According to media, Australia has officially greenlit international travel today, bringing forward the plan to scrap the international border bans to November in states that hit vaccination targets.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced the new framework the states will need to meet before they can agree to reopen international travel.
“It‘s time to give Australians their lives back. We’ve saved lives. We’ve saved livelihoods but we must work together to ensure that Australians can reclaim the lives that they once had in this country,” Mr Morrison told reporters from Canberra.
Mr Morrison said Australia was moving towards Phase C of its reopening plan and would hit that goal next month, when the nation has 80 per cent of its population double-vaccinated.
A number of hurdles need to be cleared before international flights resume again.
Second, the seven-day home quarantine can only be completed by Australian citizens and permanent residents that are fully vaccinated with a vaccine recognised by the TGA.
Sinovac and Covid Shield – both of which have been widely used in Asia – will be recognised by the TGA.
Fourteen-day quarantine will still be in place for anyone not fully vaccinated or vaccinated with a vaccine not recognised by the TGA.
“We‘re also offering facilitated commercial flights for Australians overseas into states and territories that agree to commence the home quarantine trials,” Mr Morrison said.
The PM said Australia was also working towards “completely quarantine-free travel for certain countries such as New Zealand when it is safe to do so”.
Thirdly, Australians who want to travel overseas once restrictions are removed will need an internationally recognised proof of vaccination document.
“So this is an important next step in the national plan. No surprises here … we said to Australians – we get to 80 per cent, you can leave the country and you can come back again,” Mr Morrison said.
“I’m going to keep the deal with Australians when it comes to the national plan.”
The Prime Minister first announced the border closure on March 20, 2020 to all non-citizens and nonresidents.
Even Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family needed to apply for an exemption to travel and to quarantine at a hotel for 14 days on arrival at a cost of more than $3000.
The new rules for international travellers will allow travel for double-vaccinated Australians and require pre-flight Covid tests.
Parents are re-classified as "immediate family" members to travel to Australia
On 15 October 2021, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement that parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents will be classified as immediate family, allowing them to travel to Australia in states and territories that have reached 80 per cent double dose vaccination targets.
The Prime Minister said : “I know that will be very welcome news to Australians right across the country who were hoping to be reunited with their family members, their parents who are overseas.”
Since Australia’s international borders shut in March 2020, only immediate family members were able to get exemptions to visit. But parents were excluded from this classification, leading to a campaign for change. The federal government has changed this interpretation, but some are worried state border restrictions will still prevent their parents from coming.
The decision to classify the parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents as immediate family, opening the door for them to travel into the country, has been met with relief, excitement and some trepidation.
Nearly half of all Australians were either born overseas or had at least one parent who was. Yet until now, foreign-born parents were ineligible to apply for a COVID-19 exemption to travel into Australia because they were not considered immediate family.
The Prime Minister’s speech can be viewed on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6Z_K3irnPW8
Australian International border ban to be lifted in November 2021 ?
According to media, Australia has officially greenlit international travel today, bringing forward the plan to scrap the international border bans to November in states that hit vaccination targets.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced the new framework the states will need to meet before they can agree to reopen international travel.
“It‘s time to give Australians their lives back. We’ve saved lives. We’ve saved livelihoods but we must work together to ensure that Australians can reclaim the lives that they once had in this country,” Mr Morrison told reporters from Canberra.
Mr Morrison said Australia was moving towards Phase C of its reopening plan and would hit that goal next month, when the nation has 80 per cent of its population double-vaccinated.
A number of hurdles need to be cleared before international flights resume again.
Second, the seven-day home quarantine can only be completed by Australian citizens and permanent residents that are fully vaccinated with a vaccine recognised by the TGA.
Sinovac and Covid Shield – both of which have been widely used in Asia – will be recognised by the TGA.
Fourteen-day quarantine will still be in place for anyone not fully vaccinated or vaccinated with a vaccine not recognised by the TGA.
“We‘re also offering facilitated commercial flights for Australians overseas into states and territories that agree to commence the home quarantine trials,” Mr Morrison said.
The PM said Australia was also working towards “completely quarantine-free travel for certain countries such as New Zealand when it is safe to do so”.
Thirdly, Australians who want to travel overseas once restrictions are removed will need an internationally recognised proof of vaccination document.
“So this is an important next step in the national plan. No surprises here … we said to Australians – we get to 80 per cent, you can leave the country and you can come back again,” Mr Morrison said.
“I’m going to keep the deal with Australians when it comes to the national plan.”
The Prime Minister first announced the border closure on March 20, 2020 to all non-citizens and nonresidents.
Even Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family needed to apply for an exemption to travel and to quarantine at a hotel for 14 days on arrival at a cost of more than $3000.
The new rules for international travellers will allow travel for double-vaccinated Australians and require pre-flight Covid tests.
Australian agriculture worker visa is yet to be finalised
On 30 September 2021, the Australian Department of Home Affairs published latest development on the proposed Australian Agriculture Worker (AAW) visa. Although the initiative was announced as early as on 23 August 2021 by the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs and meant to be released on 23 September 2021. However up to date, details of the visa are still pending.
This visa program is for primary industry sectors including horticulture, meat processing, dairy, wool, grains, fisheries and forestry.
It is believed that the government is till negotiating with relevant Southeast Asian countries as to whether they would like to participate or not and consulting with industries to ensure that visa arrangement is fit-for purpose and meets industry needs.
Korrylink is keeping close eyes on the progress of this visa and update our clients accordingly.
Highly Sought-After Occupations for Work & Migration to Australia
Due to the continued border closure, skilled workers from foreign countries are being kept out out of Australia. Australian employers are desperate looking for skilled workers to join and work for them.
If you are a skilled worker in the following occupations and hope to come to Australia to work and then get your permanent residency, please contact Korrylink for your visa option to work and migrate to Australia.
The following are the most popular occupations and highly sought-after in Australian labour market at the moment.
Please be aware that 3-years relevant work experience and good level of English (IELTS 5.0) is the minimum requirements for applying for a visa. Contact us to get more information.
Agriculture Visa Program Announced to Start on 21 September 2021
On 23 August 2021, the Australian Government announced the establishment of Australian Agriculture visa to build on the highly successful existing Pacific schemes. The new visa will provide agricultural businesses greater access to overseas workers and ease a growing shortage of farm workers, which has worsened since COVID-19 international travel restrictions began. Aiming at enticing Pacific and Southeast Asian workers, it is not capped and will include pathways towards permanent residency and regional resettlement.
New Agriculture Visa Targeting Countries
The new Agriculture Visa will be made available to citizens from the UK and 10 countries in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region.
Countries in ASEAN include:
The visa will allow workers from the UK and the above countries to come to Australia for agricultural seasonal work for three years. They will need to return home for three months each year.
Why a New Agriculture Visa? | New Free Trade Agreement with the UK
It is widely believed that changes announced in an in-principle Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the UK will result in a subsequent labour shortage of up to 10,000 farm workers in Australia. The Agriculture Visa will seek to replace this shortage.
Under the in-principle FTA, a direct labour shortage is expected because the Australian Government has agreed to remove the requirement for British backpackers to complete three months of seasonal fruit-picking work before they can extend their Working Holiday Visa.
Other relaxed Working Holiday Visa arrangements for British citizens under the FTA would include:
Once in force, the above incentives and the removal of the requirement to undertake farm work as a condition of extending their working holiday visas will make it more attractive for young British citizens to come to work in Australia.
The program will operate from 21 September, 2021 ahead of the next harvest, and comes in addition to the existing Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme, considered highly successful by the government.
More Government media release can be found here.
Korrylink launched its New Website toady
Korrylink is pleased to advise that its new website is officially launched today on the 3 August 2021. This is the result of more than one year’s preparation and redesign by professional web designer.
The new website contains the following features:
Happy navigation and browsing !
Visa Applications Charges Increase from 1 July 2021
Quite a number of visa application charges will increase from 1 July 2021 according to the Migration Amendments Regulations 2021 – F2021L00842. The increase rate is between 1.75% to 11.345%.
Business Innovation and Investment Program subject to the 11.345% + 1.75% increase are:
AAT Appeal Application Fee Increased as from 1 July 2021
Application fees in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal will increase as from 1 July 2021.
General, Freedom of Information, security, taxation and commercial and small business taxation
From 1 July 2021, application fees for the review of a decision, where a fee is payable, will increase in accordance with reg 27(1) of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Regulations 2015 (Cth):
Migration
From 1 July 2021, application fees for the review of most migration decisions will increase. Review of migration decisions under Part 5 of the Migration Act 1958 will increase to $3,000. In cases where a 50% fee reduction is granted, the reduced fee payable will be $1,500.
The application fee payable is based on when the application was lodged.
The decision to increase this fee was announced by the Government in the Federal Budget for 2021–22.
Refugee
The fee for the review of a protection visa decision under Part 7 of the Migration Act 1958 will increase to $1,846.
This fee is payable if the review is not successful. The application fee payable is based on when the application was lodged.
This fee was increased in accordance with changes in the Consumer Price Index under Regulation 4.31BA of the Migration Regulations 1994.
Another 22 occupations are added to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL)
The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alex Hawke MP announced on 22 June 2021 the inclusion of a range of skilled occupations on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL).
The PMSOL, first announced in September 2020, is developed in conjunction with the National Skills Commission to ensure a small number of critical occupations are filled to continue to create Australian jobs and aid in Australia’s ongoing recovery from the impact of COVID-19.
The addition of 22 occupations brings the PMSOL to 41 in total.
Minister Hawke said the Government engaged with small, medium and large Australian employers, business leaders, and industry bodies across the economy to determine these changes.
“Government has received valuable feedback from Australian business stakeholders on critical skill vacancies, which has been considered together with data from the National Skills Commission, in order to develop today’s update to the Priority Migration Skilled Migration List,” Minister Hawke said.
“The Morrison Government will continue to support Australian businesses, including through skilled migration, as the engine room of our nation’s economy.”
The 22 new occupations are (including ANZSCO codes):
Visa holders, who have been sponsored by an Australia business in a PMSOL occupation will be subject to quarantine arrangements at their own expense.
Existing skilled migration occupation lists will remain active and visas will still be processed, but priority will be given to those in occupations on the PMSOL.
Registered migration agents now can certify copies of documents and identity declaration
The Australian Department of Home Affairs has today the 28 May 2021 added registered migration agents to the list of occupations that can certify copies of documents and identity declarations. Like many other people of occupations, a registered migration can do the following:
Certify copies
Complete an identity declaration
Someone can also help you complete an identity declaration if they:
Occupations