Amendments to Parent Category Visas

To apply from 27 March 2010, amended to better align the Regulations with objectives of family stream policy:

• Allow certain spouses, de factos, dependent children and family members to be added to applications for Contributory Parent visas between lodgement and approval;
• Permit certain applicants for Subclass 143 – Contributory Parent visas to be in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance when the visa is granted;
• Enable certain applicants for Subclass 864 – Contributory Aged Parent visas to remain eligible even if sponsoring child has died;
• Change decision criteria for a Subclass 864 – Contributory Aged Parent visa to ensure applicants who have held a substituted Subclass 676 visa can continue to meet the time of application criteria at the time of decision;
• Enable certain applicants for parent visas who are parents of children under 18 to be sponsored by 'relative' of the child or 'relative' of the child's spouse rather than a 'close relative'; 
• Take measures to reduce potential abuse of the Subclass 804 – Aged Parent visa

Skill assessment of trade occupation (pre 1 Jan 2010)

Effective from 12 March 2010, this change regards onshore applicants for General Skilled Migration who are nominating a trade occupation in the following subclasses:

• Subclass 487 (Skilled - Regional Sponsored)
  
• Subclass 885 (Skilled - Independent)
  
• Subclass 886 (Skilled - Sponsored)

All applicants applying for the above visas and who nominate a trade occupation will be able to use an existing suitable skills assessment to lodge a valid visa application. That means that a skills assessment which pre-dates 1 January 2010 can be used.

Changes introduced on 1 January 2010 had required these applicants to provide a skills assessment dated on or after 1 January 2010. This is no longer the case.

Business Skills Visas for 2009/10 Financial Year

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship has issued a new Legislative Instrument which imposes a cap of 6530 on the number Class EA and Class UR Business Skills visas that may be granted in the 2009/2010 financial year.

The affected visa subclasses are:

Class EA
132 Business Talent (Migrant)

Class UR
160 Business Owner (Provisional)
161 Senior Executive (Provisional)
162 Investor (Provisional)
163 State/Territory Sponsored Business Owner (Provisional)
164 State/Territory Sponsored Senior Executive (Provisional)
165 State/Territory Sponsored Investor (Provisional)

This legislative Instrument is effective from 18 March 2010.

The granting of these business visas has not yet stopped, as 6530 visas have not yet been granted, but that number could be reached at any time.

Once 6530 of these business visas have been granted, no more will be granted until after 30 June 2010.

using your prior 1 Jan 2010 skill assessment

The department understands that there is some concern among international students and stakeholders regarding the amendments introduced on 1 January 2010 to support the commencement of the Job Ready Program (JRP). These amendments require certain GSM applicants who nominate a trade occupation to provide a skills assessment dated on or after 1 January 2010 in order to make a valid application.

It is intended that in the future (don't know when.... we will just have to wait for announcement or confirmation), applicants nominating a trade occupation for permanent migration will be able to provide an existing skills assessment when applying. This includes assessments predating 1 January 2010 and will mean that applicants will no longer be required to obtain a further skills assessment. It is intended that these arrangements commence in the first quarter of 2010.