Latest Changes in Australia Immigration Point System

The immigration authority of Australia has implemented the much-awaited changes in its Points System and has replaced a few existing visa categories with new ones.

Introduction of 2 New Skilled Regional Provisional Visas

The Australian government has introduced 2 new visa subclasses, which are open for new applications since 16th November. These new visas have been introduced to encourage migration to regional areas of Australia.

Following are the 2 new visa subclasses:

• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa Subclass 491: This visa subclass is designed for those who are sponsored by an employer in regional Australia.

• Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa Subclass 494: This visa subclass is designed for those who are nominated by any Australian State or Territory government or by any eligible family member who lives and works in regional Australia as a citizen or permanent resident.

Both of the above-listed visas are a replacement for 2 old visas, i.e. Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa Subclass 489 and Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme Visa Subclass 187, respectively.

These new visas are provisional visas and can be changed to permanent visas, but a migrant is required to live and work for at least 3 years in regional Australia before applying for permanent residence visa with a validity of up to five years.

Latest Changes in the Australian Immigration Point System

The DHA, also known as the Department of Home Affairs has updated the point system, which came into effect from 16th November 2019.

You can find out the changes listed below:

• 10 Points: If you have a skilled spouse or de facto partner, then you ll get 10 points
• 15 Points: If you are nominated by any Australian state or territory government or sponsored by a family member who is residing in Australia either as a permanent resident or citizen
• 10 Points: If you have any STEM qualifications (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
• 10 Points: If you don t have any spouse or de facto partner
• 5 Points: If you have a spouse or de facto partner who is competent in the English language

Also Read: How Much Money Do You Need to Move to Australia?

Key benefits of these new visas:

• Priority application processing
• New visa holders can apply for PR visa without any 2nd stage nomination, if eligible
• More points awarded to visa subclass 491 applicants
• Expanded regional area classification including Perth, the Gold Coast, Lake Macquarie, the Sunshine Coast, Illawarra, Geelong, Adelaide, Hobart, Newcastle, Wollongong and Canberra
• The time period to live and work increases from 2 years to 3 years
• The visa validity increases up to five years

Perth and the Gold Coast are also reinstated as "regional locations" since 16 November 2019

In a joint media release, the Australian government has confirmed that this additional change will serve as a "key pillar" of its "Population Plan".

The government is aiming to ease out the congestion pressures in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, and to provide attractive destinations and incentives for skilled migrants as well as employers to conduct business, work and live in regional Australia.

As a result, there are going to be additional 2,000 skilled regional visa places, which indicates a rise in the regional cap from 23,000 to 25,000.

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