Intercon Global Services

Business Nomination - Congratulations to Care Plus Auto Services

Business Sponsorship- Congratulations to Care Plus Auto Services

CHANGES TO SUBCLASS 485 (Temporary Graduate Visa) as at 1 JULY 2024 -

As part of the Migration Strategy., The Department has provided updates on its website about the changes to the Temporary Graduate (sc 485) visa program as announced.

- the maximum age of 50 was maintained for masters (research) and doctoral degree (PhD) graduates applying for a SC 485 in the Post-Higher Education Work Stream (former Post-Study Work stream) after 1 July 2024.

The changes to the SC 485 should take effect from 1 July 2024, subject to the passage of legislative amendments. The changes are the following:

*GRADUATE WORK STREAM
– Will be renamed Post-Vocational Education Work Stream
- Eligibility age is 35 years old or under for Post-Vocational Education Work Stream
- Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders will still be eligible so long as they are under 50 years of age.
- Must hold an associate degree, diploma, or trade qualification, closely related to their nominated occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL)
- Applicants with a degree qualification or higher (Bachelor, Master, PhD, etc) will no longer be eligible for this stream. If an applicant holds one of these qualifications, they must apply through the Post-Higher Education Work Stream
- If approved, the stay period will remain up to 18 months,
- Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport holders are eligible to stay for up to 5 years

*POST-STUDY WORK Stream
- This will be renamed the Post-Higher Education Work Stream
- Maximum eligible age will be reduced to 35 years or under
- Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders will still be eligible provided they are under 50 years old
- The ‘select degree’ 2-year extension will cease

STAY PERIODS:
- Bachelor's Degree = up to 2 years
- Masters (Coursework and Extended) = up to 2 years
- Masters (Research) and Doctorate (PhD) = up to 3 years
- Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders = up to 5 years
- For Indian nationals, as agreed in the Australian Indian – Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA):
. Bachelor's degree (including honors) = up to 2 years
. Bachelor's degree (with first-class honors in STEM, including
ICT) = up to 3 years
. Masters (coursework extended and research) = up to 3 years
. Doctoral degrees (PhD) = up to 4 years.

SECOND POST-STUDY WORK STREAM:
- Will be renamed the Second Post-Higher Education Work Stream. - No other changes to this stream

VISA HOPPING ENDS 1 JULY 2024 -
The said changes aim to stop what is referred to in the Migration Strategy and the media release as visa hopping where temporary visa holders continue to apply for further temporary visas onshore to extend their stay in Australia with little prospect of becoming permanent residents.

Take note that from 1 July 2024:
- Visitor visa (SC600) holders will not be able to apply for Student (Sc 500) visas onshore.

- Temporary Graduate (SC485) visa holders will not be able to apply for Student (SC500) visas onshore.

Additionally, other temporary visa holders will not be permitted to apply for Student visas onshore are the following:

- Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate)
- Subclass 600 (Visitor)
- Subclass 601 (Electronic Travel Authority)
- Subclass 602 (Medical Treatment)
- Subclass 651 (eVisitor)
- Subclass 988 (Maritime Crew)
- Subclass 403 (Temporary Work) International Relations)) – Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream
- Subclass 426 (Domestic Worker (Temporary) – Diplomatic or Consular)
- Subclass 771 (Transit)
- Subclass 995 (Diplomatic Temporary) – primary visa holders only

What does this mean?
-Student visa 500 applicants with a genuine intention to pursue studies in Australia can apply outside Australia.
- Temporary Graduate 485 visa holders must depart Australia or find skilled jobs and other visa pathways, including those that may lead to becoming permanent residents of Australia.

The change is part of the package of reforms, released as part of the Australian Government’s Migration Strategy, and is a commitment to restrict onshore visa hopping that undermines system integrity and drives ‘permanent temporariness’.

A day on sustainable living. Today, we extend our support to the Environmental and Sustainability program conducted by Pinoy Casey Community Inc, in partnership with Casey Council Environmental Team

Thank you to Ms Rachelle Orodio for organizing such educational and eye-opening project for the youth of Casey.

Congratulations to a job well done. Cheers!
Pinoy Casey Community Inc.

Congratulations Care Plus Auto👍

NSW Government Announces a Change to Skilled Work Regional Visa (subclass 491) – Effective Immediately

Updated nomination criteria for Pathway 1

Previously, applicants for Pathway 1 were required to have been living and working in a designated regional area of NSW for at least 12 months with a single regional NSW-based employer, among other requirements. Based on industry feedback at our recent Regional Skilled Migration seminars, the NSW government is now reducing this employment duration requirement to 6 months.

Key changes:
Reduced employment duration: Applicants must now be currently living and working in a designated regional area of NSW and have continuously done so for the past 6 months, instead of the previous 12 months.

This change means that more skilled workers will be eligible to apply for the Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) under Pathway 1, opening up opportunities for those who have been contributing to the regional economy and communities for six months.

Remaining criteria:
Employment must be with a single regional NSW-based employer working from an established business premises in regional NSW.

The role must be in the applicant’s nominated (or closely related) occupation.

The occupation must be deemed skilled by NSW.

Applicants must be paid a minimum of the TSMIT salary level of $70,000 (prorated if under 38 hours per week) from their qualifying employer in the nominated (or closely related) occupation in the 6 months immediately before applying.

Important reminders:
Skilled employment must occur after NSW deems the applicant skilled in their occupation and must appear in their SkillSelect EOI.

Applicants must lodge their visa application onshore and must not have a current visa application being decided by Home Affairs for a permanent visa.

For more details about the updated criteria and how to apply, please visit the NSW government website.

Reference:

Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) A provisional visa for points tested skilled workers to live and work in regional NSW. Common Questions About Skilled VisasAustralian Department of Home Affairs About NSW Nomination NSW nomination for this visa allows skilled migrants to live, work and study...

Intercon Global Services

Pinoy Casey Community Inc.

Intercon Global Services is a proud supporter of the JUNIOR CATALYST AWARD PROGRAM

It's a community-based sponsored program for kids ages 10-15 yrs old.

Aim: To develop appreciation of community service

Limited spots available so register now. Come and join.

Form 1: https://forms.gle/raTiYxeJkKDcE5eV8

Form 2: https://forms.gle/swS8puHz4DW7VSaH6

Please refer to the flyers for more details -

Youth Activity for Casey Community -

NEW REFORMS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS-

The Australian government issued its long-awaited Migration Strategy on 11 December 2023 and announced “the biggest reforms to migration in a generation.”

The Mission - to rebuild Australia’s migration system so that it becomes “the nation building engine it once was.”

The migration system has failed to “identify and attract those people who are best placed to help build the skills base of Australia’s workforce, boost exports and raise living standards.”

The new strategy was led by Dr Martin Parkinson, who concluded that the migration system was “so badly broken” it would take 10 years to restore.

As expected, the reforms
will certainly affect the flow of foreign students into the country.

“This Strategy is about building back integrity into the system, with Treasury forecasts showing that migration is expected to decline substantially over the next financial year,” added Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil.

Financial requirements - New policies will exert downward pressure on those numbers by making it more difficult for non-genuine students to obtain study and work visas and by raising the financial requirement for visa applicants by 17% to AUS$24,505.

Reduction of some post-study work rights –
This will lead to fewer international students remaining the country for long periods of time.

Limiting entrants - The new reform is quite clearly designed to curb current migration levels.

“Australia’s net migration will be halved within two years in a dramatic move to slash the annual intake from a record high of 510,000 by imposing tougher tests on overseas students and turning away workers with low skills.” (Sydney Morning Herald)

The Gist - targeted for completion by the end of 2024 and consisting of:

“A package of integrity measures to lift the standards for international students and education providers, while ensuring graduates help meet skills shortages and do not become ‘permanently temporary.’'

The measures include:

*Increasing minimum English language requirements for student and graduate visas;

*Applying additional scrutiny to high-risk student applications;

*Cracking down on unscrupulous education providers;

*Bolstering the student visa integrity unit in the Department of Home Affairs to reduce misuse of Australia’s student visa system;

*Strengthening requirements for international education providers;

*Restricting onshore visa hopping that undermines system integrity;
Strengthening and simplifying Temporary Graduate visas;

*Ending settings that drive long-term temporary stays (known as ‘permanent temporariness’) including through: (i) shortening graduate visas; and (ii) ending settings that allow graduates to prolong their stay in Australia when they have fewer prospects of becoming permanent residents.”