Legislative Updates

The new instrument amends "the definition of eligible pathway program and to specify by way of a Schedule, the list of registered courses that are an eligible pathway program"

The Bill is scheduled to be debated in the Senate on 19 September. It introduces a framework that facilitates the sharing of personal information, requires approval of persons as family sponsors and imposes obligations and sanctions on them.

Sch 2: Minister would be authorised to give documents through ImmiAccount; Sch 1: 'when an unlawful non-citizen is in the process of being removed to another country and the removal is aborted... and as a direct result the person is returned to Australia, then that person has a lawful basis to return to Australia without a visa'

A new direction about visa refusal and cancellation under s 501 and revocation of mandatory visa cancellation under s 501CA of the Migration Act 1958 heightens the importance to be attached to serious crimes against women

The new instrument specifies the application form and the deadline for that application. If the visa applicant is onshore, the deadline is calculated by reference to the date of approval by the Minister to lodge the application while onshore. If the visa applicant is offshore, the deadline is calculated by reference to the date of approval  (or variation) of the sponsorship.

"The purpose of the instrument is to determine the maximum number of visas for [parent and other family] visas for the financial year commencing 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020".

The amendments extend some subclass 457, 482 and 485 visas for Hong Kong passport holders and family members to a period of 5 years.

The new instrument specifies "an additional class of persons, who are eligible to apply for a Subclass 408 visa in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a nil VAC"

On 24 August 2021, a Senator gave a notice of motion for disallowance of an important instrument concerning reviews by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal

"The purpose of the instrument is to include an additional condition for passports issued by the authorities of Taiwan"