New Changes In Australia’s Immigration Law In 2022

February 28, 2022    Immigrationlawyers
New Changes In Australia’s Immigration Law In 2022

The migration process to Australia has been affected greatly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to wide world travel bans and border closures. But the migration process is expected to improve by 2022.

Australia’s migration program is set for every year and runs from 1 July to 30 June every financial year. The forecast for the year 2024-2025 remains at 235,000 people. You could contact visa lawyers in Perth to know more about the migration process.

Which Visa Holders Can Currently Enter Australia?

The Australian borders will open again for eligible overseas students and some particularly skilled visa holders from 15 December 2021. That is about six months earlier than what was forecasted in the federal budget.
Citizens and permanent residents of Australia can also enter the country, and their family members could also apply to enter as well.

Enhanced Opportunities For Temporary Visa Holders

As per the words of a lawyer, many temporary holders left Australia during COVID-19 due to not having a job and not receiving welfare support. Australia is now expected to focus on offering permanent residency pathways for the individuals who remain. Some of those pathways have already been announced.

The 2021-2022 planning level had been maintained at 160,000 places and took forward the composition from the earlier year. This means there were around 79,600 places for the skill stream, 100 for special eligibility, 3000 for children and around 77,300 for families.

As per the lawyer, the department of home affairs desires to fill all those 160,000 places with some people who have temporary visas. They are trying to draw permanent migrants from people who live in Australia.

As per a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs, the government has introduced some visa changes during the pandemic and will continue to check visa settings to support Australia’s economic recovery.

Permanent Residency For Skilled Migrants In Health And Hospitality

Around November, the Australian government announced important visa changes to get back skilled migrants in important sectors to recover its economy. Due to such changes, some migrants who stay and work in Australia amidst the pandemic can now apply for permanent residency.

  • The changes could benefit the existing Subclass 482 visa holders in the short-term stream who could not stay for two years without this pathway. An immigration lawyer in Perth, WA, might know more regarding this.
  • It is also said that the discontinued subclass 457 visa holders who do not meet the age requirements could also benefit from these changes.
  • There is also a special concession for the highly skilled migrant workers who stayed in Australia during the pandemic while bearing shortages. The concession will allow them to stay in Australia with a pathway to Australian citizenship.

There are around 20,000 visa holders who could benefit from such changes, with most of them being employed in the health industry of Australia.

Permanent Residency For Skilled Migrants In The Regions

As per a migration agent named Ruby Fowdar, temporary migrants who had to leave Australia due to the pandemic have been hit the most. But the other visa holders are in a good position in Australia. One of the most important permanent resident pathways is the Skilled regional 191 visa.

This visa is for the people who have lived, worked and studied in a particular area under their previous Australian visa. You have to be on the 494 visas for at least three years and then apply for the 191 visas. As per the department, the visa will not start before 16 November 2022.

Permanent Residency For Hong Kong Nationals

There is good news for a few Hong Kong nationals who live in Australia, as they will receive access to different specialized pathways to reside permanently in Australia from March 20222.

The Australian government announced the birth of two new streams, namely subclass 189(Hong Kong independent stream) and subclass 191 Hong Kong independent stream). They were introduced to improve ties with Hong Kong.

Changes To The 189 New Zealand Stream Subclass Visa

In 2021, the Australian government also revised the New Zealand pathway to assist legitimate visa holders who are New Zealand citizens to receive permanent residency in Australia.

From 1 July 2021, the changes took place for the New Zealand stream of the subclass 189 visa that lessens years in which an eligible applicant has to meet the relevant income threshold.

Final Words

In the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, many visa holders had to leave Australia as they were either fired or did not have any jobs. This is why Australia has come up with different changes in migration to help such people. If you are one of them, you could hire some of the best immigration lawyers to know more about this.

The lawyers can help you know the different changes that have occurred in Australian visas and help fill up application forms and even gain permanent residency in Australia.

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