Pomsinoz Newsletter July 2018

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Wednesday 11th July, Issue # 79

Welcome to the July 2018 Pomsinoz Newsletter

A warm welcome to everyone who's registered on the forum since our last newsletter. If you've only recently joined www.pominoz.com and haven't made a post yet, then why not stop by and say hello.
This month, we've got a bumper issue, with lots of visa news to cover.
All the Best, Robert - Admin

Visa Fee Increases

On the 01st of this month, Department of Immigration Visa application fees increased for a number of visas. In general, the visa application fees have been increased in line with CPI. Changes for some common visa types are below:

Discuss visas and migration on the forum

It's Tax Return Time! Alan’s Top 12 Tips for Your 2018 Tax Returns

As we tick over into the new Australian tax year your thoughts might start turning to the completion of your 2018 Australian tax return.

At least they do in the minds of registered tax agents!

Here are Alan's 12 top tips for those of you who have UK and Australian tax returns to prepare for 2018.

They should be particularly helpful for those of you who moved to Australia for the first time in the year to 30 June 2018, although others who arrived earlier may find the list useful.

www.collettandco.com/blog/alans-top-12-tips-for-2018-tax-returns/

Special Visas for Regions with skill shortages

Australian regions with niche skills shortages are being earmarked for "boutique" visa deals.

Northern Queensland and the Goldfields in Western Australia’s southeast are two regions most likely to benefit within months.

“In north Queensland, they've got a thriving tourism industry and they've got requirements for things like Chinese-speaking scuba diving instructors," said Mr Tudge.

“In the Goldfields, they've got a shortage of drillers. They've got a shortage of people who can work on some of the nearby farms and we want to be able to ensure that those skills gaps can be met so that those businesses can continue to grow."

The visa deals for those regions are expected to be in place by the end of the year. Which other areas may benefit and how many visas may be available has not been confirmed.

Boutique arrangements are granted at the government’s discretion when there are vacancies for niche positions that cannot be filled locally and when that particular job does not fall within the Skills Shortage List of more than 600 occupations eligible for skilled visa categories.

Read Full article here

Sending money to the UK

Whether you’ve moved to Australia for good, or are working Down Under and plan to head back to Blighty one day, you may still need to transfer funds to the UK. This could be to transfer rental income from a property, or it might be to maintain a home in the UK or send money to a child or grandchild studying in the UK. Whatever your reason for sending money back to the UK, using a foreign exchange specialist rather than your high street bank could make a significant difference to the amount of sterling that arrives in your account.

This is not only because you will have the benefit of great exchange rates and low transfer fees, but also you will be provided with expert market guidance and specialist services to help you make the most of your money.

A specialist can talk you through the transfer process and their in-depth market knowledge can help you mitigate the risk of the unpredictable foreign exchange market and potentially protect against rate volatility.

Another aspect to consider, particularly if you’re making regular payments to and from the UK, is how the transfers take place. As well as dealing with foreign exchange specialists over the phone, you should be able to make transfers online and even set up automated regular payments to cover, for example, a mortgage payment or property maintenance costs. Once you understand your alternatives, it becomes much easier to make the most of your money when repatriating funds.

moneycorp is a foreign exchange specialist company, offering great rates and a range of services delivered online and over the phone.

Get started with moneycorp
It's free to register for a moneycorp account and you can do this online by clicking here

It only takes a few minutes to register – you can then start saving money on your overseas currency transfers. Once registered, you will be assigned an Account Manager who will be your main point of contact and they can provide quotes and information on the Australian dollar as and when you need it.

You can also read more information here on the Poms in Oz currency page: www.moneycorp.com/uk/campaigns/partners/pio/

Moneycorp is a reference to TTT Moneycorp Pty Limited which is registered in Australia (business number 116612858). Its principal place of business is Level 15 Exchange Tower, 2 The Esplanade, Perth WA 6000, Australia. TTT Moneycorp Pty Limited is authorised to deal in foreign exchange contracts and buy/sell quotes to retail and wholesale clients as an Authorised Representative (reference number 445555) of Rochford Capital Pty Limited (AFSL License No. 361276).

Govt backflip - Employers can satisfy testing by advertising the vacancy on LinkedIn

Foreign workers can be brought into Australia on the new Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) as long as employers tried to hire Aussies first … on LinkedIn.

In June, the Government tweaked its rules around the new 457, now dubbed the "Temporary Skill Shortage" visa, reversing an earlier decision to reject ads on the social network as part of labour market testing.

This testing — where employers are required to demonstrate they advertised locally for jobs — is designed to ensure Australians are given priority before overseas workers are hired.

The new rules mean an employer can satisfy testing by advertising in two places — for example on the Government job portal Jobactive and LinkedIn.

Read Full article here

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Parliamentary inquiry into dodgy migration agents begins

Unscrupulous operators who rip off those who hope to live, work or study in Australia are being scrutinised by a parliamentary inquiry which opened in Canberra at the end of June.

The inquiry into migration agents follows a joint SBS-Fairfax investigation that revealed victims were losing tens of thousands of dollars after falling prey to false promises by agents and others operating in the sector.

It is against the law for education agents to offer migration advice unless they are registered as migration agents, but the Department of Home Affairs said it had received anecdotal evidence that some were doing so.

The inquiry also comes off the back of a growing number of complaints in the sector. According to Department of Home Affairs figures, there were 800 complaints against registered migration agents last year - up from just over 600 in 2014.

The department told the inquiry on Wednesday there was a real threat posed by corrupt or unregistered migration agents, including organised crime groups taking advantage of flaws in the current system.
The department said changes to information and evidence-sharing powers needed to be made, as the current arrangement was a “significant impediment” to investigating fraudulent behaviour by registered and unregistered migration agents.

University of Sydney law professor Mary Crock, who has specialised in immigration law for over three decades, said most registered migration agents are doing the right thing by their clients.

She suggested the increasingly “draconian” immigration legal system in Australia may be the reason behind the rising number of complaints.

“I suspect dissatisfactions with migration outcomes are one of the reasons you’ve got an increasing number of complaints. I don’t see that there is a drop in the quality of migration agents,” she said.

Ms Crock said the issue of education providers offering de facto immigration advice was a serious issue with ramifications for potential students.

“They are telling them ‘if you do this course you will able to get X visa or Y visa’, so the students go and pay a lot of money up front and in the end are very disappointed,” she said.

Discuss visas and migration on the forum

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