Included in the Australian Government’s 1 July 2017 Australian visa reform package, are amendments to the employer sponsored visa program, including the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) and Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187).
A summary of the changes to the subclass 186 and 187 visa are outlined below:
Eligible Occupation Lists for Permanent Employer Sponsored Visas
For subclass 186 visas – from 1 July 2017 the Combined Eligible Occupation List will apply to the Direct Entry Stream, which include those occupations listed in the Short-term Skilled Occupations List (STSOL) and the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). Relevant caveats specified in these occupation lists will also apply to the subclass 186 visa Direct Entry stream.
Eligible subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition (stream occupations will be those that were approved for the Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visa.
The Federal Government has stated that the occupation list changes for 1 July 2017 will not impact the subclass 187 visa which does not utilise the eligible skilled occupation lists.
Caveats for Permanent Employer Sponsored Visas
Caveats which were introduced on 19 April 2017 applying to the Temporary Work (Skilled)(subclass 457) visa program, will also apply to Direct Entry subclass 186 visa applications from 1 July 2017.
Caveats have placed specific requirements on several nominated occupations in terms of minimum salary, business turnover, number of workers employed by the sponsoring business, employment experience of the visa applicant, nature of the business or required location in a regional area.
English Language Requirement
From 1 July 2017, the English language requirement for subclass 186 and 187 visas has now changed for the Transitional visa stream from ‘vocational’ to ‘competent’ English, which requires:
- A score of 6.0 in each of the four test components of the IELTS test;
- a score of at least ‘B’ in each of the four test components of an Occupational English Test (OET);
- A minimum test scores in each of the four test components: 12 for listening, 13 for reading, 21 for writing and 18 for speaking, in a Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT) test;
- A test score of at least 50 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in a Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic test; or
- A test score of at least 169 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in a Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test that has been undertaken on or after 1 January 2015 and prior to lodging the visa application.
The English language requirement of ‘competent’ English for the Direct Entry Stream of subclasses 186 and 187 visas remains the same at 1 July 2017.
Age requirement
From 1 July 2017, the maximum age requirement of below 45 at the time of application will apply to Direct Entry stream applicants for the subclass 186 and 187 visas.
The maximum age requirement of below 50 at the time of application will continue to apply to Temporary Residence Transition stream applicants.
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For specific enquiries regarding applications for Australian work visas, please feel free to contact us at info@hartmanlawyers.com.au.
Disclaimer:
The information on this website is intended only to provide a summary and general overview on relevant matters. It is not intended to be comprehensive nor does it constitute legal advice. You are advised to seek legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any of the content contained in this website.