Summary of New Immigration Policies Released from 2009 to Present
1. The quota for skilled migration is set at 108,100, with the Minister for Immigration explaining that due to the economic crisis, over 20,000 places have been cut, representing a reduction of about 20%.
This quota applies to the period from July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010, including the following categories:
* Employer sponsorship (e.g., ENS 121/856, RSMS 119/857)
* State government sponsorship (e.g., state-sponsored 137, 176, 882, 886)
* Independent skilled migration or family-sponsored migration that meets the CSL list (mainly: CSL-compliant 175/885, unprocessed 136/880, etc.)
* Business Skills migration 132/160/161/162/163/164/165/890/891/892/893
* Applications that meet the MODL list --- note that this list will be updated soon!!!
* Other skilled migration applications --- most students currently fall into this category.
Note: Excluding business migration, employer sponsorship, and other categories, the actual quota for independent skilled migration that truly meets the needs of international students may be less than 100,000. Of course, if the economic situation improves, the quota may increase significantly. Currently, experts predict that the Australian economy will rebound as early as the second half of next year!
2. Employer-nominated migration will be prioritized to address local employers' demand for skilled workers;
3. The introduction of the CSL list accelerates immigration for independent skilled migrants with in-demand skills who do not have sponsorship;
The priority processing direction gives priority processing to permanent applications in the following order:
1. Employer sponsorship.
2. State or territory sponsorship.
3. An occupation on the Critical Skills List (CSL).
4. An occupation on the MODL.
5. All other applications.
The new priority processing direction gives priority processing to provisional applications in the following order:
1. State or territory sponsorship.
2. Family sponsorship where the applicant's occupation is listed on the CSL.
3. All other applications.
4. Language requirements for skilled migration applications have been significantly raised:
In addition to the priority order, the government has announced a series of requirements for "non-sponsored" independent skilled migration occupations, mainly targeting ordinary TAFE students in Australia who do not have company sponsorship or direct relatives, relying solely on their own independent migration applications.
* The IELTS requirement will be raised from four 5s to four 6s, and this change will first apply to applications submitted overseas on July 1, 2009, and will apply to onshore applications starting January 1, 2010.
* Onshore applications submitted from January 1, 2010, must, like offshore applications, pass a skills assessment. The purpose of this assessment is also to ensure that applicants truly possess the skills for the nominated occupation.
Note!
The Australian Department of Immigration has not announced a reduction in professional points; it has only raised the IELTS requirement to 6.
5. The new regulations introduce the concept of a Job Ready skills assessment.
In fact, TRA had conducted similar assessments a few years ago, and passing the exam allowed applicants to be assessed by TRA. However, due to the overwhelming number of applicants, the exams could not be scheduled in time, leading to its cancellation and replacement with 900 hours. Now, if it is to be reinstated, we will have to wait for the immigration department and TRA to announce specific policies. However, one thing is certain: if your English is not up to standard, attending an interview will also be disadvantageous. Currently, the immigration department states that the exam is still under development and requires consultation with the government and various industries. The ultimate goal is for students who take and pass the test to be able to enter the workforce immediately, so-called "hit the ground running." Currently, the price of the test, its validity period, and other information have not been finalized.
6. Regarding the transition period for the new policy
The immigration department stated that there will be no transition period for students enrolled in trade courses, as the department believes that TAFE's requirement is generally 5.5, and after completing a two-year Australian qualification, most students should be able to improve to 6.
There will be no transitional arrangements for overseas students enrolled in trade courses. Applicants who apply for a student visa to study a Certificate III trade course are expected to have an English language level of an IELTS 5.0 if they enroll in a preliminary 20-week ELICOS course, or 5.5 with no preliminary ELICOS course. Given that overseas students must have studied for a total of two years in Australia before being eligible to apply for GSM, it is reasonable to expect that most students should improve their English to IELTS 6.0 over this period.
should improve their English to IELTS 6.0 over this period.