Skilled Visa eNews – July 2019

Welcome to a new Transitional

program year!
You will be aware that the size and composition of
the permanent Migration Program is set by the
Commonwealth Government annually at Budget.
For program year 2019 – 2020 the planning level has
been set at 160,000 places with a rebalancing this
year to reduce the Skilled Independent category and
prioritise Employer Sponsored, Regional and State
and Territory Nominated visa categories. The focus
of the Migration Program continues to be on high
quality skilled migrants who bring maximum benefit
to Australian.
We look forward to working with you to ensure these
priorities are met.
Introducing the Global
Talent – Independent
arrangements for the
new Skilled Work
Regional visa
The special edition March 2019 of the skilled visa
newsletter provided details of the new regional visas
coming into effect in November 2019.
The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)
(subclass 491) visa will commence on 16 November
2019. The Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass
489) visa will cease at 11:59pm on 15 November
2019. This will affect the ability of states and
territories to nominate and issue invitations for the
subclass 489 visa and for intending migrants to
lodge EOIs and lodge applications for this visa in
accordance with the table below.
Key dates to note are:

program Date Action

In December 2018, the Australian Government LAST day for states

announced the Global Talent – Initiative program, 10 September 2019 and territory
recently renamed the Global Talent - Independent governments to
(GTI), to strengthen Australia’s ability to identify, nominate and for
attract and invite the best and brightest skilled invitations to be issued
migrants from across the globe. This program builds to an intending migrant
on existing measures, including the Global Talent – for a subclass 489 visa.
Employer Sponsored program and Supporting
Innovation in South Australia pilots, which have been LAST day for intending
developed to respond to industry and employers’ migrants to lodge an
need for flexible, future-focussed visa arrangements EOI in SkillSelect for
that help attract global talent to Australia. the subclass 489 visa.

GTI will identify high-calibre candidates, at the top of 15 November 2019 LAST day for people
their profession, through active targeting and who have been invited
promotion in Australia and overseas. This program to apply for a subclass
includes up to 5,000 permanent migration places for 489 visa to lodge a
the 2019-20 program year (this figure includes subclass 489 visa
primary and secondary applicants). application.
More information on the GTI program will be
released shortly.
  WA Goldfields, Western Australia
From 16 November Intending migrants can
(Goldfields)
2019 lodge an EOI for the
subclass 491 visa.  Regional South Australia
State and territory  Adelaide City
governments can
nominate and  Orana NSW
invitations are able to  Far North QLD.
be issued to an
intending migrant for a More information is available on the Department’s
subclass 491 visa.
website at: designated area migration agreements.
Visa applications can
be lodged for the Consolidation of the temporary
subclass 491 visa for and permanent employer
intending migrants sponsored visa program mailbox
issued with an
invitation to apply. From 1 July 2019 there will be a consolidation of
employer sponsored mailboxes with
It is important to note that throughout this period employer.sponsored.PM@homeaffairs.gov.au
nominations, invitations, EOIs and applications are being the principal point of contact for the TSS and
NOT affected for the 189 or 190 visa subclasses. permanent employer sponsored visa programs. The
sponsored.skilled@homeaffairs.gov.au mailbox will
More information is available on the Department’s close and cease to be monitored. Any outstanding
website at: new regional visas. items in this mailbox that are still unfinalised on
1 July 2019 will be transferred to the other mailbox
Employer sponsored for actioning.

visas update Subject line topic requirements when sending emails

Visas for General Practitioners
(GPs) initiative
Changes to ImmiAccount in respect of the Visas for
GPs initiative were introduced on 30 June 2019.
Additional information is included in the PDF
documents accompanying this newsletter.
Further information regarding the Visas for GPs
initiative, how to request a Health Workforce
Certificate and Rural Workforce Agencies is on the
Department of Health’s website.
Expansion of Designated Area
Migration Agreements (DAMA)
program
The special edition March 2019 of the skilled visa
newsletter highlighted the proposed expansion of
the DAMA program. This program gives regional
employers access to a broader range of overseas
workers than is available through the standard TSS
visa program and ENS.
DAMAs are now in place for the following locations:
 Northern Territory
 Great South Coast, Victoria
to the mailbox remain the same – if you send an
email they will also be part of the auto-reply you
receive.
More information is available on the Department’s
website at: skilled migration program help and
support.
Migration Agents
feedback
Concerns about the active
operation of a business
The Department has received feedback where some
businesses have been engaged in fraudulent
‘payment for visa’ activity.
In one case, an Indian restaurant was still advertising
for a Chef in a local newspaper while other local
shop owners expressed frustration the Indian
restaurant was never open. These shop owners
were keen to see ‘foot traffic’ increase through
restaurants operating and attracting customers to
their location.
If migration agents have concerns about the active
operation of a business please notify
employer.sponsored.PM@homeaffairs.gov.au.

Skilled Visa eNews – July 2019 | 2

Quality issues with permanent
employer sponsored visa
applications
The Department is seeing an increase in permanent
employer sponsored visa applications with ineligible
visa subclasses, streams or ANZSCO codes entered
in the nomination or associated visa application.
Migration agents are reminded to ensure accuracy
and care when completing ENS and RSMS
nomination and visa applications. Errors of this
nature can impact the outcome of an application and
increase processing times.

Other information
Children born on-shore to visa
holders
Migration agents are reminded that when a client has
a baby while in Australia, the client must advise the
Department about the baby as soon as possible,
even if they do not have a passport yet. Not notifying
the Department can lead to complications in the
baby’s status if the child is taken offshore.
Under current legislation, the child will be considered
to hold any visa that the visa holder and the other
parent held when the baby was born, but the
Department must be notified for this to occur.
More information is available on the Department’s
website at: change in situation - had a baby.

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