published : April 7, 2017, 6:51 p.m.
On 18 April 2017, the Government announced that the Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457 visa) will be abolished and replaced with the completely new Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa in March 2018 There will be three options available under this new TSS visa program: Short-term stream – this is for employers to source genuine temporary overseas skilled workers in occupations included on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL)1 for a maximum of two years (or up to four years if an international trade obligation applies) Medium-term stream – this is for employers to source highly skilled overseas workers to fill medium-term critical skills in occupations included on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List
On 20 April 2017, the Australian Government announced it is strengthening the integrity of Australian citizenship. The Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill 2017 (the Bill) was introduced into Parliament on 15 June 2017. On 18 October 2017, the Government proposed amendments to the Bill.
What are the new requirements?
As a result of the proposed amendments and subject to the passage of legislation, the new requirements for citizenship will come into effect on 1 July 2018 and include:
Updates to the occupation lists for temporary and permanent skilled visas will come into effect from 17 January 2018. This update follows the review conducted by the Department of Jobs and Small Business in late 2017. These changes have been made to reflect the skills needs of the Australian labour market, and to continue to support Australian businesses to address skills shortages that they are unable to fill locally. The six-monthly review cycle of the occupation lists was established by the Australian Government in April 2017 to ensure that the occupations lists are responsive to changes in the Australian labour market, and align with the Australian Government’s policy that Australian workers have priority.
