Overview of Australian Visa changes from 1 July 2023

The Australian Government is committed to a migration system to serve our national interests. Therefore, it is changing frequently to adjust to our national needs. From that need Australian Government brought many changes in the migration policy from 1 July 2023.

Here is a summary of recent and upcoming Australian visa changes:

Changes in Temporary Graduate (subclass485) Visa:

Post-Study Work Stream:

From  1 July 2023, Eligible graduates will have 2years of extended work rights. This extension only applies to the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) Post-Study Work stream. The Government has released occupation lists and the eligible qualifications that will enable graduates to access extended work rights.

The extended work rights areas follows:

• Two years to Four years for select Bachelor’s degrees.
• Three years to Five years for select Master’s degrees.
• Four years to Six years for all Doctoral degrees.

Eligible graduates with a valid Temporary Graduate Visa on 1 July 2023 or who apply for a Temporary Graduate Visa after 1 July 2023, will be considered for the two-year extension.

Graduate Work stream (subclass485) Visa:

• From 1 July 2023, applicants for the Graduate Work stream will require to have relevant qualifications and nominate one occupation from the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).
• Need to have a suitable skills assessment/applied for skills assessment for the nominated occupation. This skills assessment is generally a qualification-only assessment and does not need to provide work experience.

Increase In Visa Application Fee:

From 1 July 2023,visa application charges will increase by varying percentages:‍

• ‍15% increase for Visitor Visa, Working Holiday visa, Work and Holiday visa, Training Visa, Temporary Activity Visa, and Temporary Work (short stay specialist) Visa.
• ‍40% increase for Business Innovation and Investment visas.
• ‍6% increase for other visas.
• ‍0% increase for Pacific Engagement Visa and Pacific Australia Labour Mobility visas.

48 Hours Work restrictions For Student Visas:

From 1 July 2023,Student Visa holders will be limited to working 48 hours per fortnight. It is 8hours increase from the previous limitation (40 hours per fortnight) before the relaxation of work limitations until 30 June 2023.

Dependents on a student visa will have full-time/limited work rights depending on the principal applicant’s course of study.

Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional)visa (subclass 191):

No minimum income requirement for Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191). Skilled Visas Branch, Department of Home Affairs clarify that there is no minimum come threshold required for this visa, as there is no legislative instrumenting place specifying a minimum income threshold for this visa.

Primary applicants must provide notices of assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office(ATO) for three income years out of the five years of their eligible visa namely Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491) and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494) visas.

New Pathways to Permanent Residence for Subclass482 holders:

Subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (TSS) holders on the Short-term Stream will now be able to apply for permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass186)/Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187).

Previously this option was only open for the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List(MLTSSL).

Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream applicants will be eligible after two years of sponsorship on a TSS Visa.

Increase On Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT):

Employers who wish to nominate workers for visa subclass 482, 186 and 187 must meet Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT). From 1 July 2023 TSMIT will rise to$70,000 from $ 53,900.

Changes To New Zealand Citizens' Australian Citizenship Eligibility:

From 1 July 2023,New Zealand citizens who live in Australia on a Special Category (subclass 444)visa (SCV) for more than four years (arriving after 26 February 2011) can now directly apply for Australian citizenship.

They no longer become a permanent resident of Australia first before applying for Australian citizenship.

For those, Subclass 444 visa granted before 1 July 2022 will be considered permanent residents for citizenship purposes, with backdating to 1 July 2022.

If SCV holders have family members on the New Zealand citizen family relationship (subclass461) visa, they will no longer be eligible to renew their visa once citizenship is granted. They will require to apply for alternative visa pathways, such as a partner visa or child visa.

Key Changes for UK Citizens:

Due to the free trade agreement between UK and Australia, there are some key changes in the Australian visas for UK citizens.

Labour Market Testing (LMT) provisions for UK passport holders will be removed due to the free trade agreement between Australia and UK.

Simplify licensing procedures to make it easier for qualified professionals to travel between Australia and the UK.

From 1 July 2023,UK passport holders aged 18 to 35 can apply for a Working Holiday visa.

From 1 July 2024,UK citizens will be able to apply for up to three separate Working Holiday visas without having to fulfil any specific work requirements.