Following on from yesterday's blog, we received further news today on the VETASSESS changes set to come into action from January 1, 2010. If you are a professional looking to emigrate to Australia, it's vital that you keep aware of this information.

See below for some of the key points we've received in direct correspondence from VETASSESS, as well as our comments.

"EXPIRY DATE FOR SKILLS ASSESSMENT

All Skills Assessments issued under the new arrangements will have a validity period of two years.  The expiry date will be twenty four months from the date of issue of the original Skills Assessment."

What this means is that, as hinted at in the initial announcement, skills assessments will now have an expiry date. They will no longer be accepted as sufficient evidence of an Australia visa applicant's skills once 24 months have passed since the positive assessment's date of issue.

"TRANSITION ARRANGEMENTS

All new applications received from January 2010 will be assessed under the new process.  VETASSESS recommends that applicants who apply in 2009 should submit all relevant documents and payment by 18 December 2009 to ensure that their application is assessed under the current system.  Otherwise, the new criteria may apply.  For applications received by VETASSESS in 2009, DIAC has allowed a three-month grace period from January to March 2010 for VETASSESS to finalise its pipeline cases for the general occupations.  However, no applications under the old process will be accepted in 2010.

 DIAC has advised assessing authorities that they will introduce ANZSCO to the skilled migration program later in 2010.  ETASSESS will consult with DIAC about the transition arrangements from ASCO to ANZSCO."

By 'pipeline cases', VETASSESS means all cases which have been lodged but not resolved by January 1, 2010. These cases will be given until March to be finalised, so should VETASSESS request additional information, applicants emigrating to Australia will still have a window in which to submit this.

The second piece of information relates to the MODL review which is yet to be fully revealed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), part of which is the switch from the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO) to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

Few timeframe details have been released regarding when this switch will happen, but it is interesting that VETASSESS state that this will happen 'later in 2010'; it remains to be seen whether by this they mean 'in the latter half of 2010' or simply 'after 1 January'.

"OCCUPATIONAL PROFILES

VETASSESS has developed lists of relevant fields of study and relevant tasks for its general occupations. It is in the process of contacting relevant industry and professional bodies for feedback on those occupational profiles.

A range of resources were used to develop these occupational profiles including the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s Australian Skills Recognition Information (ASRI) website; the Australian Bureau of Statistics websites for ASCO and ASCED (the Australian Standard Classification of Education); the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations website for Job Guide; the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) website sponsored by the US Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration; and education provider websites."

What this means is that VETASSESS has consulted a number of different official sources to qualify what will and won't be defined as 'relevant' (i.e. what is a 'highly relevant field of study' or 'relevant employment' to a specific nominated occupation).  Unfortunately, we still don't know whether or not they will be transparent in this process and make it clear to applicants emigrating to Australia what is and isn't relevant.

"TECHNICAL INTERVIEWS

Under the new arrangements, as part of the assessment process, VETASSESS will telephone some applicants to clarify information in the application, and to discuss the applicant’s occupational skills. No additional charge will apply for a technical interview."

While VETASSESS have not given any further details on this, the indication seems to be that applicants emigrating to Australia should be prepared to complete a telephone interview as part of the new assessment process.

"FEES AND APPLICATION FORMS

New fees will apply to applications for a skills assessment under the new process. The new fee schedule will be available on our website from 11 November 2009.  The new application forms will be on our website in December."

I think this is self-explanatory, as it indicates that necessary updates will be made to the application forms and fees. Unfortunately, no further details have been given regarding what the new fees will be.

I'll keep reporting on this issue as we get more updates in, but the message remains the same; stay calm but if you are able to, lodge your assessment with VETASSESS ASAP.

- Lauren Mennie is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

VETASSESS have just announced they are to implement a new policy for assessing all people applying to emigrate to Australia on 1 January, 2010.

The full announcement can be viewed as a PDF by clicking here, but I'd like to take the time to answer a few immediate questions you might have, should you be applying for an Australian skilled visa on the basis of having a positive assessment from VETASSESS .

Some of the occupations VETASSESS are responsible for assessing include:

• Office Manager (ASCO) 3291-11
• Urban and Regional Planner (ASCO) 2523-11
• Property Manager (ASCO) 3293-13
• Construction Project Manager (ASCO) 1191-11
• Financial Investment Advisor (ASCO) 3213-11  

Please note: These changes only apply to general professional occupations assessed by VETASSESS, NOT trades occupations. 

What changes are going to be made by VETASSESS?

Currently, VETASSES only demand that an applicant have a qualification 'comparable to the Australian standard' in order to receive a positive assessment, with no criteria set regarding the qualification content or work experience.

However, in order to receive a positive skills assessment through VETASSESS from 1 January 2010, applicants will now need to have:

• A qualification that is in a 'highly relevant field of study' to your nominated occupation; AND
• Between 1 year and 3 years (depending on occupation) of 'relevant employment' to your nominated occupation.

This clearly sets the bar higher for VETASSESS applicants, demanding that they present far more evidence demonstrating their experience and study as it directly correlates to their nominated occupation. Unfortunately, with the key term 'relevant' still remaining undefined, it's hard to provide more information on exactly how the new requirements will work.

Who will the changes affect?

The changes have the potential to affect anyone in a general professional occupation who is looking to be assessed under VETASSESS, but especially those who lack the necessary qualification or work experience to be positively assessed in their nominated occupation under the new rulings. 

It's also worth noting the following quote included in the announcement from VETASSESS:

"DIAC will continue to accept all VETASSESS Skill Assessments from both the old and new system provided that your nominated occupation remains on the Skilled Occupation List and VETASSESS is the designated assessing authority for that occupation.  However, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship may ask you to have a current VETASSESS assessment if there is a significant gap between the date of assessment and the date of applying for your visa."

Based on this quote, we can take it that anyone with a successful VETASSESS assessment but is currently holding off on lodging their visa application should look into proceeding ASAP, especially if they have any fears that they will not qualify under the new requirements.

What should I do at this time?

A number of migration pathways have been tightened or closed off due to restrictions implemented by both the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and the various Australian states and territories. As a result, some migrants could find that without the ability to receive a positive skills assessment from VETASSESS in a specific nominated occupation, they will lack any route to Australia.

Therefore, I strongly recommend that anyone who has had a request to apply for assessment from VETASSESS to apply ASAP, making sure to send as complete and 'decision-ready' application as possible.

VETASSESS are stating that if you lodge a complete application before 31 December, you will be assessed under the current rules (with the further recommendation that applicants ensure to send their applications no later than 18 December, in order for VETASSESS to receive the application in time).

However, if anything is missing from your application, then it is likely you will be assessed under the new criteria.

Even if you feel confident that you will qualify under the new criteria, it would still be preferable to be assessed under the current familiar criteria and be in the best position possible to avoid any potential hurdles to your migration.

- Lauren Mennie is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

From the 9th of November 2009, a new piece of legislation will be introduced to help expedite the onshore Australian partner visa application visa process for couples in de facto / same-sex relationships.

Current migration legislation allows married couples to be granted a temporary Australian partner visa without having to provide evidence of cohabitation, while those in de facto / same-sex relationships must still demonstrate evidence of cohabitation for the previous 12 months in order to be granted the visa. 

However, from the 9th of November, these same de facto / same sex couples can forego this evidentiary requirement when applying for a temporary partner visa, with the only obligation being that they register their relationship under one of the following prescribed Australian states or territories:

• Victoria
  
  For more information on the process of registering your de facto / same-sex relationship with the Victorian state government and to see the official application form, click here.
  
• Tasmania
  
  For more information on the process of registering your de facto / same-sex relationship with the Tasmanian state government and to see the official application form, click here.
  
• Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
  
  For more information on the process of registering your de facto / same-sex with the Australian Capital Territory government and to download the official application form, click here.

Australia has typically been one of the world's more progressive countries when it comes to recognising and acknowledging same sex relationships, and by introducing this new piece of legislation, the Australian government takes another step towards equality for couples from all backgrounds.

- Lauren Mennie is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau 

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

More changes to a number of Australia visa application forms are set to be made by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), with the 9th of November given as the date that the new forms will be introduced.

There will be both essential and non-essential changes made to dozens of forms, with a PDF summarising all the forms that will be changed available from the DIAC website by clicking here.  However, see below for some of the most commonly used forms that are going to have essential changed made to them:

• Form 40 - sponsorship for a parent to migrate (used when lodging an Australian contributory parent visa application)
• Form 47PA - application for a parent to migrate (also used for the Australian contributory parent visa)
• Form 80 - character assessment ( used for the Australian spouse visa, but DIAC have also be known to request that this form be submitted for Australian skilled visa applications) 
• Form 1276 - application for skilled migration (used for paper-based Australian skilled visa applications)

The medical forms 26 and 160 will also be updated, but these changes are non-essential so applicants may still use the ‘old’ versions for the time being (although we would advise very strongly that applicants use the most current Australian visa application form whenever possible). Look for the new versions of the forms to appear on DIAC's website on the 9th of November.

- Lauren Mennie is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

We received news yesterday that, from 1pm on Wednesday 23 September, a non-refundable fee of AU$220.00 will be charged by the Government of Western Australia for anyone lodging a skilled sponsorship application.

Applications lodged prior to this will not be required to pay the fee but, as the Western Australia Skilled State sponsorship online application system will be suspended until Wednesday 23 September, any applications not already lodged will be subject to this fee.

We are currently unsure whether the Government of Western Australia will be adding any additional requirements or criteria to the sponsorship application process. However, we will post further updates on the blog as we receive more information.

- Lauren Mennie is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

As of 16 September 2009, the sponsors of Australian child visa applications and Australian partner visa or prospective marriage visa applications which include a minor applicant will be required to provide a National Police Check as part of the assessment process.

The results of the National Police Check will be used by the department to ensure that children seeking to enter Australia are protected from being sponsored by people with convictions for child sex offences or other serious offences indicating that they might pose a significant risk to a child in their care.

This new requirement applies to new applications as well as any existing applications that have not already been decided.  Therefore, if you have yet to have your Australia visa application approved, your sponsor will be required to provide a National Police Check.

Will these checks lead to processing delays?

The requirement for sponsors to obtain an Australian National Police Check may lead to some delays in finalising existing visa applications. These are expected to be relatively short for the majority of cases where the result of the check does not indicate any significant convictions.

For new applications, it will be open to the sponsor to obtain the Australian National Police Check prior to making the visa application if they wish to do so to speed up processing of the visa application.

How can my sponsor obtain an Australian National Police Check?

An Australian National Police Check may be obtained from the Australian Federal Police. Information on obtaining the check is available from the AFP website (www.afp.gov.au/business/national_police_checks).

- Lauren Mennie is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

 We covered the first issues paper in a previous blog, but yesterday saw the Australian Government release the second issues paper for the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) review. 

Full details won't be available for some time, but the second issues paper does provide a little more explanation on what migrants and migration agents can expect from the review and the impact it will have on Australian General Skilled Migration (GSM).

What new information regarding the MODL review is in the second issues paper?

The most pertinent new information in the second issues paper is regarding the Future Skills List.  The Future Skills List is set to be the replacement for both the MODL and the Critical Skills List (CSL) as the tool used to select applicants with high value skills, and the Government is now considering three potential options:

1. No Future Skills List in the GSM process
   
   The first option is not to have an occupational targeting mechanism at all, essentially scrapping any scheme where applicants with 'in-demand' skills receive additional points towards their GSM points test. This would help ensure that the program is not filled by applicants with a narrow range of occupations and remove the perception from some applicants that having an MODL-listed nominated occupation provides an 'easy' avenue towards permanent skilled migration.
   
   However, the drawback is that there would then be no method to ensure a positive migration outcome for those who fail to meet the Points Test requirements by just a few points.
   
2. Future Skills List as component of GSM Points Test
   
   This option would see the MODL tied into the GSM points test, where applicants with recognised skills in a MODL occupation are awarded 5 points or 10 points where they had a job offer. A significant reduction of the points value would put less emphasis on the MODL as the best way to obtain a GSM Australia visa, while still rewarding applicants who have 'in-demand' skills.
   
3. Future Skills List replaces the CSL as a prioritisation mechanism
   
   This option would have the Future Skills List essentially replace the Critical Skills List (i.e. applicants nominating an occupation under the Future Skills List would have their application receive priority processing).
   
   However, while this would give the occupations in demand priority, it has the same drawbacks as removing the Future Skills List from the GSM process.  Additionally, it could see applicants with high Points Test scores being processed some time after applicants with lower Points Test scores who happen to have an occupation on the Future Skills List.

When will the MODL review be decided upon and the changes introduced?

The results of the review are still scheduled to be handed to the Australian government in October, 2009.  Additionally, the following section from the second issues list now gives us some idea of when and how the changes will be introduced:

"All three options for integrating a new Future Skills List with the GSM assessment process require complementary changes to the Points Test. A sensible transition period would need to be established to ensure a smooth administrative implementation and to provide potential applicants with adequate notice of changes to the eligibility requirements.

It would also be sensible to look to align any changes to MODL with DIAC’s plan to transition from using ASCO to ANZSCO as a basis for the SOL in the first half of 2010."

So, it can now be assumed that all the changes we previously anticipated will all be made, and the Government is hoping to launch all the changes as part of one, unified overhaul to the Australian migration program in early 2010.

However, with so many changes involved, it seems very possible that they'll be forced to stagger them over a series of months and some could arrive sooner than expected.  Until some more concrete announcements are made, it's hard to put too much stock in any prospective timeframe.

What does Visa Bureau advise applicants to do at this time?

Again, the message remains the same; critical changes to the Australian visa application process are coming and all visa applicants should work quickly towards lodging their visa application, if they have not already done so. Further information will be announced on our blog as and when we receive it.

- Lauren Mennie is Casework Department Manager of the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

We received a notification today that the Australian Government has released issues papers for, and called for comments to, the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) review.

While full details will not be released until later in the year, there is every sign that this latest MODL review will result in serious, lasting changes to the Australian General Skilled Migration (GSM) program which is why we are advising all our clients to lodge their visa applications as soon as possible.

Why is the MODL being reviewed?

Since its introduction in 1999, amendments to the MODL have not been uncommon. They typically take place approximately every 6 months and result in occupations being both added and removed from the list (with the number of occupations added usually outweighing the number of occupations removed).

However, it has been almost 18 months since the last MODL review. In that time, the Government has instead concentrated on introducing other methods of further targeting the skill needs of Australia, such as the launch of the Critical Skills List (CSL) in January, 2009.

However, on the back of the CSL being introduced, the Government sent clear signals that this new MODL review would be significant, due to the general feeling that the MODL was no longer sufficiently responsive.

What changes can be expected to come from this MODL review?

The details of the review are still being decided upon, but due to such factors as the current economic climate, the need for the GSM program to respond to future skill needs and the desire for a more integrated migration process, we anticipate that some (or possibly all) of the following changes will take place:

• Occupations will be removed from the MODL.
• The Critical Skills List will remain in place while the review is in progress and then be phased out following the implementation of any recommendations flowing from the review.
• The MODL will be integrated with the CSL and possibly the points test too, creating one, all-encompassing migration tool that will determine exactly which occupations will be most in demand, the points allocation for these occupations and the according processing timeframes.
• The older ASCO (Australian Standard Classification of Occupations) will be replaced by the ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations).

When will the MODL review be decided upon and the changes introduced?

The results of the review are scheduled to be handed to the Australian government in October, 2009 but it’s currently impossible for us to say how quickly the changes will then be put into action. Given that the nature of the project is to make the MODL more immediately responsive though, we can assume that once the changes have been agreed upon, they will be implemented sooner rather than later.

What does Visa Bureau advise applicants to do at this time?

At a time of such uncertainty, speed is of the essence, especially for clients whose occupation is currently listed on the MODL.

Also, while the ANZSCO mirrors the ASCO fairly closely in terms of its depth of classification, it can’t be guaranteed that every occupation will be accounted for when the replacement is made (providing another good reason for applicants in more specific jobs to move quickly before the MODL review takes place).

Further information will be announced on our blog as and when we receive it, but for now, the message that all visa applicants should take is to work quickly towards lodging their visa application, if they have not already done so. 

- Lauren Mennie is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Even after the changes made to sponsored Australia visa criteria on 1 July (as covered in this blog), yet more amendments have been made to the sponsorship criteria for the following states.

Western Australia 

The WA State Migration Centre has informed the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) of the following changes to WA Sponsorship:

English Requirements for Accountants

From 24 July, the WA State Migration Centre (SMC) requires all Accountants seeking state sponsorship to achieve a score of at least 7.0 in all four components of their International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. This applies to all applications lodged after this date including Graduate Students and applications from citizens from the following countries: UK, USA, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand.

Work Experience

Also from 24 July, the State Migration Centre (SMC) requires that all applicants who are required to demonstrate recent work experience must have worked for at least 12 months in the last 24 months in their nominated occupation they are seeking state sponsorship for.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Since 1 July, ACT have not been accepting applications for state sponsorship.  Unfortunately, any potential applicants will need to wait for the new ACT sponsorship list and policy to be announced.

South Australia

Sponsorship List

While we were under the assumption that South Australia were going to be making changes to their sponsorship list on 1 July, they've temporarily reverted back to the previous sponsorship list. However, it's still very hard to say what further changes can be expected and whether they'll be temporary or permanent measures, so it is still advisable for anyone looking for state sponsorship to apply for nomination as soon as possibe

Additionally, we've heard that South Australia are closing the capital investment scheme on 31 October. The capital investment scheme was re-opened on 29 January 2009, but with it set to be closed again, it's vital applicants who indicated they intended to lodge a capital investment  finalise their capital investment before the scheme is closed.

- Lauren Mennie is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Following on from my Australian immigration blogs regarding the changes coming from DIAC and the changes coming from the assessing bodies, I'd now like to discuss the changes that will be implemented by some of Australian States and Territories on 1 July.

South Australia state sponsorship changes

The current South Australia sponsorship lists are dated as being valid from 1 April - 30 June.  While they've yet to release anything officially, I think it can be assumed that a new set of provisional and permanent sponsorship lists for South Australia will be released on 1 July.

Western Australia English language requirement changes

Western Australia have stated the following on their website:

"The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has announced that from 1 July 2009 ALL offshore skilled visa applicants, other than those who are citizens of the UK, USA, Ireland, Canada or New Zealand, must obtain a score of at least 6 in each component of the IELTS test. When lodging a State sponsorship application, all applicants that are required to provide IELTS test results are now required to provide an eligible IELTS test result at time of application."

As a result, from 1 July, all applicants required to provide International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test results at any other stage of the visa application stage must also make sure to do so when applying for Western Australia state sponsorship.

ACT state sponsorship changes

The current Australian Capital Territory (ACT) sponsorship lists are set to close on the 1 July, and any ACT state sponsorship application received after this date will NOT be approved unless the application meets the criteria established by the new list that is set to be released mid-July.

Other State and Territory changes

As evident in the planned 1 July changes and the recent sponsorship list updates made by Queensland, the Australian States and Territories under pressure to react to the new demand created as a result of state sponsored visa applications receiving priority 1 processing status. However, it's still very hard to say what further changes can be expected and whether they'll be temporary or permanent measures, so it is still advisable for anyone looking for state sponsorship to apply for nomination as soon as possibe.

- Lauren Mennie is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.