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News January 24, 2022 newstarsec

The Real Migration Benefits Behind Recent Subclass 485 Policy Changes — Trade and Diploma Graduates Could Be the Biggest Winners!

As Australia welcomed 2022 and national vaccination targets were met, the government finally began rolling out a series of favourable policies to encourage international students to return. But beyond the financial incentive of visa fee reimbursements upon arrival, what are the real migration benefits? This article analyses the recent changes to the Subclass 485 Graduate Work visa.

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News January 21, 2022 newstarsec

Australia Urgently Needs Workers: Work Hour Limits Temporarily Lifted for Student Visas Including Work-and-Study, Hospitality Industry Offers Premium Pay to Attract Staff! Strong Overseas Approval Rates in 2022, Plus Refunds for Those Returning Soon!

Australia's hospitality industry is facing a mounting labour shortage. Some restaurant owners are offering staff hundreds of dollars in referral bonuses to bring in friends. At premium restaurants, dishwashers are being offered as much as $35 per hour just to fill positions.

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News January 20, 2022 newstarsec

Waiting for Your Grant? | Mainland China Lodgement and Grant Figures for Subclass 190/491, Nearly 2,000 Subclass 143 Cases Finalised! Subclass 491 ‘Converted’ to Subclass 482 — Granted in Two Months!

Every so often, we share the latest visa processing figures with you — there is simply no other way to put it. Processing times for skilled migration are painfully slow, especially for Subclass 189/491/190. Since the end of last financial year, the grant numbers have been dismal. After lodging, most applicants spend their time waiting... waiting... still waiting, and the queue just keeps growing......

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News January 19, 2022 newstarsec

Three Good News Updates in One Day! All Student Visas Confirmed Work-Hour-Limit-Free! $630 Student Visa Fee Refund for Returning to Australia Within 8 Weeks! Offshore Subclass 485 Can Be Extended to 30 September!

Following yesterday's official announcement, there has been quite a lot of good news for international students and graduates overseas these past couple of days — three updates in one day!

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News January 18, 2022 newstarsec

Major Update! Subclass 489/491 COVID-Affected Holders Can Extend by 3 Years! Offshore Subclass 485 Holders May Return to Australia as Early as Next Month!

Migration Minister Alex Hawke today announced further COVID-19 relief measures for affected temporary visa holders, including Subclass 489, 491, 494 and 485, during a media interview.

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News January 14, 2022 newstarsec

Prime Minister Confirms: Student Visa Work Hour Cap Removed! Victoria State Nomination Update: Ample Quota for Second Half of Financial Year, Minimum Invited Scores for IT, Early Childhood Education, Cookery and More!

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.

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News January 13, 2022 newstarsec

What Happened to Those Who Chose the 491? With 190 Competition at Its Peak and 189 Out of Reach — Is NSW 491 Worth the Move and the Wait?

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.

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News January 12, 2022 newstarsec

One Year of Study, No Prior Background, Skills Assessment Passed, English Waived — Subclass 190 Migration Achieved! Unlock Victoria’s Dedicated Early Childhood Pathway From Scratch!

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~

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News January 12, 2022 newstarsec

The Dedicated Migration Pathway for Outstanding Talent in Arts, Culture, and Sport — Last Year’s PR Grants Exceeded the Quota! One Visa Covers the Whole Family — the Hidden Pathway for “Big Names”!

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.

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News January 11, 2022 newstarsec

Great news! New offshore migration opportunities are here! Canberra opens offshore Subclass 190 & 491 state nomination! Minor occupation list updates — secondary school teachers and more return!

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!

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