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Perth Migration Agent Updates

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DISCLAIMER

ANQUIRE.COM WORLDWIDE is committed to providing quality services to you.

ANQUIRE.COM WORLDWIDE is also known as PERTH EDUCATION AGENT and PERTH MIGRATION AGENT.

We publish Australian Migration Law Updates that is most relevant to us only and the information here is for internal use and may not be up to date.
We don't publish all the updated information about Australian Migration Law, Australian Migration Regulations or Australian Immigration Policy because Applicant should use our services.

The information contained within this website is to provide advice of a general nature for our new employee only and is not to be taken as individual advice for your personal circumstances.

Information provided is subject to change at any time without notice, and before proceeding with an application you should seek professional PERTH MIGRATION AGENT personalised advice about your circumstances.

We cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions because Australian migration law, Australian migration regulations and Australian immigration policy change regularly, it is best to contact us before making any decisions.

Up to date information can found on the website of the Australian Immigration Department (but you should read their disclaimer).

9 September 2024
Anquire.com Worldwide - EducationAgents.com and MigrationAgents.com (formerly Perth Education Agent and Perth Migration Agent) supports the Immigration Department's plan to introduce a cap for Australian student visa for University and Vocational Education Training Providers (VET) to improve the quality of Australian Education for Overseas students. The international student visa processing time will be faster and student visa decision will be fairer.

The Australian government could improve the Australian quality education further for overseas students (international students) by including a points test to the cap system. Australia can now enrol only the best and brightest students that are available.

Genuine Vocational Education Training Providers (VET) should be provided a cap of a minimum of 400 or more overseas students per year depending on the amount of location and the size of their colleges to enable them to compete in providing quality education.

Any Vocational Education Training Providers (VET) provided with a cap less than 400 overseas students per year will not survive and will be forced to cut corners to reduce the quality of Australian education. This will eventually tarnish Australia's Education Quality internationally.

The Vocational Education Training Providers (VET) receiving a cap less than 400 overseas students per year will create a lasting bad reputation for Australia in the short term.

2 September 2024

The Government has announced that, subject to the passage of the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024, it will set a National Planning Level (NPL) for new Australian international student commencements of 270,000 for calendar year 2025.

The cap is aimed at providing a faster and fairer Australian student visa application assessment rather than refusing Australian student visa applications. The Immigration Department is aware that there are unfair Australian student visa refusal and is always looking at improving their assessment quality.

19 July 2024

2024-25 State Nomination Migration Program

The Western Australian State Nominated Migration Program (SNMP) 2024-25 program year is now open.

For the SNMP 2024-25 program year, the Western Australian government will continue to waive the $200 application fee.

A new feature of the 2024-25 SNMP includes additional employment contract arrangements for candidates invited through the General Stream – WASMOL – Schedule 1.

Invitation rounds for the 2024-25 program year are anticipated to be held the first week of each month, commencing in August 2024.

1 July 2024

State Nominated Migration Program

Following successful negotiations with the Commonwealth Government Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs), Western Australia will be allocated 5,000 state nominated migration places for the 2024-25 program year.

Invitation rounds for State nomination for the 2024-25 program year will begin once the Western Australian Government formally receives its allocation from Home Affairs.

27 June 2024

Onshore visa hopping student visas

Migration (Specification of Categories of Visas that Preclude a Person from Lodging a Student Visa Application in Australia) Amendment Instrument (LIN 24/051) 2024 amends IMMI 16/016 to specify additional categories of substantive temporary visas that preclude a person in Australia from making an application for a Student (Sc 500) visa or a Student Guardian (Sc 590) visa.

This instrument is made under Item 1222(5)(c) of Schedule 1 and if an applicant is in Australia and holds the visas listed in IMMI 16/060 and LIN 24/051 they cannot make a valid application for a Student (Sc 500) visa or a Student Guardian (Sc 590) visa.

LIN 24/051 adds six substantive temporary visa subclasses which cannot make an application for a Student (Sc 500) or a Student Guardian (Sc 590) onshore, these are the following:

Temporary Graduate (Sc 485)
Electronic Travel Authority (Sc 601)
Medical Treatment (Sc 602)
eVisitor (Sc 651)
Maritime Crew (Sc 988).
Visitor (Sc 600) - (The entire subclass will not be able to apply for a student visa previously only the Sponsored Family and Approved Destination Status streams were specified).

This instrument commences on 1 July 2024.

25 June 2024

Republic of Philippines passport holder eligible to apply for a Work and Holiday (Sc 462) visa

Phillippines passport holder is able to apply for Subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa if they can meet all requirements.

Migration (Arrangements for Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) Visa Applications) Amendment (The Philippines) Instrument (LIN 24/041) 2024 amends LIN 21/019 to:

specify the Philippines as a foreign country for the purpose of paragraph 1224A(3)(a) of Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations; and
specify the educational qualifications required for Subclass 462 visa applicants from the Philippines for the purpose of paragraph 462.221(c) of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations.

The amendments made by this instrument enable applicants who hold a valid passport issued by the Republic of the Philippines to apply for a Work and Holiday (Sc 462) visa.

Australia work and holiday visa for Philippines instrument commences on 1 July 2024.

21 June 2024

Federal Court and Tribunal fee increases 1 July 2024

Fee increases have been gazetted for Federal Courts and Tribunals commencing 1 July 2024.

From 1 July 2024, the application fees for review by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal will be the following:

For a review of a review of a migration decision under Part 5 of the Migration Act 1958- $3496, up from $3374
In cases where a 50% fee reduction is granted, the reduced fee will be $1,748.
For review of a protection visa decision under Part 7 of the Migration Act 1958 - $2151, up from $2076 (generally, this fee is payable only if the application is not successful)

From 1 July 2024, the fees for filing an application with the Federal Circuit Court for a migration decision will be the following:

full fee - $3920, up from $3785
If a registrar or an authorised officer has determined that a reduced fee may be paid under s 2.06A - $1960, up from $1890

Applicant can refer to the Government gazette for more information on the Federal court and tribunal fee increases.

Applicant can also find information on the AAT fee increases on the AAT website and the Federal Circuit Court fee increases on the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia website.

19 June 2024

No more free translating service (FTS)

Students entering Australia on visa subclass 500 will no longer be eligible for the Free Translating Service (FTS).
This change was made by Government as part of Budget 2024-25, and reflects the intent of the Free Translating Service (FTS) to support people settling permanently in Australia in their participation in employment and community engagement.

The Immigration Department’s external provider of the Free Translating Service, The Migration Translators, has been notified of this change and is expected to update its webpages shortly.

13 June 2024

Further 1 July changes- Minister for Home Affairs media release on ending onshore visa hopping

The Minister for Home Affairs published a media release that announces further changes to the migration system that were articulated within the Migration Strategy.

These changes are to stop what is referred to in the Migration Strategy and the media release as visa hopping where temporary visa holders continue to apply for further temporary visas onshore to extend their stay in Australia with little prospect of becoming permanent residents.

As a measure to restrict visa hopping the media release outlines the following changes to commence from 1 July 2024:

Visitor visa (sc 600) holders will not be able to apply for Student (Sc 500) visas onshore.
Temporary Graduate (Sc 485) visa holders will not be able to apply for Student (Sc 500) visas onshore.

The complete list of visa holders that will be unable to apply for student visas onshore are:

Temporary Graduate (Sc 485)
Visitor (Sc 600)
Electronic Travel Authority (Sc 601)
Medical Treatment (Sc 602)
e-Visitor (Sc 651)
Transit (Sc 771)
Maritime Crew (Sc 988)
Diplomatic Temporary (Sc 995) – primary visa holders only
Temporary Work (International Relations) Sc 403 – Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream
Domestic Worker (Temporary)– Diplomatic or Consular (Sc 426)

The legislative instruments that will bring about these changes have not yet been released.

29 May 2024

Increase to TSMIT

Following the Government’s commitment at the Jobs and Skills Summit in 2022 and the announcement in the Migration Strategy last year, the Immigration Department has announced that the TSMIT will increase from $70,000 to $73,150 effective from 1 July 2024.

Anquire.com Worldwide - EducationAgents.com & MigrationAgents.com (Perth Education Agent and Perth Migration Agent) has decided to stop processing Employer Sponsorship Visa until further notice.

New nomination applications that are lodged from 1 July 2024 will need to meet the new TSMIT or the annual market salary rate, whichever is higher. However, if the market salary is less than TSMIT, an application cannot be lodged for that position.

This change will not affect existing visa holders and nominations lodged prior to 1 July 2024.

The Immigration Department has confirmed that more information will be made available regarding future income thresholds and the indexation methodology, including for the new Skills in Demand visa, later in 2024.

Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024

The Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 establishes the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) as a replacement for the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).

27 May 2024

Sc 485 1 July changes- Masters (research) and doctoral degree (PhD) graduates age maintained at 50 years of age

The Department will be maintaining the maximum age at 50 for masters (research) and doctoral degree (PhD) graduates applying for a sc 485 in the Post-Higher Education Work stream (former Post-Study Work stream) after 1 July 2024.

17 May 2024

CPA Australia cease providing Sc 485 provisional assessment

Due to the upcoming changes to the Temporary Graduate (Sc 485) visa proposed for 1 July 2024, CPA Australia will cease providing provisional assessment services from 15 June 2024 onwards.

13 May 2024

Temporary Graduate (Sc 485) 1 July 2024 changes

The Immigration Department from 1 July 2024 will be removing the restrictions in Schedule 1 for Sc 485 visa applicants whose first Student visa was granted because of an application made on or after 5 November 2011.

The Immigration Department have updated their 'Changes to the Temporary Graduate visa program- proposed 1 July 2024' webpage with the following note:

Note: Restrictions that were in place for applicants whose first Student visa was granted because of an application made on or after 5 November 2011 will no longer apply.

7 May 2024

TOEFL iBT now accepted for all Australian visas

The Department has reapproved the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) as an English test which they accept for Australian visa and migration purposes.

TOEFL iBT tests taken from 5 May 2024 are now valid as an English test for Australian visa and migration purposes.

TOEFL iBT tests that were completed between 26 July 2023 and 4 May 2024 will not be accepted for Australian visa and migration purposes as during this period, the TOEFL iBT test being offered was not an approved test. However, tests taken before July 26th, 2023, remain valid for two years.

Please note that TOEFL iBT must be taken at a secure test center as the Department does not currently accept any English-language tests that are taken online for Australian visa and migration purposes.

Student visa (Sc 500) financial requirement increase

It has been reported that the student visa (Sc 500) financial requirement will be increased potentially by around 20%.

No legislative instrument has been released at this time. Any increase would be expected to occur from 1 July 2024.