Australia Proposes Permanent Residence Pathway Expansion

In a bid to extend permanent residency (PR) to temporary skilled workers, the government of Australia is proposing a number of changes to the existing system.

An issue for Australian immigration has been growing numbers of workers who are de facto “permanent temporary” visa holders. Under the current framework, these visa holders are unable to meet the requirements necessary for PR. This includes workers with highly sought-after skills who hold temporary skills shortage (TSS) visas (subclass 482). Proposed changes will allow visa holders to be nominated for PR visas.

Among the key changes proposed are:

• Elimination of the number of short-term stream TSS applications a worker can file from within Australia
• Ability for employers to nominate holders of all TSS visa streams for a transitional ENS Visa
• Reduction in work experience for TSS holders from 3 to 2 years before a transitional ENS nomination
• Changes will be made to age exemptions for regional medical practitioner applicants and high-income earning applicants aged 45 years and over to allow for a two-year pathway

Immigration Insights

The proposed changes will go into effect on 25 November, pending regulatory approval. We will continue to follow developments related to the proposed PR changes and provide updates as required.