Senator Chris Evans introduced the changes to the GSM visa.
So we’ve now had a week full of news about the changes the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) have made to skilled migration visas.
We’ve heard how this will affect overseas students studying in Australia, how it’s better for the economy and how it’s worse for the economy. We’ve had a lot of quotes from various authorities telling us that it’s either the best news for Australian immigration or how it could turn out to be a disaster for the state governments who are experiencing skills shortages.
Here at Embrace Australia we wanted to get opinions on the changes from the people on the ground, the agents and the applicants. So we approached Susan Wareham-McGrath, a respected migration agent and a contributing member of the Embrace Community for her thoughts.
“While the way the 8 February changes were introduced left a lot to be desired – particularly the revocation of the MODL without warning – there is no argument that the changes certainly reflect DIAC’s previous advice that it is moving towards demand-driven skilled migration, rather than the current self-nominated supply driven system.”
“The effectiveness of DIAC’s policy change will not be seen immediately. While it’s easy to predict short term skills shortages, as DIAC did earlier this week, it also needs to plan to address long range workforce needs.”
“The fact that DIAC trumpeted the concept of State Migration Plans, but as yet has not approved one, is concerning, because it puts thousands of people who currently have state sponsorship in limbo, as they want to know if their occupation will be on their chosen state’s Migration Plan.”
Susan is also critical of the confusion and inconsistencies that surround the new state Migration Plans, pointing out a lack of attention to detail. “It was interesting to read in the Minister’s media release of 8 February that individual state and territory migration plans will be developed so they can prioritise skilled migrants of their own choosing – while DIAC’s Changes to Priority Processing factsheet stipulates that state migration plans must be agreed to by the Minister. This is just one example of inconsistency and the devil being in the detail of the new policy changes.”
But how has all this news affected you? We asked a few of our forum members for their views and how this latest visa news has affected them.
Rahul Patel applied for his sponsored visa in August 2007 and now faces having his application cancelled: “If the minister needed to make these changes he should have done them long before. No sense in having kept people waiting for years. If they did not need cooks and hairdressers they should have thought about this long back. Does the minister realise that most of these applicants are from families who have staked everything to send their children for higher education to Australia in the hope of their children earning back this money and settling in Australia?”
Jaspreet Singh Bajwa also applied in August 2007: “Well I don’t understand the motive at all behind the changes made for pre-September 2007 applicants. Well they could easily manage these people in the regional areas of Australia where they could adjust these applicants into remote areas of Australia rather than ceasing their applications.” He also claims that there is confusion about which visa categories will be capped and how many, saying that many of the pre-September applicants are in limbo wondering if their application will now be cancelled.
Susan also disagrees with the way pre-September 2007 applicants have been treated: “”The capping and ceasing of pre September 07 applications does DIAC’s decision-makers no credit. The people concerned lodged valid visa applications in good faith. The reimbursement of DIAC’s Visa Application Charge does not make up for the fact that these people have put their lives on hold; in some cases, their children have grown up while they have been waiting for their application to be finalized; they have paid for medicals, PCCs, other incidental costs and agents’ fees in many cases.”
However not everyone disagrees with the changes made. Kazi Asfaq Ullah thinks that the system is fairer this way: “It is my personal opinion that these changes were due for a long time. The amount of people becoming permanent residents by doing cooking and other diplomas are heaps. They are not even work in the field that they study. It was unfair to the people who have done not only Bachelor but also Masters….My whole point of view is everyone should get same treatment. Now new changes require work sponsor but I think many people will find it hard to get a job or sponsor due to the simple fact that every employer, or most of them ask for permanent residency not graduate skilled visa holder.”
So it seems that whilst the changes may bode good news for some, for others, largely the people who matter – the visa applicants – it just brings about more confusion and misleading information about how their visas will be processed now. And the last thing that Australian employers need is to have confusing and misleading guidelines on skilled migration visas.
If you want to join in the debate, then log on to our community – it’s free to join and you can start a blog, upload photos or just have a chinwag with our other members.
Love Australia? Let us keep you informed...
- Join the Embrace Australia community today. Have your questions answered by our experts, start your own blog, get vital migration information and gain valuable insight from those who have already made the journey.
- Subscribe to our RSS Feed and have all our daily news and features delivered straight to your news reader.
- Join our mailing list -
5 Responses to “Responses to Australian Skilled Visa Changes”
Comment by gigi — February 14, 2010 @ 9:04 am
it’s unfair to find my visa cancelled while i do every thing they asked me to do, i studied english for this dream i paid alot of mony for english courses also i paid for the medical test & police check , the most important thing is i waited for over 3 years and at last they will cancel my visa????? it’s unfair
N.B: they are saying that visas pre 01 sep for low skilled people!! how?? they accept people before with the same requirements.
Comment by SANDY — February 15, 2010 @ 4:43 am
I am an immigration advisor since 1999, I do not agree with comment made by students from India studying Hair dressing , cookery and Accounting courses in OZ.
Actually most of the student are culprit & not victim, when they opted for such kind of trade & professional courses to just gain Permanent Resident i.e. student completed his M.sc.(Biotech)from Indian University selected Hair dressing courses and student having Medical degree opted for cookery course.
Comment by Jaspreet Singh Bajwa — February 18, 2010 @ 5:42 am
Thanks Susan for promoting this….
There would not be any unfair, undemocratic decision ever made in the history of Australian immigration. This is making fun of the professional people from around the world. This has been really very bad moment for the Pre September applicants as they were first invited by the DIAC to put their applications. Asked to upload medical, PCC and IELTS. Remember there are average 3 family members in one applicaion. And including the agent fees it cost more than 6000 AUD. And Minister is returning only only 1500 AUD what about rest 3500 AUD.If this was the process then why they had mentioned in their letters from case officers to upload the Medical, PCC and IELTS.
In my case they asked me to upload the medical and PCC within 70 days. I did it and now what PCC and Medical are expired.Now DIAC is blaming that we are not getting the proper security checks from some countries. I would question Minister that they must have proper communication between the two countries. Look at Canada and India. there are very good relations they have. They share information at very quick pace. It’s not applicants fault to be treated like this after waiting so much time for the visa.
Comment by Kris — February 18, 2010 @ 10:41 am
This is really unfair… I agree with gigi. How did they accept so many applications before with the same requirements? I have spent alot of money on this and at the end I will only get application fees. What happens to the other money we paid…and waiting for 3 years. Did not even look at other countries where we could apply…. I think this decision will affect alot of people who have not applied as what if after 2 to 3 years they are told the same thing as the rules change every other time…. It will really be upsetting if this happens to people who have been waiting for years just in the hope that one day we will be sorted out and at the end this is what happens to them… They should really re-think on this……
Comment by Kris — August 24, 2010 @ 9:37 am
It looks like Australian immi is just looking for ways of making money…. All most all the Pre-Sep 07 applications have been ceased. How does it make sense of them making applicants wait for 3 years and then cease the applications. Medicals are done for all and even expired. They give option to applicants to re-apply. What is the guarantee that they will not again do the same thing cap and cease??? Many applicants who have been ceased I hear them saying they will not enter Australia even as a tourist. They used the applicants money for 3 years… Now they have to pay them back with interest. How can they be so unfair…. Whoever has done this will suffer the same way as all thousands of people have suffered and are suffering. As medicals had come for all of them and all had winded up their business. The loose which Australia immi has given to all the ceased applicant is just too much and will be paid by them. What will they do to the applicants who have gone with the Pre-Sep 07 rules?