According to the Australian Daily, starting July 1st of this year, policies for Australia's independent skilled migration, state-nominated skilled migration, family-sponsored skilled migration, and business migration will undergo changes. For older applicants, particularly those over 50, those without English proficiency, and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises, the new policy may result in the loss of opportunities to immigrate to Australia. However, for applicants with strong English skills and large-scale companies, the new policy will shorten the application review period.
Senior Australian immigration consultants state: Starting July 1st, the Department of Immigration will implement a points-based system and an invitation system. Those with higher scores will be given priority to submit visa applications. Factors influencing scores include age, English proficiency, business experience, company net assets, and technical contributions/patents. In addition, the new business migration policy will also adopt an Expression of Interest (EOI) system. This means that if an applicant wishes to apply for an Australian business migration visa, they must first submit an application online to the government of the state or territory where they intend to reside and prepare the relevant documentation. Only after the state government issues an invitation letter can the applicant submit a formal application to the Department of Immigration. It should be noted that the invitation letter is valid for two months and will expire if not used within that period.
Requirements for Transition from Provisional to Permanent Residency Increased
Applications submitted before the implementation of the new policy will be processed by the Department of Immigration according to the old policy. It is expected that the number of people applying for Australian business migration will increase significantly before June. Furthermore, although the Australian Department of Immigration will accept applications until the end of June, state governments may close their application intake earlier.
Sydney stopped accepting applicants running small businesses in the city center starting last November; Melbourne has also announced that the deadline for accepting state nomination applications is May 28, 2012. "Applicants from China account for more than 75% of the total number of immigrants to Australia, and 80% of domestic applicants choose the 163A business owner visa under state government nomination." Senior Australian immigration consultants indicate that Australia may further increase the requirements for the transition from provisional to permanent residency this year, including prohibiting the change of the primary applicant and disallowing the operation of small businesses. This will lead many applicants who cannot personally stay in Australia for long periods to abandon their applications.
