The Australian pre-election Federal budget has been announced, revealing the potential changes to occur in relation to the Australian migration program on 1 July 2019 should this government be re-elected. A potential change that could impact most applicants is the proposed fee increase for visa applications proposed for the beginning on 1 July 2019. This is just one of the reasons why you should determine your visa eligibility and apply as soon as possible with the help of our team.
Continue reading to see which other proposed visa changes have been revealed by the government pre-election Federal budget.
Which changes may be implemented?
An increase in Visa application charges (VACs)
- The current VACs for visa subclasses may increase by 5.4% from 1 July 2019
- The only visa subclasses not impacted by this potential change are the Visitor Subclass 600 and second instalment VACs
- The pre-election budget offers exemptions for Subclass 408 VACs athletes and officials for the 2019 INAS Global Games in Brisbane as well as the competitors and officials for the International Cricket Council T20 World Cup 2020
Program Planning levels
- The pre-election Federal budget shows that the government plans to reduce the number of visas allowed to be granted from 190,000 to 160,000 for the next four years
Skilled Migration Points Test
- The point test will potentially be adjusted from November 2019 to award further points to the primary applicants in consideration of the secondary Skilled Migrants. This will be done if the additional partner has competent English, but cannot meet the requirements for skilled partner points.
- Under the pre-election Federal budget, single applicants will also be awarded additional points to ensure they are not disadvantaged – we still await details in regards to how this will be implemented should this plan be implemented.
Work and Holiday Visa Cap Increase – Indonesia
- According to the proposed budget, Indonesian citizens will have an increased working holiday quota from 2,500 to 5,000
New regional Visas
New regional visas will replace RSMS (Subclass 187) and Skilled Regional (Subclass 489) should the pre-election budget be implemented:
- Skilled Employer Sponsored (Provisional) – available from 1 November 2019
- Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) – available from 1 November 2019
- Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa – available November 2022
- Temporary Graduate visa – available 2021
Proposed policy and regulations have not been revealed, however, the provisional visa suggested by the pre-election budget can lead to permanent residency after living in a regional area for 3 years.
What should I do now?
With potential changes being revealed from the governments pre-election Federal budget, it is always best to be prepared. Contact our team for a complimentary consultation to determine the best pathway to meet your Australian migration goals.
Source: https://www.budget.gov.au/2019-20/content/documents.htm and https://www.mia.org.au/
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