April 2019 Migration Changes Explained

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2019L00578/Explanatory%20Statement/Text

The said changes are already incorporated into government legislation. Of course, there is a possibility of it being revoked at any time (as with any other legislation), for various reasons (including change in government), but considering all situations, that possibility can be said to be negligible at the moment.

 

Highlights of the Amendments in Skilled Visa 189/190/489

  1. Nomination by a State or Territory Government agency, or sponsorship by a family member residing in regional Australia will get 15 points. (It used to be 10 points.)
  2. If your spouse or de facto partner has an English equivalent of PTE 50 points, you get an additional 5 points.
  3. If you are single, you can get an additional 10 points.
  4. If your spouse or de facto partner is skilled, (which means their skill is on the list and passes the skill assessment) and has an English equivalent of PTE 50 points, you get an additional 10 points. ** If you get 10 points from clause No. 4, you can’t claim another 5 points from clause No. 2.
  5. If you have STEM qualifications, you get an additional 10 points.  (It used to be 5 points.) ** STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Qualifications. In other words, if you have a Master or PHD in these fields, you can claim another 10 points. To determine whether your qualification is eligible, see the CRICOS website.
  6. If the applicant has a partner who is a PR or an Australian Citizen, they can get an additional 10 points.
  7. Visa Subclass 489 will be CLOSED and replaced by visa subclass 491 starting from 16th of November.
  8. All the changes will take effect November 2019 onwards.

 

 

Comments:

(CURRENT LEGISLATION)

For those who have skilled partners, you are at an advantage compared to the single applicant because your partner can contribute to your total score. 

(AFTER LEGISLATION)

If your partner is not skilled and cannot score 50 in PTE, you will score 10 points lower than the single applicant.

Therefore, for those applicants with partners, you would need to speed up your migration progress by July 2019 or you will be at a great disadvantage!

 

Conclusion:

The migration points are getting higher and the passing points might be at least 80 points and above in order to be invited in the future. Offshore applicants are at a great disadvantage compared to the Onshore applicants as they can get additional points. (Refer to the table below).

Therefore, offshore applicants MUST work harder in order to compete with the onshore applicants, and to collect points as soon as possible so that your application can go through faster before the changes! The longer you drag, the lower your chances will be to migrate to Australia!

The best way to increase your points is to achieve four 79’s in PTE and claim those 20 points! Act now and contact Master PTE at +6016-361-9357 for more information!

*We are not registered migration agents. We are Master PTE, a PTE Training and Preparation Center that strives to keep up to date with the most current Australian Immigration news. This article is merely our interpretation of the recent changes in Migration Act 1958, and how it would impact hopeful migrants. For further detailed information, please consult your migration agent. If you have none yet, we are happy to refer you to one of our reliable registered partners.

 

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