Australia Labour Unions are asking that companies exhaust all attempts to prove that they tried to find local citizens to fill job openings before hiring foreign workers to fill those positions.  They claim that companies have exploited foreign workers and are not bringing in truly skilled workers.  Labour is asking for reforms in the current legislative and policy settings to ensure that the 457 program can only be used by appropriately skilled persons and to fill genuine skills shortages as was intended.

There is a debate that the government had failed to provide any evidence of systemic abuse while the new requirement for labour market testing would impose a huge burden on companies.  The combination of the skilled occupation list of positions eligible for 457 sponsorship and declarations by businesses that they put hiring locally and training locally before recruiting foreign workers should be enough according to labour industry experts. Overall this means that Australia employers will need to advertise positions locally before bringing in foreign workers for temporary work visas. The debate continues.

sarah@nwisouthafrica.co.za

The Skilled Occupation List (SOL) will change from 1 July 2013, with five occupations to be removed. The SOL determines which occupations are eligible for independent and family sponsored skilled migration.

The Australia Workforce Productivity Agency decides what future skills will be most needed in Australia.  The goal is to deliver skilled occupations as the needs change.  The changes to the SOL will come into effect for applications lodged on or after 1 July 2013. Ideally if you have a skills assessment in one of the above occupations and are considering an independent skilled application, you should ensure that you lodge prior to 1 July. Most likely these listed occupations below will move to the Schedule 2 category so one can still apply by going through State Sponsorship. If you are wandering if you qualify for Skilled Migration for Australia and would like more info, please contact us at New World Immigration. www.nwiaustralia.co.za.  Occupations removed from the list as of 1 July 2013 are as follows:

•    Hospital Pharmacist (ANZSCO 251511)
•    Retail Pharmacist (ANZSCO 251513)
•    Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Avionics) (ANZSCO 323111)
•    Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Mechanical) (ANZSCO 323112)
•    Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Structures) (ANZSCO 323113

sarah@nwisouthafrica.co.za

To qualify for Australia skilled migration, applicants need to take the IELTS test. This test is given in two forms: the academic and the general.  You are exempt from taking this test if you are from countries where English is the first language. 

The website is www.ielts.org  . You can go on the site and see where the nearest tests are in your city. Several testing dates are offered to cater to your schedule.  The test is broken down into 4 sections.  Reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  Expect about 60 minutes for each section although the listening section is only 30 minutes.  This is typically an all day event so plan accordingly.

For Australia migration, the main applicant needs to score a 7 in each category. You will also receive an overall score, but you must have at least 7’s in each to pass for Australia. Your spouse only needs to score 4.5’s in each category. I recommend going to the site and requesting practice materials before taking the test.  I believe practice tests will also be available online.

In certain professions, applicants might be required to score 8’s so check with us. You can contact New World Immigration for any more info about this test.

Sarah@nwisouthafrica.co.za

As long as the items are THOROUGHLY cleaned (recommend steam cleaning if possible) you are OK to bring it with you to Oz and I would recommend that you include them in your container with your furniture (if you bring in new or on the plane, you may be subject to duties). Remember to clean children’s toys as well.  Do your research for the cost of moving and you should be able to get competitive quotes on this.

You can bring any wine, spirits etc into Australia (and you should bring your wine collection!). Make sure it is in your container, and you will pay duties on these items. With wines – list all the bottles, include vintage, brand, and approx. value of the wine (what you paid for it) – makes calculating the duties easier.

If you have a really state of the art mobile (cell phone) – bring it over and just get a new sim card here. In most cases however, you get a phone here free with any contract.

If you have a PC or fax or any office tools you want to bring over – do so (and bring them with your container – not separately.  But do not go and buy these items to bring them over – they are generally very competitively priced in Australia.
As a rule, it is simply not worth bringing your vehicles (of any nature) to Australia – the import duties and taxes are very expensive.
Vehicles must generally comply with Australian standards before customs will release them – and this too could end up costing a small fortune.

As for actual furniture, generally good quality furniture is expensive in Australia – including good quality bedding etc – you do get very cheap and reasonably priced items as well at several stores, but it is still worth the cost of bringing over as much of your furniture and goods as you can.  And finally with your electrical appliances, you will most likely need to replace the plugs on them. Decide if it is worth the hassle and cost to do this.

Many of our Australia Permanent Residency Applicants going through as skilled workers worry that they won’t be able to bring along their partners if unmarried. There is a way for the partner to go through as a De Facto Partner.

Certain people wanting to settle in Australia permanently as the de facto partner of an Australian sponsor are required to be in a relationship with that sponsor for at least one year before they can apply. Living together is regarded as a common element in most on-going relationships. Partners who are currently not living together may be required to demonstrate a high level of proof that they are not living separately and apart on a permanent basis. Generally speaking this means showing documentation to support this.

New World Immigration can assist you to determine if you will qualify and can guide you through the process. If awarded this visa, the validity is indefinite, one can have working rights, and it leads to Permanent Residency.

Please contact us at www.nwiaustralia.co.za or sarah@nwisouthafrica.co.za .

It is often confusing as to the difference between the 190 State Sponsorship Skilled Visa and the 489 Regional Sponsorship visas .If you could not pass the points test by achieving a points score of at least 60 then these routes will give you the extra points.  State will give you 5 extra points and Regional will give you 10 extra points. You will still need to nominate an occupation included in the skilled occupation list; to have your skill assessed by a qualified assessing authority to determine if one’s skill is suitable for the nominated occupation; and meet the English language requirements, and to be less than 50 years old at the time of the SkillSelect invitation issuance.

The main difference with these visas is location and time of obtaining permanent residency. Holders of Subclass 190 State Sponsorship visa can live and work in any part of the state in Australia where they need your skills. With the 489 Regional visas, one needs to live and work in the designated post codes in the Region where your skills are in highest demand.

To obtain Permanent Residence, the holder of the State Sponsor visa receives Permanent Residence as soon as they enter Australia. They just need to live and work in that state for 2 years time. For Regional Sponsorship, you agree to live and work in that region for a minimum of 2 years and are then able to apply for Permanent Residency under the 887 visa.