From the date of 1st July 2017 Australia General Skilled Migration changes will be implied, such as:
- Under Skilled Independent visa Subclass 189 the maximum age requirement will be changed from 49 to 44
- A new Australian permanent residency pathway for New Zealand citizens will be released
- Australian skilled occupations lists will be most probably reviewed
- Occupational ceilings will be declared
- Reopening of State Migration Plans will be done
Age Limit changes under Skilled Independent visa subclass 189
The current maximum age under Skilled Independent visa subclass 189 is 49. It will be changed to 44, effective from 1 July 2017.
Following visa programs will remain unaffected by this reform:
- Skilled Nominated visa Subclass 190 – maximum age will remain 49
- Skilled Regional Provisional visa Subclass 489 – maximum age will remain 49
- New Zealand Citizen stream of subclass 189 – no age criteria is there
As per the Department of Immigration’s research and survey conducted, it has been seen that only 1% of applicants under Skilled Independent visa Subclass 189 is ranging from 45 to 49 currently. Which is why the age criteria of 49 has been replaced with 44.
New Zealand Citizen Pathway for Australia Permanent Residency
New Australian permanent residency pathway for New Zealand citizens who have resided and hold an employment experience in Australia for a minimum time period of 5 years will be released on 1 July 2017.
This new pathway will be applied as a distinct stream under Skilled Independent visa Subclass 189. The eligibility criteria for New Zealand citizen stream will be comparatively easier to fulfill than the subclass 189 visa itself due to following reasons:
- English language examination, skills assessment, point test assessment, or employer sponsorship are not required.
- No age limitation
- Moderate financial income and exemptions offered
- Health waiver offered
- Little initial application fee
The Australian government authorities have analyzed that around 60 – 70,000 New Zealand residents can apply under the new pathway. Due to this there will be fewer applicants under the point assessment stream. This can also affect the skilled migration occupational ceilings, and lead to higher point requirement in order to grab an invitation under SkillSelect.
Review of Australian Skilled Occupations Lists
Australia occupations list under General Skilled Migration, MLTSSL and STSOL may get renewed from 1 July 2017.
There are multiple occupations, majorly available under the engineering category, which is present in the MLTSSL but not in the STSOL. This is not fair and which is why the lists are expected to be reviewed.
List of “Flagged Occupations” are kept and managed by the Department of Education. This list could also be abolished.
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