of the visa, and their wages must surpass the new temporary skilled migration income criterion of $70,000. Regulations regarding the application deadline for holders of 482 short-term visas—which are only valid for two years—are now awaited.
2. Introduction of New Visa
The Subclass 482 Visa will close to new applicants very shortly. A completely new Skills In-Demand Visa will replace it instead. The following changes are significant even though there will be numerous differences between this visa and Subclass 482, and consultation is still required in certain cases;
Subject to further feedback, a monthly payment plan is being explored as a potential substitute for upfront expenses such as those related to the Skilling Australia Fund. Visa holders may continue working for any approved employer throughout the 180 days they have to find new employment, as this will count toward gaining permanent residency.
There will be an authorized sponsor registry that is available to the public, which will include information about the number of migrants supported and their vocations.
3. Migration Strategy
The recently released migration strategy centers on changes to the skilled migration program and company policies. Among the strategy’s primary objectives are improving living standards, ensuring workplace equity, building stronger Australian communities, strengthening partnerships with other nations, and simplifying the immigration process.
Australia’s 10-year migration policy, which outlines the nation’s current migration figures as well as any recommended changes, was released by the government. Australia’s net migration is expected to decline to more typical levels with 250,000 in 2025 and 375,000 in the following year, after peaking at 510,000 in the previous fiscal year.
Several noteworthy enhancements have been made to the Australian government’s new migration policy, some of which are targeted at migrant workers.
4. Working Holiday Makers
On December 31, 2023, working holiday visa holders who began employment with an organization before July 1, 2023, will be released from their six-month work limitation. Certain exceptions to the work restriction were previously in effect for the cultivation of plants and animals, employment in highly sought-after industries in Northern Australia, or employment in many locations as long as one location was occupied for no longer than six months at a period.
There are no exceptions to the six-month work ban, according to the most latest materials from the Department of Home Affairs. The department expects that The Minister’s office will announce temporary policy settings to address this issue. These communicate as soon as they become available.
5. Labor Market Testing
Testing for the job market has evolved. Effective December 11, the changes remove the requirement to post job adverts for all designated openings on the Workforce Australia website and define the parameters for overlap and advertising. When an advertisement runs on a platform for 14 days and then reruns for another 14 days to fulfill the statutory 28 days, this is known as an overlapping advertisement.
For labor market testing, these advertisements must overlap by a minimum of one day, and overlapping days only taken into account once. A further 14-day advertisement requires posting on December 14 if, for example, a 14-day advertisement posted on December 1.
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