Australia announces new changes for Skilled Worker Visas effective from July 01 2024

New Updates for Australia Skilled Worker Visas

The Government of Australia has recently announced improvements to visa conditions 8107, 8607, and 8608, which will be effective from July 1, 2024. The Department of Home Affairs aims to address unfair labor practices and facilitate labor market mobility of temporary immigrants having the following visas:

• Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (subclass 482)
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 494)
• Temporary work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457)

Under the new update, holders of the visas mentioned above will be given more time to find a new sponsor or apply for a visa application when they discontinue working under their sponsoring employer. Employees having these visas will be given a 180-day time period consecutively or a maximum of 365 days to apply for a new visa or arrange for deportation from Australia.

During this period, workers can take up employment in job roles that are not listed in their recently approved sponsorship nomination. The move is aimed at ensuring that visa holders are able to support themselves while looking for a new sponsor.

Note: Sponsors are advised to inform the Department of any changes in the situation within 28 days.

Australia’s New Migration Strategy

Australian authorities are planning to invite a large number of immigrants to the country. The Migration Program aims to bridge the labor shortage issues while making via processing for Australia a priority.

The Government of Australia introduced a new migration strategy on December 11, 2023, which provided a roadmap with eight key actions and more than 25 immigration policies. The Government also announced on May 14, 2024, that the planning for the permanent Migration Program 2024-25 is to be set at 185,000 places.