2015 Budget Immigration Highlights

2015 Budget Immigration Highlights:

• Funding to international aid reduced by a further $1 billion from 2014-15
• $14.5 million being allocated in 2015-16 for an expansion of the Adult Migration English Program to include refugees on temporary visas
• $22.1 million over four years to support young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to build skills to improve their participation in education and work ( in Social Services portfolio)
• Funding to international aid reduced by a further $1 billion from 2014-15
• Working Holiday visa holders no longer be eligible for the tax free threshold on earnings and will pay 32.5% tax from the first dollar earned
• Free trade agreement with India opening the possibility of Working Holiday Visas for Indian nationals
• Increase scrutiny and transparency surrounding foreign investment in agriculture and agribusiness
• Net loss of over $8 million to the Department over four years by not requiring lawyers to register as RMAs
• Saving of $1 million by merging the OMARA back into the Department.
  
  

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1 July 2015 - Visa fees change

Visa Application Charges (VACs) will change from 1 July 2015.




The cgovernment has announced that the changes will fund investment in a number of improvements to support stronger borders and national security initiatives.



These adjustments include:


• A price increase in line with inflation (2.3 per cent) on visas which face strong international competition or have been impacted by recent price increases. o These include specific visas
within the Permanent Migration Skill Stream, Skilled Graduate, Temporary Long Stay Business (Subclass 457), Visitor and Student visa streams.


　
• A 5 per cent price increase on visas which continue to see strong demand despite previous increases, or are likely to see a sustained volume increase through policy changes under consideration. o These include specific visas within the Temporary Resident Short Term Business and Entertainment visas, Working Holiday visas, Resident Return and Retirement Investor visas, and Contributory Parent visa streams.


　

• A 10 per cent price increase on specific visas within the Other Family (Remaining Relative, Carer and Aged Dependent Relative) visas, and (non-contributory) Parent visa streams where the underlying demand is not expected to be impacted by the price increase.



• A 50 per cent increase to the Significant Investor Visa (SIV) stream in the permanent migration Skill stream category where the VAC is a very small component of the minimum $5 million of investments required under the visa regulation.




An alignment of VAC prices where a differential currently exists for lodging an onshore and offshore application for specific visa subclasses.

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Foreign Investment in Australia - Federal Government Budget update

BUDGET UPDATE - Foreign Investment in Australia

As part of the Federal Budget, the Government has announced it will:

• strengthen the foreign investment framework to ensure investors play by the rules and that foreign investment is always in the national interest by introducing a robust regulatory framework reflecting changing demands which is essential to maintaining community support and a welcoming investment environment.
• the Australia Taxation Office (ATO) will be given responsibility for regulating foreign investment in residential real estate, including stronger enforcement of the rules supported by enhanced data matching systems.
• Iitroduce additional and stricter penalties to ensure foreign investors and intermediaries do not profit from breaking the rules.
• introduce application fees on all foreign investment applications will improve service delivery and ensure Australian taxpayers are no longer funding the administration of the system.
• increase scrutiny and transparency around foreign investment in agriculture, lowering screening thresholds for agricultural land and agribusiness and implementing a comprehensive register of foreign ownership in land.
• consult on options to ensure Australia has a modern, streamlined foreign investment system.

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White Paper - Developing Northern Australia

 

Developing Northern Australia and Tasmania

A White Paper on Developing Northern Australia will be released later this year.

Strengthen Northern Australia by establishing a $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility that will be available for major infrastructure projects like ports, railways, pipelines and electricity generation.

• $100 million to improve the roads and supply chains involved in getting cattle to market.
• The Government is delivering on creating a stronger, more competitive Tasmanian economy.
• The Government will invest $203 million to expand the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme to include exports.

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Visa Application Charges (VAC) increases

Visa Application Charges (VAC) increases

The Government will raise $437.1 million in revenue over four years by adjusting the visa application charge (VAC) for a range of visas from 1 July 2015 and by moving to full cost recovery for citizenship costs from 1 January 2016.

VACs for all visa applications made overseas will increase to align them with application charges in Australia, with the exception of Child Visas, for which domestic VACs will be reduced to match overseas VACs. This measure will also increase VACs for a range of visas.

VAC increases will be increased for various visa types by different increases: eg, CPI; 5%; 10% and 50%.

Subclass 457 VAC will increase by $25.

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Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) - Job Ready Program - Child Care Centre Managers

Important information for Child Care Centre Managers applying for Step 2 of the Job Ready Program

The purpose of the Job Ready Employment step is to enable you to gain experience in an Australian workplace to further develop skills relevant to your nominated occupation.

 

It is your responsibility to find your own employment.

 

Please consider the information below before registering for Job Ready Employment as a Child Care Centre Manager.

 

Child Care Centre Managers are responsible for:

• directing and supervising child care workers,
• developing and implementing programs to enhance the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of young children,
• providing care for children in before-school, after-school, day and vacation care centres,
• managing physical childcare facilities and ensuring all buildings and equipment are maintained,
• maintaining records and accounts for the child care centre, and
• complying with government child care requirements and standards.

For your employment to be appropriate for Step 2 of the Job Ready Program, you must be employed full time for 12 months as the manager of a childcare centre licensed by a regulatory authority with a minimum of 20 children in the 0-5 age group and you must be performing the above duties and tasks.

 

Work claimed for the Provisional Skills Assessment may not be suitable for the Job Ready Employment step.  As part of the Provisional Skills Assessment, TRA required you to demonstrate an exposure to a range of tasks relevant to your nominated occupation. For Step 2, you must ensure your employment requires you to routinely demonstrate the responsibilities, tasks and duties of your nominated occupation.

 

Your employer must formally confirm in writing that the duties you perform in your role are those of a Child Care Centre Manager.

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Volunteer work to be abolished for second working holiday visa

As announced by Senator Cash, volunteer work is to be excluded from the eligibility framework for second Working Holiday visas.

The Department has advised that this change will take some time to implement and until this change can be bought into effect, the eligibility criteria for second Working Holiday visas remains unchanged at this time.

http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/michaeliacash/2015/Pages/strengthening-integrity-in-working-holiday-visa-programme.aspx

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