Changes for the Subclass 482 – Temporary Skills Shortage and Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme visa announced.
Key takeaways
- Inclusions to the list more notable than the removals with Child Care Worker, Retail Manager and Office Manager being added and Café or Restaurant Manager, Industrial/Graphic Designer and Economist being removed
- All 456 occupations on the new list eligible for the Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme (Direct Entry stream) visa
Introduction of new Skills in Demand visa
On 3 December 2024, the Department of Home Affairs announced that the Core Skills pathway of the Skills in Demand (SID) visa will be introduced on 7 December 2024. We understand that the Specialist and Essential Skills pathways will be introduced at a later date. The new Skills in Demand visa involves a 3-tiered (or pathway) system, with different criteria based on occupation and salary. The new SID visa will offer a 4-year temporary visa. The three-tiered system will consist of:
- Specialist skill pathway: this pathway will provide fast-track processing for highly skilled migrants who meet the general eligibility criteria and earn a minimum salary of $135,000 annually (to be indexed annually). There is no occupation list applicable for this pathway however, trade workers, machine operators and labourers will be excluded from accessing this pathway.
- Core skills pathway: this pathway is very similar to the present system. This pathway will be available to those whose occupation is on the new Core Skills Occupation List and earn at least a minimum salary (currently, the minimum salary under the subclass 482 visa program is $73,150 or the relevant average market salary).
- Essential skills pathway: this will be a more regulated pathway designed for migrant workers working in essential sectors and occupations that are vital to supporting the Australian economy. The occupations and sectors are expected to be identified in consultation with key stakeholders, including state and territory governments, unions, and businesses.
New occupation list
One of the most important components of the new system, the Core Skills pathway occupation list, was released yesterday. The list contains 456 occupations with some new occupations which were previously unavailable. However, many occupations have been removed which may impact renewals of 482/SID visas in the future.
Extended eligibility for employer sponsored permanent residency
The other significant and welcome change was to extend eligibility to the Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme (Direct Entry stream) visa to all occupations on the new Core Skills list. This will open up direct permanent residence pathways to many applicants for whom this was previously unavailable.
Please note that we do not expect future applicants for Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme (Temporary Residence Transition stream) visa will be impacted, and visa holders will still be able to transition to permanent residency even though their occupation has been removed from the list (eg. Restaurant Manager). However, we expect that occupations removed from the list will no longer be able to renew their temporary 482/SID visa. We will be contacting clients as soon as we can with further advice about their situation.
Summary
There will be many new opportunities to apply for both the SID visa and Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme (Direct Entry stream) visa. We will also aim to contact clients who may be able to access these opportunities in the coming weeks.
For most potential applicants and visa holders, the changes are positive. There are still several unknowns which we hope will become clear after 7 December. We will send further newsletters as information comes to light over the coming weeks.
