Legislative Updates

"The purpose of this instrument is to specify the classes of persons who do not have to pay the visa application charge (VAC) when applying for a visa to enter Australia on the basis that they have ..."

The new instrument specifies the approved form and the place and manner in which applications must be lodged for the following visa subclasses: 189, 190, 485, 476, 489, 491 and 887.

'The Amendment Determination only clarifies... that a person who becomes the holder of [a visa subclass 309 or 820] is subject to the [newly arrived resident's waiting period]' of 104 weeks

2 occupations added to MLTSSL; 6 moved from STSOL to MLTSSL; 16 moved from STSOL to ROL; 5 removed from STSOL; new caveats for some occupations; error in explanatory statement

"The purpose of the instrument is to expand the kind of work an applicant can be doing, or have an offer to do, to be eligible for grant of a Subclass 408 visa by..."

"The instrument updates the younger age specified for working holiday eligible passports issued by Denmark or Italy, to increase the eligible age for ... applicants for a subclass 417 visa to the maximum of 35 years of age (see subparagraph 417.211(2)(b)(i) of Schedule 2 to the Regulations)"

The motion to disallow the Skilling Australian Fund (SAF) Regulations has been withdrawn, which means that the SAF continues into the foreseeable future.

'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 new instrument amends "a series of instruments relating to the Government’s temporary skilled migration program to ensure that they are consistent with amendments made to the Regulations by the Amendment Regulations. These instruments provide for matters relating to visa eligibility criteria, skills assessments, assessing authorities, the Australian values statement, and the specification of income threshold and annual earnings."

The new instrument specifies "an additional circumstance where the first instalment of VAC may be refunded, to encourage visa holders in nominated subclasses to travel to Australia and participate in the Australian economy"