Month: January 2022

Today’s Prime Ministerial press release confirmed that the government has decided to remove the student visa work hour cap to help address labour shortages across multiple Australian industries caused by Omicron, as a temporary emergency measure. The Prime Minister did not specify that it would be limited to target sectors, however both AFR and SBS reported it as applying to student visa holders working in affected industries.

With these questions in mind, I reviewed the current NSW 491 policy and its track record over the past two years, compared the basic requirements for the Subclass 189, NSW 190, and other states’ 491 visas, then returned to the occupation lists of NSW’s individual RDAs and recent invitation cases — exploring and summarising those three questions in the hope of offering our readers some useful information and insights.

With Australia’s borders open, international students can now enter the country. Many students who previously completed their undergraduate degree in Australia and returned home due to COVID have had their hopes reignited — especially those with an interest in early childhood education! After seeing invitations flowing to our clients, enquiries have been pouring in about how to return to Australia quickly and pursue an early childhood qualification without a related undergraduate background~

When it comes to migration pathways for talented individuals moving to Australia, most people immediately think of the GTI. It’s true that the Global Talent Independent (GTI) programme has made a real name for itself over the past couple of years. Initially, GTI leaned towards scientific research and academic talent, but as applications kept flooding in, Australia grew increasingly selective — prioritising renowned academic heavyweights, senior corporate specialists with proven skills and experience, and high-level executives who bring both technology and innovation alongside job creation.

The ACT Government has just announced the opening of the offshore lodgement channel on Wednesday 12 January, along with the latest occupation list updates — here’s a first look!

Before we knew it, the pandemic had stretched on for over two years — just as one wave subsides, another emerges. This relentless cycle has kept everyone on edge. Unlike natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, which strike suddenly and end swiftly, the COVID-19 pandemic, which began at the end of 2019, has inflicted prolonged and sustained psychological and emotional strain on people. During this extraordinary period, the pressures of work, home isolation, economic disruption caused by the pandemic, and the constantly shifting rhythms of daily life have left many people physically and mentally exhausted, making mental health more important than ever.

Today all of Australia — well, perhaps the whole world — is watching the Morrison vs Djokovic match.

I sat down with the woman in this article for a two-hour conversation at the Newstars Beijing office. What struck me most was her extraordinary journey: she had applied for nearly every common visa type I’ve encountered in my career — and the outcome was a refusal almost every time. What moved me even more was this: she is still pressing forward. She is close to succeeding. Perhaps next time, she will.

Late last year, business group representatives called on the government to raise the PR quota from 160,000 to at least 190,000, and in particular to restore the skilled migrant proportion. From their perspective, a significant stimulus is needed to truly address Australia’s skills shortages. And now it has started — businesses and employers are calling for the migration quota to be raised to 190,000, with 2/3 allocated to skilled migrants. A population rebound will take years!