GUEST POST BY AMANDA TINNER, PRINCIPAL, VISA EXECUTIVE
Visa processing delays
Visa processing times are getting longer. There are several reasons for this, such as the changing priorities of the government but the most well-known one is the volume of visa applications that have been recently lodged, coupled with the recent changes to permanent residence. The allocation of visas under the visa subclass 186 was filled months before the end of the financial year which means that processing was halted until after 1 July.
Published processing times
For ease of reference, we have simplified current published processing times. Please note that this is a moving timeline and so can either remain the same for a while or change quite quickly.
Visa subclass 482 (Medium/long term) 90% processed within 5 months
Visa subclass 482 (short term) 90% processed within 5 months
Visa subclass 400 90% processed within 19 days
Visa subclass 407 90% processed within 7 months
Visa subclass 494 90% processed within 5 months
Visa subclass 186 (TRT) 90% processed within 14 months
On-Hire Labour Agreement salaries
The Immigration Department has reviewed On-Hire Labour Agreement salaries. The annual earnings for the skilled overseas worker for a standard 38-hour week must not be less than 20% above the rate of Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT). It must also not be less than what an Australian doing the same work in your approved workplace would be paid.
Significant Cost Threshold to meet the Migration Health Requirement increased
The Significant Cost Threshold underpins policy to ‘contain public expenditure on health care and community services’. The Significant Cost Threshold is the cut-off amount where the government determine a visa applicant’s estimated health and community service costs to be ‘Significant’ and therefore do not meet the Migration Health Requirement.
The Significant Cost Threshold recently increased from $51,000 to $86,000 which is good news for those with family members who may have health issues.
Planning Levels for 2024-2025*
It may be of interest to see what visa numbers the Government aims to grant for each visa subclass each year. These figures are released after the end of the financial year:
|
Visa Stream |
Visa Category |
2023–24 Planning levels |
2024–25 Planning levels |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Skill |
Employer Sponsored |
36,825 |
44,000 |
|
Skilled Independent |
30,375 |
16,900 |
|
|
Regional |
32,300 |
33,000 |
|
|
State/Territory Nominated |
30,400 |
33,000 |
|
|
Business Innovation & Investment |
1,900 |
1,000 |
|
|
Global Talent (Independent) |
5,000 |
4,000 |
|
|
Distinguished Talent |
300 |
300 |
|
|
Skill Total |
137,100 |
132,200 |
|
|
Family |
Partner1 |
40,500 |
40,500 |
|
Parent |
8,500 |
8,500 |
|
|
Child1 |
3,000 |
3,000 |
|
|
Other Family |
500 |
500 |
|
|
Family Total |
52,500 |
52,500 |
|
|
Special Eligibility |
400 |
300 |
|
|
Total Migration Program |
190,000 |
185,000 |
*https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels
1 Delivery of the Partner and Child visa categories are demand driven, with indicative planning levels only.
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If you are looking at sending staff to Australia, want to clarify the information in this article, or for any other queries regarding visas, get in touch with Amanda Tinner, Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law at Visa Executive.
This content was originally published on www.visaexecutive.com.
