Specialist Skills Pathway
This pathway acknowledges the significant contribution highly skilled migrants make to Australia’s national productivity, particularly through their potential to increase the workforce’s skill and knowledge. This new streamlined pathway for highly skilled specialists will guarantee that Australia can quickly and easily hire top talent in areas that require it. Contact the Immigration Lawyers in Melbourne to understand your options better.
Applicants for the Specialist Skills Pathway must meet general eligibility criteria, including being nominated by an approved employer and meeting health and character requirements. They must also be in any occupation except trades workers, machinery operators, drivers, and laborers, earning at least $135,000 (the Specialist Skills Threshold), and no less than Australian workers in the same occupation.
This Specialised Skills Pathway acknowledges that immigrants who come through it fill more than just a specific labour market gap; they also address a broader national need. Migrants with advanced skills contribute significantly to the economy. They are more likely to bring ideas and knowledge that increase productivity and produce jobs for the community. They support businesses in obtaining specialised knowledge, specialised technologies, or research expertise not available in Australia. If we do not offer competitive visa offerings, these migrants are likely to choose other countries in the global talent competition.
For workers in the Specialised Skills Pathway, the government will guarantee a service standard of a median visa processing time of seven days.
Jobs and Skills Australia will have dedicated resources to monitor the labour market impacts of this pathway to ensure it supports job creation and upskilling of local workers.
The Specialist Skills Threshold will be indexed annually through legislation to maintain the pathway’s intent over time.
Department of Home Affairs will ensure that employees are not paid less than their nominated salary. Employers who pay migrants less than this amount risk other penalties under the Migration Act 1958 as well as a temporary ban from sponsoring any more migrants, including those through the Specialist Skills Pathway.
Are you someone with specialised skills? Contact the top Immigration Lawyers in Melbourne to discuss your options.
Core Skills Pathways
The majority of temporary skilled migrants will enter Australia through the Core Skills Pathway, which is intended to attract the skilled workers Australia needs both now and in the future.
Contact the Immigration Lawyers in Melbourne to understand your options better.
Applicants for the Core Skills Pathway must meet the following requirements in addition to meeting the general eligibility requirements:
- Having a profession listed on the new Core Skills Occupation List, which relates to professions that Jobs and Skills Australia has identified as being in shortage or for which Australia has promised to grant access to our labour market through international trade agreements;
- Those who will receive a salary at or above the TSMIT (which, upon implementation of the new system, will be called the Core Skills Threshold);
- As opposed to the Specialist Skills Pathway, the Core Skills Pathway will accept applications from laborers, tradespeople, and drivers and machinery operators as long as they meet two requirements: • As opposed to the Specialist Skills Pathway, the Core Skills Pathway will accept applications from laborers, tradespeople, and drivers and machinery operators as long as they meet two requirements:
- They must be paid more than the TSMIT (including for roles paid above the Specialist Skills Threshold); and be listed on the Core Skills Occupation List, per Jobs and Skills Australia’s advice.
- be listed on the Core Skills Occupation List, per Jobs and Skills Australia’s advice.
Essential Skills Pathway
In consultation with state and territory governments, unions, businesses, and migrant workers, the government will further assess how to develop a third pathway, the Essential Skills Pathway—a more regulated pathway for lower paid workers with essential skills.
The Government may take into account industries and professions that are essential to maintaining Australians’ standard of living as well as those with ongoing shortages when defining essential skills. These labour shortages have not been sufficiently addressed by improvements in wages and working conditions in these occupations, when they have occurred.
This pathway is mainly being considered by the government in light of the care and support economy, which is now crucial to Australians’ quality of life.
The difference between the Essential Skills Pathway and the Core Skills Pathway within sectors may be determined by occupation and salary. In the care and support economy, for instance, the majority of Registered Nurses or Allied Health Professionals would have access via the Core Skills Pathway, while Aged and Disability Caregivers would have access via the Essential Skills Pathway. However, regulations will be in place to make sure that Australia is getting the skilled labour it needs and that the workers themselves are not being exploited. The Government will further consult in early to mid-2024 to determine the most effective way to manage the migration of lower-paid workers who possess essential skills.
Are you an Aged Care or Disability Care worker? Book your free consultation with the top Immigration Lawyers in Melbourne to assess your eligibility and discuss your options.
