Month: August 2022

Great news from the NT for the 2022–23 financial year! Quota increases — NT transitional quotas: Subclass 190 up by 100 to 600; Subclass 491 up by 140 to 840. Policy remains stable, occupation list expanded. The NT’s graduate stream and local resident stream requirements are largely unchanged from previous years, and eligible occupations are no longer limited to those on the NTMOL — they now extend to all occupations on the Department’s occupation lists.

Today, according to a Guardian report, unions and employers have reached an agreement to support the government’s October budget update, which would increase the migration programme from the current 160,000 to 200,000 places — and maintain that 200,000 figure for at least the next two years! Combined with yesterday’s news of major increases across state nomination quotas, it’s fair to say that skilled migrants who have been waiting patiently are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. For a full analysis of the new financial year’s state nomination quotas and overall migration programme, tune in to our Xiaohongshu live stream at 4 pm this afternoon! (See the poster at the top of the page.)

Australia is facing a severe teacher shortage. Data from the NSW Department of Education released in May shows that 1,148 teacher vacancies exist across the public education system. With just three days until the start of Term 2, New South Wales still had 1,250 positions without suitable teachers.

As most people know, the education system overseas differs significantly from that in China — which leaves many parents and students at a loss when choosing schools and fields of study. Let’s explore the question that countless families wrestle with: after completing Year 11 in Australia, should a student continue on to Year 12, or transfer to a university foundation programme?

The NSW state government has emailed to advise that state nominations for the new financial year will open shortly, and has outlined a number of changes to the Subclass 190 and 491 programmes. The specific occupation list has not yet been released — here is a brief summary of the key changes for this financial year.

The Northern Territory announced early this morning that it has received its provisional quota, with policy adjustments compared to the previous financial year.

Victoria has announced it is opening state nomination applications for the new financial year, with policy changes relative to the previous financial year.

All state governments have confirmed receipt of their 2022–23 financial year interim state nomination quotas. The ACT government issued nominations, sent Matrix invitations, and announced its interim quota numbers all within a single day. The ACT — our benchmark state government — has done it again: it received its interim quota on the afternoon of 9 August, began issuing formal nominations that same afternoon, and applicants continued receiving confirmation letters this morning. On the morning of 10 August it released a new round of Matrix invitations; based on our clients’ results, scores have already dropped somewhat — check the official website for specifics. The ACT has also been the first to publicly announce the number of interim state nomination allocations!

According to official statistics, Australia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in June — the lowest level in 40 years. Australia’s labour shortage now ranks second in the world, with up to 480,000 vacancies waiting to be filled!

Last Friday, 5 August, one of our Subclass 143 client couples received their visa grant — both parents. One parent was lodged in late July 2016, and the other was added as a secondary applicant in 2021, with no impact on the queue position. The application reached the additional information (further documents) stage in late June 2022, and the visa was granted on 5 August after the Contributory Parent payment was made!