Legislative Updates

This further new instrument amends a drafting error contained in the new legislative instrument about visitor visas which commenced on 24 August 2019

"The instrument operates for the Minister to... specify the approved forms, place and manner for making a valid visa application for a visitor ... visa and specify ..."

Direction No 84 revokes Direction No 56: 'The purpose of this Direction is to guide decision makers performing functions or exercising powers under section 65, 414 or 415 of the Act when considering an application for the grant of a Protection visa and when reviewing a decision to grant a Protection visa.'

'The [Bill] will facilitate the secure, automated and accountable exchange of identity information between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments, pursuant to the objectives of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Identity Matching Services (IGA), agreed by COAG in October 2017. The Bill will achieve this by providing explicit legal authority for the Department of Home Affairs ... to collect, use and disclose identification information'

'This Bill amends the Australian Passports Act 2005 ... to provide a legal basis for ensuring that the Minister is able to make Australian travel document data available for all the purposes of, and by the automated means intrinsic to, the identity-matching services to which the Commonwealth and the States and Territories agreed in the Intergovernmental Agreement on Identity Matching Services'

'[The Bill] makes consequential amendments to legislation administered by the Department of Social Services, the Department of Education and the Attorney-General’s Department, to give effect to Government policy that holders of provisional skilled regional visas, which come into effect on 16 November 2019, to have access to welfare payments or government services as if they are holders of permanent visas'

'The instrument differs from the repealed instrument by clarifying that the form for applying for approval as a family sponsor, Form 1501, is an internet form; and by including a specification of the form and fee for making an application for variation of approval of terms as a parent sponsor'

The definition of "Employment Minister" under r 1.03 of the Migration Regulations 1994 will change on 29 June 2019, but with retrospective effect from 29 May 2019

'[The new] Regulations amend the Migration Regulations to increase first instalment VACs for a number of visas. The Regulations increase the majority of VACs'. The VAC for some visas will increase on 1 July 2019 and the VAC for other visas will only increase on 16 November 2019.

Subclass 462 - The new instrument commences on 1 July 2019 and its purpose is to: add 2 countries to the list of eligible countries; amend the lodgement requirements for citizens of 4 countries; and exempt citizens of 3 countries from providing evidence of government support.