The Australian government has announced an increase in immigration caps on temporary skill visa classes which will offer permanent residency.
The options of transition and replacement visas on the temporary skill shortage visas are now available for higher numbers. The changes have been made applicable from July 1, of the financial year 2022-23 and are expected to make it easier for temporary visa holders to apply for Australia Permanent Residence visas.
The visa types selected for the changes were temporary skill shortage visas, temporary graduate visas, and working holiday maker visas.
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The temporary skill shortage visa holders can now apply for a Temporary Residence Transition visa, provided, they meet certain conditions:
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their visa belongs to subclass 482 or 457,
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they must have held the visa in the last two years, and
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they must have resided in Australia from February 1, 2020, to December 14, 2021.
The cap on working holiday maker visas has also been increased to 30%. Visa holders of subclass 462 working holiday maker visa programme can now apply for PR visas easily.
Visa holders can apply for a replacement visa for their temporary graduate visa expired on/after February 1, 2020. They are required to have been out of Australia between February 1, 2020, and December 5, 2021.
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Subclass 457 visa holders can also apply for an Australia PR visa under STSOL (short-term skilled occupation list).
The policy is announced to help visa holders who lost their chance to apply for PR due to Covid-19 restrictions. The extension of the visa and other changes, including transition and replacement, will depend on the application and person.
Australia recently signed a Free Trade Agreement with India on April 2, 2022.
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Source: Mint
