The Department of Immigration has published newly updated versions of the skilled visa occupation lists, which came into effect on 17 January 2018. A variety of new roles have been added to the skilled occupation lists, while several formerly listed occupations have been removed. Certain professions have also been shifted between the Medium and Long-term Strategic… Read More

The Australian government has announced exemptions from its controversial plan to introduce a three-year waiting period before newly arrived migrants can qualify for welfare. Earlier this month the Treasurer, Scott Morrison, announced the government’s new plan to cut $1.3 billion from the annual budget by extending the current two-year waiting period for access to welfare… Read More

Queensland’s agriculture industry has expressed outrage over the actions of rogue employers and labour-hire operators, following the revelation that 13 Pacific Islander’s have died working on the program since its inception in 2009. Twelve of these deaths have happened since the program concluded its trial period and became official in 2012, with seven of the… Read More

Late last year the Department of Immigration announced a series of new efficiency-based initiatives designed to streamline the visa application process, ahead of its upcoming six-month update to the Skilled Occupation List (SOL). The initiatives are intended to help streamline the process of applying for temporary skilled work visas, and ensure shorter processing times for… Read More

The Australian government’s attempt to introduce new legislation that would have imposed a 10-year visa ban on any individual who provides false or misleading information to the Department of Immigration has been defeated in the senate. While the government initially appeared confident in the legislation’s passing, it was subsequently shot down by a coalition of… Read More

A new national survey conducted by the Australian Population Research Institute has found that nearly three quarters of those surveyed agreed that immigration levels should be reduced, while almost half said they were in favor of a partial ban on immigration from predominantly Muslim countries. The Population Research Institutes survey—which canvassed more than 2000 people—found… Read More

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has been engaging in a new covert tactic to forcibly deport dangerous foreign nationals by cancelling their permanent residency visa while the individuals in question are offshore, stranding them overseas and preventing them from returning to Australia. The Department’s new strategy was first employed as a means… Read More

The Minister for Immigration, Peter Dutton, is launching another attempt to ban mobile phones from Australia’s offshore detention centres after the legislation’s previous defeat in the Senate. While detainees are already banned from possessing mobile phones in Australia’s onshore detention centres—along with refugees being remanded on Christmas Island—Dutton now wants to amend the Migration Act… Read More

The Australian Government has elected to introduce a series of new rules and regulations that are intended to increase the integrity of the visa system and simplify the requirements for foreign nationals during their time in Australia. Individuals who apply for a temporary visa on or after 18 November 2017 will be subject to the… Read More