Since Australia implemented an international travel ban due to the epidemic, half a million temporary visa holders have left Australia, many of them work visa holders. Currently, Australia faces a severe skills shortage and threatens the survival of businesses that rely on skilled immigrants.
The Australian Joint Standing Committee recently put forward a series of recommendations on how to further attract high-quality new immigrants and plan for future immigration, including reform of skilled immigration and providing a clearer Australia for temporary visa holders and outstanding international students. Pathways to permanent residence and more.
Excellent international students enjoy preferential treatment
The report recommends that high-quality international students with excellent academic performance will be eligible for preferential immigration policies:
- Policy to reduce the time required for work experience under the employer sponsorship scheme: the full-time work experience requirement can be reduced from three years to two years (subject to circumstances);
- Extend the graduate work visa: increase the work permit duration from 2 years Extended for 3 years, Allow graduates to have time and flexibility to find jobs;
- For outstanding graduates who need to pass EOI points to skilled immigrants to Australia, they can get additional points;
For the definition of outstanding international graduates, the report gives the following evaluation criteria:
- Attended university courses or a course offered by a reputable non-university higher education institution in an occupation in which a skill is in short supply.
- Demonstrated excellence, such as being in the top 10% of all graduates of their course or receiving first class honours;
- Meeting relevant English language standards;
- Australian graduates working in jobs relevant to their field of study and relevant to in-demand occupations;
Occupation list faces reform
. The National Skills Council should consult with industry to develop a new occupation and/or skills identification system for the skilled migration program to replace ANZSCO.
The new system should be more flexible to adapt to emerging labor market needs and consider how the new system integrates with other government functions currently using ANZSCO.
. Regarding the occupation list for skilled immigrants, the report proposes that after the epidemic is over, PMSOL should be replaced by the Acute and Persistent Skills Shortage List (APSSL).
In the future, the current medium- and long-term occupation list and short-term occupation list will be merged into one list, the Skilled Occupation List (SOL). This list will be more flexibly applicable to the urgent needs of the labor market and will be updated quarterly instead of annual review.
. The following points need to be considered when developing the definitions of recognized acute and persistent skills shortages:
- Difficulty of recruitment;
- The length of time the shortage exists;
- The number of vacancies and the geographical distribution of vacancies;
- The severity of the vacancies (e.g. nurses and GPs);
- The severity of the occupation's response to temporary circumstances (e.g. bushfires, floods or epidemics);
Continued benefits of employer guarantees
. All employer-nominated visas should provide the option to obtain permanent residence , including the short form branch, subject to different application conditions, provided that the immigrant is proficient in English and is under the age of 45.
. During the recovery period from the epidemic, the Australian government has temporarily extended the time for employers to conduct LMT from 4 months to 6 months before submitting a nomination application.
. When the 457 or 482 visa holder has worked full-time in a position for more than 12 months, he or she can be exempted from the LMT requirement before applying for a subsequent work permit or PR.
. Allow employees of multinational companies to transfer to Australia when necessary so that these companies can expand their operations in Australia. In addition to LMT and simplifying the review process, a separate visa category can be created that allows intra-company executive transfers.
. Provide a more streamlined process for employers looking to fill PMSOL positions. In the future, the definition of occupations will be more detailed, possibly down to the number of occupational vacancies, and the degree of demand for some occupations in emergencies.
Visa concessions for remote areas
The report also recommends providing more concessions for temporary residence visas in remote areas, including:
- The requirements for LMT are relaxed to be completed within 12 months before submission of nomination;
- raises the upper age limit to 50 years old;
- lowers the English requirement to Vocational (IELTS 4 out of 5);
- reduces the work experience requirement to 2 years;
- gives priority;
. Revisit the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) (2017) and consider exemptions or different work rate discounts for different regional areas.
Reasonable Simplification SAF Levy
. Employers should not pay SAF Levy (Skilling Australians Fund) twice for the same applicant, or if the employer has already paid SAF Levy once for the applicant, it should not pay again for subsequent extensions.
. Universities should be exempted from paying SAF Levy.
. If the visa application is unsuccessful and there is no evidence of fraud on the part of the sponsor or the applicant, the SAF Levy should be returned.
Although the above-mentioned new policy is a recommendation put forward by the Immigration Committee of the Australian Federal Parliament and has not yet been formally passed as legislation, many of the contents have been recognized and supported by various authoritative institutions in Australia, and the probability of implementation in the future is very high.
The population and immigration gap caused by the epidemic is something that the Australian government must face. Skilled immigrants can bring a lot of population growth and economic contribution to Australia. We look forward to the Australian government launching more favorable policies for international students and skilled immigrant applicants. !
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