The world of immigration is ever-changing. No matter whether you’re an employer looking to sponsor an overseas employee, or an employee seeking sponsorship to work in Australia, or an individual looking to move to Australia, it can be a hard process to navigate.

Recently, there have been quite a few visa updates and application changes that will impact visa applications and sponsorship regulations in Australia.

So here are 5 recent updates:

An employer looking to sponsor an employee or an employee seeking sponsorship:
1. If you hold a subclass 482 or 457 visa and are thinking of changing employers then make sure your nomination application is finalised prior to 20th March 2020 so that you can still take advantage of the grandfather provisions when applying for permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme.

2. The latest update from the Department of Home Affairs in relation to occupations lists indicates that some occupations will be transferred between the Medium to Long Term List and the Short Term List as well as some occupations being removed from the lists altogether. Watch this space when the actual announcement is made to see how this affects you.

Family visa including parent and partner visas
3. Processing times for Parent and Partner visas continue to get longer – unfortunately. Always a good idea to get your application in the system sooner rather than later once you are ready to submit.

Skilled migration visa – allowing skilled people to work and live in Australia
4. The new Regional Visas – subclass 491 & 494 – are now in operation. There are a number of different steps involving different bodies in the process. Make sure you have all the facts if considering this as an option.

5. The points required for subclass 189 visa applications continued to be very high. This is a very competitive visa subclass to receive an invitation in especially for Accountants and IT professionals.

If you would like support with sponsorship, your visa application or a free consultation with us at Four Corners Emigration, you can get in touch with me on matthew@four-corners.com.au or 02 8904 0100. You can take our Visa Eligibility Assessment Form here so we can help you with your visa application.