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"The purpose of the instrument is to amend the approved form, place and manner (the arrangements) for making an application for a Visitor (Class FA) visa in the Tourist stream (Tourist stream visa) in Australia"

The instrument amends LIN 20/262 to ... The new Migration (Arrangements for Certain Skilled and Temporary Graduate Visa Applications) Amendment Instrument (LIN 20/297) 2020 commences...

The Professional Engineers Registration Bill 2019 has passed Victoria's lower house. If enacted, that Bill could have consequences for visa subclasses 482, 186, 187, 189, 190 and 489

It is commonly said that the giving of immigration assistance by a person who is not an RMA makes that person liable for imprisonment, with exceptions. That is not an accurate statement. Unregistered assistance itself does not lead to imprisonment. What can lead to imprisonment is something else, as we explain.

From 16 November 2019, there will be 3 geographical categories: Major Cities; Cities and major regional centres; and Regional centres and other regional areas. Major cities are Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Perth and the Gold Coast will no longer be classified as major cities. Those studying at regional universities will be eligible to access an additional year on a post-study work visa.

"Under paragraph 050.212(8)(c) of Schedule 2 to the Regulations, the reasons for the delay in making an application for a Protection (Class XA) visa must be acceptable to the Minister. The instrument operates to specify a class of persons who are not required to satisfy the Minister with an acceptable reason for a delay in making an application for a Protection (Class XA) visa".

"The proposed amendments enable visa grants to some Parent visa applicants who are located in Australia, but who would be otherwise required to be outside Australia at the time of visa grant... The proposed amendments also enable visa grants to some Parent visa applicants who are located outside Australia, but who would otherwise be required to be in Australia at the time of visa grant".

According to the explanatory memorandum to the Bill introduced on 19 September 2019, "a person who is a national or citizen of a country other than Australia ceases to be an Australian citizen if the person acts inconsistently with their allegiance to Australia by" engaging in certain type of conduct. Is this Bill a further erosion of the "sacred" concept of citizenship? Could it become a "slippery slope" towards citizenship cancellation on less serious, more subjective grounds?

A new instrument that commences on 25 Feb 2020: "The instrument operates for the Minister to: specify the approved forms, place and manner for making a valid visa application for a Visitor (Class FA) visa; and specify for the Approved Destination Status stream in the Visitor (Class FA) visa, which includes the  Subclass 600 (Visitor) visa, the travel agents that may organise a tour of which an applicant must be intending to travel to Australia as a member of  that tour. As a response to the cancellation of visas as a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the instrument creates arrangements for ...".

Subclass 870 (parent) visa sponsorship applicants must show an "overall" taxable income that is above a certain amount. The overall income can be a combination of the sponsorship applicant's individual income with the income of up to 2 other persons specified in legislation. But the sponsor's individual income must also be above a certain threshold. We discuss an example where the income test is not satisfied and an example where it is.