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Lamont Migration Agency will keep you informed on the latest changes affecting migration to Australia.
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Lamont Migration Agency will keep you informed on the latest changes affecting migration to Australia.
Please subscribe to our free email newsletter so you can automatically receive our news updates.
Skills Assessment for Onshore GSM applications: subclasses 885, 886 & 487
From 1 January 2010, applicants for Subclasses 487, 885 and 886 must have obtained a suitable skill assessment from the relevant skills assessing authority prior to making their visa application.
If the suitable skills assessment is not provided with the application, the application will not be valid.
JobReady Test (JRT) for onshore GSM applicants
From 1 January 2010, applicants for Subclasses 487, 885 and 886 nominating a trade occupation will be required to undertake a JobReady Test as part of their skills assessment.
From 1 January 2010, these applicants must have obtained a suitable skill assessment dated on or after 1 January 2010.
Work experience requirements for offshore GSM Subclass 475, 175 & 176 applicants. From 1 January 2010, offshore GSM visa applicants nominating a trade occupation will not be able to apply for a GSM visa based on meeting the Australian study requirement. They will have to satisfy the recent work experience requirement (12 months relevant work experience in the last 24 months).
English language requirements
From 1 January 2010, the English language requirement for all GSM applicants who nominate a trade occupation will be a minimum of 6 in each of the four components of the IELTS test (Competent English)
For Skilled – Regional Sponsored GSM visa subclasses 475 and 487, the threshold English language requirement will be an average of 6 in the IELTS test.
Vetassess Skills Assessment changesThe new assessment procedures mean that the qualifications must be in a field of study highly relevant to the nominated occupation, at least one year of employment in a field closely related to the nominated occupation, there is some allowance for extra work experience to make up for shortfalls in qualifications. All Vetassess occupations are classified as group al B , C or D, and these reflect different qualification and employment requirements.
For subclass 485 applicants, the Vetassess skills assessment requires a qualification in a field of study highly relevant to the nominated occupation, but does not require work experience. The work experience will be required when they apply for another GSM visa after they have gained work experience.
New South Wales and Victoria had the most skilled migrant arrivals in 2008-09, according to new figures released today by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).
Of the 69 456 skilled migrants who came to Australia, approximately 55 per cent moved to the two states, with a total of the 19, 071 settling in New South Wales and 18, 630 in Victoria.
Overall, arrivals in 2008-09-show New Zealand and the United Kingdom are the greatest source countries by birth for all settler arrivals, accounting for almost 30 per cent of the 158, 021 permanent arrivals in 2008-09.
The next largest source countries were India (17 283 up from 15 338), China (15 803 up from 12 959) and South Africa (7201 up from 5166).
The Minister has set priority processing arrangements, which apply to the following visas from 23 September 2009:
Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)
General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas except for:
Skilled – Recognised Graduate Subclass 476
Skilled – Designated Area – Sponsored (Residence) Subclass 883
Skilled – Regional Subclass 887.
The following General Skilled Migration visas are affected by priority processing:
Skill Matching Subclass 134
•
Skilled – Independent Subclass 136
•
Skilled – State/Territory-nominated Independent Subclass 137
•
Skilled – Australian-sponsored Subclass 138
•
Skilled – Designated Area-sponsored Subclass 139
•
Skilled – Independent Subclass 175
•
Skilled – Independent Subclass 176
•
Skilled – Regional Sponsored Subclass 475
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Skilled – Graduate Subclass 485
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Skilled – Regional Sponsored Subclass 487
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Skilled – Independent Regional Subclass 495
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Skilled – Designated Area-sponsored (Provisional) Subclass 496
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Graduate – Skilled Subclass 497
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Skilled – Onshore Independent New Zealand Citizen Subclass 861
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Skilled – Onshore Australian-sponsored New Zealand Citizen Subclass 862
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Skilled – Onshore Designated Area-sponsored New Zealand Citizen Subclass 863
•
Skilled – Independent Overseas Student Subclass 880
•
Skilled – Australian-sponsored Subclass 881
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Skilled – Designated Area-sponsored Overseas Student Subclass 882
•
Skilled – Independent Subclass 885
•
Skilled – Sponsored Subclass 886
Under the Ministerial Direction, the following processing priorities (with highest priority listed first) apply:
1. applications from people who are employer sponsored under the ENS and the RSMS
2. applications from people who are nominated by a State/Territory government and whose nominated occupation is listed on the Critical Skills List (CSL)
3. applications from people who are sponsored by family and whose nominated occupation is listed on the CSL
4. applications from people who are neither nominated nor sponsored but whose nominated occupation is listed on the CSL
5. applications from people who are nominated by a State/Territory government whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL
6. (i) applications from people whose occupations are listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) and
(ii) applications from people who are sponsored by family and whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL.
7. all other applications are to be processed in the order in which they are received.
Critical Skills List
ASCO Number Occupation Shortages – Professional
2312-11 Anaesthetist
2381-11 Dentist
4315-11 Electronic Equipment Trades
2312-15 Emergency Medicine Specialist
2129-17 Engineer – Chemical
2124-11 Engineer – Civil
2125-11 Engineer – Electrical
2125-13 Engineer – Electronics
2126-11 Engineer – Mechanical
2127-11 Engineer – Mining
2126-13 Engineer – Production or Plant Engineer
4114-15 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer – Avionics
4114-11 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer – Mechanical
4431-13 Gasfitter
2311-11 General Medical Practitioner
2391-11 Medical Diagnostic Radiographer
2312-17 Obstetrician & Gynaecologist
2383-11 Occupational Therapist
2382-11 Pharmacist (Hospital)
2382-15 Pharmacist (Retail)
2385-11 Physiotherapist
2388-11 Podiatrist
2312-27 Psychiatrist
2122-11 Quantity Surveyor
2325-11 Registered Mental Health Nurse
2324-11 Registered Midwife
2323-11 Registered Nurse
2413-11 Secondary School Teacher
2312-79 Specialist Medical Practitioners NEC
2312-25 Specialist Physician
2312-31 Surgeon
2123-13 Surveyor
2523-11 Urban & Regional Planner
4416-11 Wall and Floor Tiler
2386-11 Speech Pathologist
2391-17 Sonographer
2312-19 Ophthalmologist
2312-21 Paediatrician
2312-23 Pathologist
2312-29 Radiologist
2211-11 Accountant — where the applicant has achieved a score of at least IELTS 7 in each of the four competencies, and/or has completed The Professional Year – Skilled Migration Internship Program Accounting (SMIPA).
Computing Professionals — where the applicant’s specialisation is listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL).
Critical Skills list as of March 2009. Provided by the Department of Immigration
Registered migration agents are the only professionals in Australia registered by the commonwealth to provide migration advice and assistance. Always make sure to use a registered agent. See the article from today’s Melbourne Age newspaper on what happens to unregistered agents and those who use them:
AN UNREGISTERED migration agent was arrested in a raid at her suburban home yesterday and is set to be charged with multiple migration fraud and identity crime offences over Melbourne’s biggest international student cash-for-certificates scam.
The Chinese-born woman was taken from her Carnegie home by members of the Australian Federal Police Identity Security Strike Team and federal immigration officers. The office of her ”migration and legal service” in Queen Street in the city was then raided and computers and documents seized.
An Immigration Department spokesman said an ”unlawful non-citizen” was also arrested at the Queen Street office.
The spokesman said: ”It is alleged that, for a fee, those involved have been providing clients with fraudulent education qualifications and bogus documentation to support their permanent residency applications.”
It will be alleged that more than 250 Chinese and Indian students in Melbourne were involved and that the paperwork was from education providers and also workplaces.
The Age has learnt that a CBD trades school allegedly supplying the woman with education certificates was recently deregistered after being investigated by state regulators.
In separate cases, students have been charged up to $20,000 for fake certificates from colleges and workplaces they never attend. The students in the latest scam face deportation or detention under migration fraud regulations because they may have used false documents to gain residency.
The arrest yesterday is linked to a series of raids last December in which nine businesses were searched but no arrests made. It was alleged then the central business raided, Hong Yun International in Little Collins Street, was an unregistered migration agency.
New Citizenship Test Launched Monday 19 October
The Australian government has instituted a new citizenship test.
The new test includes questions on Australia’s democratic beliefs, laws and government as well as the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship.
The test includes 20 multiple-choice questions and will be conducted in English only. All test questions are from the test section of the revised citizenship test resource book, Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond.
The new test was developed after an independent review of the old citizenship test last year found that it could be improved by focusing on the pledge of commitment.
People will now need to answer 75 % correct or 15 of the 20 questions correctly to pass – up from 60 per cent under the old test. The mandatory questions have been removed. A person can no longer answer 19 out of 20 questions correctly and still fail the test because they answered one of the three mandatory questions incorrectly.
A citizenship course is also under development to help disadvantaged people, who are likely to struggle when preparing for and sitting a formal computer-based test.
Lamont Migration now offers you another domain name to access free assessments for all your visa needs including work visas, permanent residency and student visas. Visit LMA at www.lamontaustralianimmigration.com.au
Australia offers work visas as part of their immigration policy.
Take our free online visa assessment for a work visa today.
There were 278,184 student visas granted over 2007-2008. There were 198,417 offshore student visas granted in 2007-08, an increase of 18.72 per cent compared with 2006-07.
During the same period, the number of onshore student visas granted increased by 29.78 per cent from 61,463 to 79,767.
Before applying for a student visa, you must have been accepted for full-time study in a registered course in Australia.
A registered course is an education or training course offered by an Australian education provider registered to offer courses to overseas students on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).
Students must apply for a visa in the sector that relates to their principal or main course of study:
Lamont Migration can assist you with all your student visa needs. Take our on-line free visa assessment.
Working and living in Australia requires you to hold a visa and remain lawful whilst in the country.
Immigration compliance officers located 15 illegal workers on a construction site in Sydney today.
In 2008-09, the department located almost 11 500 people who had either overstayed their visa or were in breach of their visa conditions, including almost 1000 people who were working illegally.
The main industries where people were found to working illegally were agricultural (29.8 per cent), hospitality (16.1 per cent) and construction (14.7 per cent) sectors.
Employers convicted under Commonwealth legislation face fines of up to $13 200 and two years’ imprisonment while companies face fines of up to $66 000 per illegal worker.
People with information about illegal workers or visa overstayers should call the Immigration Dob-In Line on 1800 009 623.
Lamont Migration offers free on-line assessments for all visa types. Visit www.lamontmigration.com.au and view our assessments. Once you submit your information a member of the Lamont Migration team will respond to you within 48 hours and begin the process of making your dream to live in Australia a reality.
"Thank you so much for turning my application around so quickly. You made the whole process incredibly straightforward and stress-free and to have my visa granted within 24hours was simply unbelievable!"
Claire
Lamont Migration Agency (LMA) is a full service migration law agency based in Melbourne, Australia. We specialise in all migration issues including; Student, Family, skilled and permanent migration and Australian Citizenship.
Lamont Migration Agency
Suite 1, 42b Wantirna Road
Ringwood, Victoria Australia
Phone in Australia: (03) 9879-3515
International: +61 3 9879-3515
Fax: (03) 9879-3516
E-mail: enquires@lamontmigration.com.au
MARA registration #0959437
Principal member of the Migration Institute of Australia
Member of the Migration Alliance Australia
Member of Maroondah City BizConnect
Member of Maroondah Business Association
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