While the Australian government announced last year that changes to skilled migration programme would be made in 2012, they weren't forthcoming about too many specifics as to how the process would be affected; we wrote at the time about the changes which were proposed.

However, with so much in the news recently about Australia's immigration issues, whether it be gaps in the job market or lengthy application processes, the Australian government has responded by publishing their new site SkillSelect, intended for a 1 July, 2012 launch.  

But with so many changes promised and moving to Australia already being such a daunting process, how do you know if SkillSelect applies to you?

Here is a look at the new scheme, what it is and how to use it.  

What is SkillSelect?

SkillSelect is a new method for the Australian government to manage its skilled migration programme. Based solely online, SkillSelect will require everyone who is intending to migrate to Australia to submit their application through the new system.

Applications made through SkillSelect will be made available to employers looking to recruit staff, as well as local state or territory governments. Selected applicants will then be invited to apply for an Australian visa.

Why is it needed?

Australia has struggled in recent months to balance its immigration policy properly. While the Asian fuelled mining boom continues across the country, people looking to cash in on rising wages have flocked to the mines. This means that labour shortages have cropped up in a variety of industries with 35,000 vacancies in the hospitality industry alone.

The SkillSelect programme will mean that the Australian immigration authorities can specifically target which occupations they have a shortage of and manage those applicants who are capable of filling the vacancies.

Who can use it?

When SkillSelect opens for applications on 1 July, 2012, anyone wishing to move to Australia as part of any of the following visa programmes need to apply using the SkillSelect website:

• Independent Skilled Migration
• State or Territory Sponsored Skilled Migration
• Family Sponsored Skilled Migration
• Business Skills
• Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)
• Temporary Business (Long Stay), subclass 457 programme

How it affects you

Existing clients

The Australian government has been quick to maintain that the SkillSelect website is still subject to change while particular details are finalised with further details of the SkillSelect process expected to be announced in April 2012. Therefore, if you are an existing client at the Australian Visa Bureau and are eager to continue your application as quickly as possible, you can move forward with your application without worry; the Australian Visa Bureau has significant experience under the current system and we are confident that the majority of our clients whose applications are properly assembled will be able to lodge before the 1 July deadline.

New clients

However, if you are yet to begin the application process or you are unlikely to lodge your application before 1 July, 2012, then you may have concerns about how the new system will be handled.

The Australian immigration process has undergone significant changes with the past and the Australian Visa Bureau has always successfully adjusted to the new process. SkillSelect will bring further changes but it will also bring benefits to the applicants as well as the Australian government; once the new steamlined process has been finalised and implemented, applicants will be able to get responses to each portion of their application much quicker.

- Dominic Ladden-Powell is Online Editor for the UK Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Toby Foster, host of BBC Sheffield's early morning radio show has hit the headlines by not just offending every Kiwi, but getting his facts wrong in the process. 

Speaking about the recent news of tourist Erin Langworthy's dramatic tale of bungee jumping over crocodile infested waters in Zambia, only for the bungee cord to snap, Foster (currently billed as 'Radio Sheffield's resident comedian', having previously appeared in a supporting role in hit British comedy Phoenix Nights) landed himself in hot water by claiming life in New Zealand offers "sod all".

Taking the plunge

"Of course New Zealand people do a lot of bungee jumping and we're told it's because they've got such wonderful scenery and such great bungee. But it's not, what New Zealand has got is sod all. Nothing there, there's nothing there."

"And so this New Zealander, she's gone off to Africa in the hope she will be eaten by a hippo or something because there will be something happening her boring New Zealander life"

Twisting the knife

Foster didn't seem to think he had insulted New Zealand and its citizens enough when he continued that bungee jumping was so popular because every New Zealander must get to a point in their lives when they think "I might as well jump myself off a bridge".

Eager to get in on the hole-digging, his co-presenter then quipped that bungee jumping was "like trial suicide".

Foster then decided to take a swipe at New Zealanders' penchant for extreme sports: "there's a new sport and you get a nail gun and nail your hand to a tree and people will say 'did a New Zealander think of that?' and you'll say 'yeah, it's because they've got nothing else there'".

Sinking below the belt

The only positive thing Foster had to say about New Zealand was Christchurch yet it seemed his praises were insincere as he quickly managed to cut too close to the bone when he finished "And even that had an earthquake" - referring to the 6.3 magnitude earthquake which killed almost 200 people in 2011.

What Toby got wrong

Erin Langworthy is "that New Zealand girl"

Foster's entire 'jumping off' point for the tirade was completely incorrect; the tourist whom the news story refers to, Erin Langworthy is actually Australian, although that didn't stop Foster referring to her as "that New Zealand girl".

There's nothing in New Zealand

New Zealand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world due to its exotic location, breathtaking landscapes and, funnily enough, great extreme sports. The popularity of New Zealand's natural beauty reached new heights in the 2000s when it served as the backdrop for Peter Jackson's iconic Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Indeed, Foster is more than likely to have alienated more than just any Kiwi listeners he may have had as New Zealand is one of Britain’s favourite holiday locations with almost a quarter of a million Britons deciding to make the trip in 2011 alone. They weren't disappointed either, with UK travellers giving their New Zealand holiday an average rating of 9.3 out of 10.

According to a study by Natwest International, New Zealand is ranked by UK expats behind only Canada in offering the best quality of life. With the UK struggling to make ends meet, more and more UK citizens are choosing to get a New Zealand visa and start a new life.

New Zealanders come up with extreme sports.

At least not disproportionately so. Bungee jumping is popular all over the world and not even a recent idea; a tribe on Pentecost Island in the South Pacific have been performing 'land dives', jumping from tall wooden platforms with their feet tied in vines for decades. The first modern bungee jump however, was opened in Bristol by the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club in 1979.

In fact, of most common modern extreme sports, New Zealand is credited with coming up with only one: zorbing, climbing in a giant inflatable ball and rolling down a hill.

"Jump myself off a bridge" is a grammatical error

Not satisfied with insulting Kiwis with simply incorrect facts, Foster also chose to do it with incorrect grammar.

What Toby got right

Despite Foster's tirade going on for quite some time, he managed to get few things right and perhaps just to make his situation even worse, the only two things he managed to get right were also said in jest.

New Zealand has great bungee jumping

New Zealand has bungee jumping all across New Zealand including some of the highest jumps in the world, some of the most beautiful jump locations and, with some of the most stringent safety regulations in the world, some of the safest jumps in the world.

There are hippos in Zambia

The hippopotamus, the third largest land mammal after elephants and white rhinos does indeed inhabit the country where the original bungee jump took place. In fact, with over 40,000, Zambia has the largest population in the world.

New Zealand's reaction

New Zealand is home to four million people, none of whom are likely to have taken the story particularly well. Angered Kiwis immediately took to the internet to voice their anger at Foster's outburst and twitter is still rife with tweets about the BBC Sheffield radio host.

However, despite Foster's clearly bitter rant containing more flaws than Erin Langworthy's bungee cord, several people decided to, somewhat unfairly, insult Sheffield.

As Foster has been forced by BBC bosses to "unreservedly apologise", insulting Sheffield may be not be the best idea, especially seeing as how the University of Sheffield has a long standing relationship with New Zealand.

Sheffield has welcomed plenty of Kiwis to the city for their studies, and plenty of Sheffield's youth have gone the other way on a New Zealand working holiday visa to live and work for upto a year and maybe even try their hand at bungee jumping.

The original story

On New Years Eve, 22-year-old Australian tourist Erin Langworthy plunged into the Zambezi River after her bungee cord snapped. Despite falling 110 metres into crocodile and ironically, hippopotamus infested waters and then having to swim to the edge of the river with her legs tied together, Ms Langworthy survived with only severe bruising and cuts.

Zambian Tourist Minster Given Lubinda has since offered to repeat the jump with Ms Langworthy to demonstrate the jump's safeness.

- Dominic Ladden-Powell is Online Editor for the New Zealand Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

A recent study by independent think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research predicted that the net number of non-EU migrants coming to the UK in 2012 would fall by as many as 40,000 to around 180,000.

Despite the fall, the number of immigrants still far exceed the Coalition Government's original goal of reducing UK immigration to "tens of thousands"; a promise the Conservative Party pledged in their election manifesto with the author of the IPPR report, Matt Cavanagh stating "we don't think that's going to be enough for the Government to hit its target of reducing net immigration to tens of thousands by the end of the parliament".

More disharmony within the coalition

The pre-election pledge has always been a contentious subject within the Coalition Government, with the Liberal Democrats claiming that they 'did not sign up to this' and Business Secretary Vince Cable opining that the Prime Minister would have been better served had he not stated a specific number.

Economic effects 

The IPPR goes further and claims that while the fall is still less than hoped for by the Conservatives, even this decrease could harm the UK's economic recovery. With net immigration decreased, this can result in fewer skilled workers travelling to the UK as well as the UK's larger companies struggling with inter company transfers while a decrease in the amount of overseas students could lower income.

The Government's refute - goals can still be reached

The Government argues these claims and insists its goals could still be reached within the lifetime of the current Parliament. Immigration Minister Damian Green claimed the process was akin to "turning round an oil tanker" and that even on the IPPR's own projections, who are "no friend of this Government", the Government's policy will have knocked 70,000 net migrants off "what was a rapidly rising total" over the first two years of the current Parliament.

Mr Green remained optimistic that net migration could be reduced to the tens of thousands by the end of the current Parliament when measures currently in place are combined with reforms which are shortly to be announced.

Further changes unlikely to make an effect

The reforms concern the family immigration and settlement routes, although analysts are sceptical as to whether these will affect the projected rates as they are expected to be held up by legal challenges.

The IPPR concluded that "While policy changes will start to achieve significant reductions in immigration from outside the EU, this will not be enough to put the Government on track to hit its target."

While the IPPR, dubbed "New Labour's favourite think tank" may have their doubts, vice chairman of the pressure group MigrationWatch Alp Mehmet claimed "the Government is on course but has a very long way to go".

- Dominic Ladden-Powell is Online Editor for the UK Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) have released further information regarding the changes to the Australian general skilled migration system that are proposed to be implemented at the start of the next migration program year in July 2012.  

What is being proposed?

DIAC are considering making significant changes to the way a potential migrant submits an application for a skill-based Australia visa. From July 2012, it is proposed that the current system will be replaced with a two-stage application process under a selection register called 'SkillSelect' which is designed to ensure the Australian government selects the highest quality skilled migrants from a waiting pool.

This will affect all applications in the skilled stream, including visa subclasses 175 (independent); 176 (state/territory sponsored) and 475 (provisional) applications, as well as business skills visa applications.

See below for a diagram that illustrates how the SkillSelect process will work:

How will the new Australian visa application process work?

Prospective applicants will start by submitting an ‘Expression of Interest' (EOI). This is not an Australian visa application, but instead an indication made to DIAC that an individual wishes to be considered for migration. Prior to submitting the EOI, a prospective applicant will need to have obtained an appropriate skills assessment and any English language scores needed to ensure they would be eligible to apply, if invited to do so.

DIAC will note the points test score of the prospective applicant and the time the EOI was lodged. This will help DIAC rank the EOI. Each month, DIAC will invite applicants who rank the highest to apply for a visa. The first of these invitations are expected to be made on 1st August 2012.

How can I ensure my Expression of Interest ranks as highly as possible?

The precise criteria by which DIAC plan to rank EOI’s has not yet been confirmed in full, however it is clear that the points attained prior to invitation will be a determining factor in the ranking of an EOI, with those who score the most in the best position to be invited to proceed. Ranking will be determined electronically, and preference will be given to those who express their interest earliest.

Although points scores will be accessible, rankings will not be made available to the prospective applicant, and can be amended by DIAC at any time. An EOI can also be updated at any point prior to receiving an invitation. Having issued invitations each month, DIAC will make available the lowest score of a successful EOI for each occupation, which will provide an indication of the minimum score needed to maximise the chance of receiving an invitation.

What happens if I am invited to apply for an Australian visa?

DIAC will contact the applicant or agent directly to invite the prospective applicant to apply in earnest. Having received an invitation, a deadline of 60 days will apply to lodge the visa application, which will be submitted electronically through DIAC's online system.

A maximum of two invitations will be given before the EOI is removed from the pool if no application has been made. DIAC have yet to confirm precisely how the application process will proceed once an invitation has been made, however it is likely that further documents will be required along with a completed application form and associated fee. The application is then likely to be assigned to a case officer who will assess the application manually and liaise with the applicant or agent as necessary.

How is Australian state/territory sponsorship affected?

SkillSelect will make the pool of prospective applicants available to state/territory representatives, who will be given the opportunity to issue invitations for sponsorship in accordance with their own State Migration Plan. If sponsorship is agreed, the sponsored applicant will then be invited to apply for a visa.

Will this affect Australian visa processing times?

While processing times have not yet been confirmed, DIAC have indicated that each occupation under which an application can be made will be subject to a 'ceiling'. The ceiling will act like a quota, allowing DIAC to invite prospective applications in any occupation until the ceiling as been reached.

DIAC is conscious that the migration program can occasionally be dominated by specific occupations or industries and are seeking to avoid this from reoccurring. If the ceiling has been reached for any occupation, no further invitations for that nominated occupation will be allocated and no invitations for state/territory sponsorship will be issued until at least the next migration program year. EOIs will remain active for two years before they will expire if no invitation has been made prior to that point. Prospective applicants may then submit a fresh EOI which will be subject to the same procedure.

See below for a diagram from DIAC that illustrates how the ceiling process will work:

What should I do now?

At this stage, there are still significant areas which DIAC have yet to clarify. For example, no information has been released regarding the points test or how points will be allocated. We don’t yet know whether the core occupations on DIAC’s skilled occupations list will be amended. Additionally, no information has been released about the occupation ceilings, and it is unclear what period of time prospective applicants may be waiting for an invitation or for an invitation to move to a finalised application.

Given this uncertainty, Visa Bureau recommends that anyone wishing to apply under the visa streams affected lodge their application prior to the end of June 2012, when the current migration year will end. Applications lodged before this time should be assessed under the legislation in place at the point of lodgement, and will not be affected by changes to the application process implemented after that point.

Also, Visa Bureau clients should approach their caseworker to discuss in greater detail if they are unsure about any of this. Clients will be informed promptly of any updates that may affect their application.

Visa Bureau will be keeping a close eye on all information released from DIAC regarding SkillSelect and any changes proposed or updated. Prospective applicants wishing to benefit from the care of our experienced team of dedicated case workers are invited to get in touch through our assessment webpage, after which a consultant will be in touch to discuss your potential application in greater detail.

- Matt Parker is a caseworker for the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

The Australian Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) is the body that all onshore Australian migration agents are required to belong to, in order to provide Australia visa advice to potential applicants.

MARA is responsible for regulating migration agents and making sure that migration agents provide clients with the best possible service. Part of this is providing a Code of Conduct that agents must follow, which is updated on a semi-regular basis.

The latest updates to the Code of Conduct are scheduled to take effect on 1 January, 2012. You can download a copy of the new Code of Conduct here, but see below for a list of these changes, as well as a brief explanation for each of them:

Changes to the MARA Code of Conduct set to be made on 1 January, 2012

• A requirement that notices and information to clients be in writing;

Note: A fairly simple one - this just means that in addition to information being conveyed by phone to clients, it will also need to be sent via email / post.

• Removal of the statement in Clause 2.9 that “a Registered Migration Agent cannot be responsible for misinformation provided by a client”;

Note: Previously, if a client provided incorrect information as part of their visa application, it was possible for the blame to be placed solely on the client. However, this has now been removed, so an agent will now take responsibility for ensuring that all info provided by the client is accurate.

• Removal of the words “seek to” from the statement in Clause 2.9A that “a Registered Migration Agent must not seek to mislead or deceive the Authority [MARA] whether directly or by withholding relevant information”;

Note: This is just a change to the semantics, really - the message remains the same, but with the removal of 'seek to', the clause that says an agent must be completely honest with a client is just made firmer.

• Addition of “a review authority” to the Clause 2.19 requirement that “a Registered Migration Agent has a duty to provide sufficient relevant information to the Department to allow a full assessment of all the facts against the relevant criteria.” NB: This may be because of the number of review applications that are made without full submissions being provided;

Note: This addition has been made to accommodate for an independent review authority to be involved in the resolution of any disputed.

• A requirement that Registered Migration Agents notify the Office of the MARA of changes to their registration details in advance, or within 14 days of the changes if advance notice would be unreasonable in the circumstances;

Note: This change has been made to ensure that MARA is aware of any changes to an agent's registration in advance, or as soon as possible.

• A requirement that registered migration agents notify DIAC, Office of the MARA, any review authority and all current clients of any changes to the agent’s contact details in advance, or within 14 days of the changes if advance notice would be unreasonable in the circumstances;

Note: Again, this is a change that has been added to ensure that MARA is kept aware and up-to-date of an agent's details at all time and will be able to contact the agent when necessary.

• Contracts with clients, now referred to as an "Agreement for Services and Fees", to include the services to be performed, the fees for the services, and the disbursements the agent is likely to incur as part of the services;

Note: This is a change designed to make the process of a client securing an agent's services as transparent as possible, so there is no confusion as to what services the fees will be for. 

• Agents are not entitled to payment for immigration assistance unless the client has been given a statement that is consistent with the services, fees and disbursements in the Agreement for Services and Fees. The statement has to be an invoice or account which itemises each service performed and the fee for each service.

Note: This change is also designed to increase transparency and ensure that clients will only pay for work that has been performed by the agent.

What do these MARA changes mean? 

It's clear from these changes that MARA is doing its upmost to ensure that registered migration agents act in a responsible, transparent manner. It's also a reminder to any potential applicants for an Australia visa that the first thing they should do when choosing a migration agent is check whether they are registered with MARA.

At the Australian Visa Bureau, we currently have four registered migration agents on staff. You can find their details on our MARA page. 

Additionally, you can verify their registration status by going to the 'Find an Agent' section of MARA's website and search for them using their name, registration number or their place of work (i.e. Visa Bureau Ltd).

- Leonie Cotton is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Applications for skilled migration to Australia are currently categorised into one of three priority groups, each with an associated processing timeframe set as per a Directive drawn up by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. The application will sit in that priority group until it is allocated to a case officer, who will begin assessment of the information and documents provided.

The three Australia visa priority groups sit behind two faster employer-sponsored streams, so the skilled migration groups are subsequently labelled groups 3, 4 and 5. According to the existing Priority Processing Directive drawn up in July 2011, the timeframes for processing of general skilled migration visas are currently as follows:

Applicants who find their applications allocated to category 5 have not been given a specific timeframe by which they can expect their application to be finalised, and are instead at the mercy of the categories above them. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has now released fresh information that may help to put the timeframe into some context for those waiting.

Although DIAC's site confirms that no category 5 applications are currently being allocated to case officers, fresh statistics have been announced indicating that there are currently 42,631 applications in category 5 which have yet to be assessed. Of these applications, 64% were lodged from within Australia, and DIAC have announced that they will be processing these first (starting with applications that have been in the queue the longest).

DIAC have confirmed that processing of category 5 is likely to occur within the current migration program year, which runs until 30 June 2012, starting with onshore applications made prior to September 2007 before moving to offshore applications made at the same time. This should give a degree of comfort to applicants who continue to wait in hope for news of progress in their allocated priority group.

DIAC has been careful to note that processing of applications in category 5 will continue to depend on the number of applications received in higher priority groups, and is subject to any changes made to the Processing Direction.

Consequently, although this is a positive sign that DIAC is aware of the ever-growing period of time applicants in this category have had to wait and are indicating that things may start to move in the coming months, offshore applicants who with applications lodged after September 2007 may continue to face a significant wait before case officers are allocated.

Applicants who submitted their application prior to 1 July 2010 may have an option to apply for state sponsorship and subsequently move into priority group 3. Visa Bureau clients should approach their caseworkers with any concerns or to discuss this in greater detail.

- Matt Parker is a Caseworker for the Australian Visa Bureau. 

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

New Zealand is set to vote in a general election on Saturday 26 November and while most polls have the incumbent National Party under Prime Minister John Key safely ahead, in a democracy as robust as NZ's anything could happen.

Naturally, the various parties have slightly different approaches to immigration issues and are making different pledges to the Kiwi electorate in this key policy area.

But regardless of which party occupies the Beehive after the election, some changes to the immigration system or the direction of immigration and/or New Zealand visa policy are probable.

Visa Bureau has summarised the main immigration policies put forward by the parties contesting this election so that you can be aware of any changes before they happen.

These various policy platforms highlight the differing views on the direction of immigration policy in New Zealand politics. Whoever forms the next government, and the amount of seats and therefore bargaining power and policy attention that each of these parties receive at this election, will impact on the opportunities for emigration to New Zealand and what you can expect when you arrive.

- Aleks Vickovich is Online Editor for the New Zealand Visa Bureau. 

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.