491 and 494 visas: 2,000 more regional visas; regional areas defined; extra year for graduates clarified

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491 and 494 visas: 2,000 more regional visas; regional areas defined; extra year for graduates clarified

Today, the Government announced there will be an increase of 2,000 regional visas due to the high demand and a rise in visa grants in the first quarter of the program year. The regional/non-regional dichotomy will be split into three categories: Major cities, Cities and major regional centres, and Regional centres and all other locations. This will impact the new Subclass 494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa and Subclass 491 – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa. Incentives for these areas are also explained, including the potential for an additional 2 years for international students who study at a regional university for a Subclass 485 - Temporary Graduate visa under the Post-Study Work stream.

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457/TSS visas: The 2019 massage and beauty therapy sponsor blitz; caveats; and the world’s oldest profession

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457/TSS visas: The 2019 massage and beauty therapy sponsor blitz; caveats; and the world’s oldest profession

An update to the register of sanctioned sponsors has turned up an increasing number of massage and beauty therapist businesses falling foul of their sponsor obligations in 2019. Why this is so may be because of the caveat, otherwise known as applicable circumstances, which restricts the type of businesses and situations where massage therapists can be successfully nominated.

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482/TSS sponsor obligations: Hospitality sector account for a third of sanctioned sponsors

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482/TSS sponsor obligations: Hospitality sector account for a third of sanctioned sponsors

The public register for sanctioned sponsors under the old Subclass 457 – Temporary Work (Skilled) visa and the current Subclass 482 – Temporary Work Skilled visa regime is analysed. Hospitality sponsors are overrepresented on this shame list making up around one-third of sanctioned sponsors since March 2015.

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2019-20 Migration planning levels; SA’s push for migrants; historic GSM and business skills nomination ceilings

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2019-20 Migration planning levels; SA’s push for migrants; historic GSM and business skills nomination ceilings

While it was known that Australia’s permanent migration intake would be cut from 190,000 to 160,000 starting in the 2019-20 program year, which visa categories will suffer more can now be determined. Also, a recent Freedom of Information request shows why South Australia requested more migration places and what the nomination ceilings were for each State and Territory for General Skilled Migration and business skills visas.

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