McKlaut Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 So, no agents were invited to the so-called "significant migration policy changes announcement"? No MIA representatives? Interesting...... Who's going to ask the minister unpleasant questions or disclose technical details? Should we, applicants, start sending thousands of PLEs tomorrow morning asking for thousands questions regarding new changes and our applications? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHANO7 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Your MODL points definitely won't be affected because you have already applied for your visas. You have applied for State sponsorship, so you will go into Cat 5 as soon as that comes through. You have done the right thing by applying for a subclass 175 visa in October 2009 instead of waiting for your WA SS to come through. It won't make a blind bit of difference to you if Hairdresser is removed from the MODL on Monday. In your shoes, Shane, I wouldn't be at all worried about Monday so far as you and your own family are concerned. Cheers Gill Gill What can I say I have just read your very detailed response for which I am very grateful for. You are a legend :notworthy: Shane, Sophie ( main app) and our 16 year old daughter Kitty x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzy27 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Are the new changes afecting ENS applications? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Hi All I'm guessing but I think that Christopher McGrath has discovered the timing by discovering the invitation to the meeting tomorrow. Apparently it starts at 9am tomorrow and the Minister is expected to sit down about 2 hours later. Right. His press releases and whatever DIAC plan to say on their website were all written, settled, approved and agreed before anybody spoke with the Press. DIAC's IT team is based in Canberra, I would think, because it wouldn't make sense to have them anywhere else. The DIAC computer is manned 24/24 throughout all 365 days of the year because the hardware is busy doing something all of the time. DIAC can't risk the machine breaking down. The DIAC website is permanently manned as well, in case that ever goes down. DIAC pride themselves that the website is their way of communicating with the world so they do look after their website. I reckon that what will happen is that as soon as the Minister sits down, one of his flunkeys will ring up the website people and say, "GO!" The DIAC IT people ought then to be able to get the new information - including any new visas which may be planned - onto that website within minutes, as Jamie Smith has already said. No doubt the whole thing has been tested so that all the hyperlinks will work properly etc. Canberra is GMT + 11 hours. In the UK we are on GMT until the last Sunday in March. I suspect that the whole thing is carefully planned so as to get the information onto the DIAC website by no later than 12 noon in Canberra. The Age says that the new arrangements will not have effect until midnight on the night of the announcement. I reckon that it has occurred to the Minister (via someone shouting in his ear) that DIAC's own staff and the public alike are fed up with changes that become effective as soon as an announcement is made. From what I've seen of Minister Evans, 12 hours' notice would be a "compromise" as far as he is concerned. Long enough to let a few people take advantage of the existing rules but a week's notice would be far too long. I suspect that the DIAC website is likely to go live with any changes at just before noon tomorrow Canberra time, which would be at around one o'clock tomorrow morning in the UK. New Delhi will still be awake: that is GMT +5.30 hours. Beijing is GMT +8 hours so they will only be half-awake and the majority of Britons will be in bed. These 3 countries are DIAC's biggest clients, which I am sure has been taken into account in working out the timing of the whole thing. The Tactics I suspect that the Minister will not risk a situation in which his Word has not become effective in Law by the time he meets with the Senate Estimates Committee on Tuesday morning. God forbid, they might tell him to put his plans on "hold", which he would never allow. I reckon that it is essential to the Minister's political manouverings that the Committee is presented with a fait accompli on Tuesday. With a bit of luck, the other Senators won't have been lobbied in time (or at any rate won't have had enough lobbying to cause them to make a big fuss) won't have their own heads around any changes properly and fully, so if all goes according to plan the Minister should get an easy ride from them on Tuesday about the most recent changes. They'll still be fighting the last war - the one from 23rd September. By now, the Minister and Mr Metcalfe will be able to assure the Committee that the last changes are working perfectly. So much so that DIAC are already down to Cat 5 with processing the visa applications. That will be the truth and with luck it will fool the Committee members into thinking that everything is indeed moving swiftly so as to clear the current backlog before the end-dates given by DIAC. With a bit of luck they won't demand the half-yearly figures in the Grants up to 31st December 2009. Susan Wareham McGrath has highlighted the fact that ADSRI are to host the event. A very clever move. ADSRI is the Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute, apparently. Good thinking. Pack the hall with their people because they are likely to approve of any changes that amount to "significant policy reforms." As Susan has said, DIAC HQ must have a large and suitable room in which to hold a Press Conference, so why has the Minister not chosen to take his bones there instead? DIAC won't actually need to hold a Press Conference led by Peter Vardos & Co but maybe they are planning to hold one anyway? Industry and the CFMEU Have already been primed anyway because they all have Reps on the Skilled Migration Consultative Panel. Industry will be pleased because the rumour is that the Minister intends to confirm that he plans to unstitch some, of not all, of the unwieldy JobSET Regulations introduced by TRA on 1st July 2009. I can't find any major changes to the 457 arrangements that took effect on 1st January 2010, so I reckon that the DIAC Media people got a bit muddled about the dates. The CFMEU have spent over a year insisting that the building industry in Eastern Oz has gone into recession and will stay in recession for some time, despite the Government's initiatives to keep all the builders in Eastern Oz busy with several Social Housing Projects in some of the Eastern States. The construction industry only took 12 weeks to slide into recession, apparently. Construction tradies were almost all included in the first CSL of 1st January 2009. By 16th March 2009, the construction industry had been hit by a sudden and unexpected recession, apparently.... The other one has bells on according to me! IF any MAJOR changes have been made to the MODL, I will be quite surprised. I was told that an announcement would be made in late 2009 which would set out the basis for a new methodology with the MODL, but that the actual new MODL would not be available until the end of 2010. That announcing the methodology has slipped by a few months on the original timing does not surprise me. To have a bunch of bureaucrats being ready to go with a new methodology plus the occupations 10 months ahead of their originally proposed schedule would amaze me, frankly. Sue Harcus from the WA Government is first rate. She told Scubabud that she thinks a new MODL would have to be regional, so as to cater for the differing needs in different States. She told my own chum that WA State sponsorship now takes so long that she doubts that it is worth bothering with it. Which surprised me, when everyone wants to be as high up the pecking order as they can be. I wondered last week why Sue Harcus had doubted the value of WA State sponsorship????? We'll see. I'm thinking about the mechanics of the whole thing rather than worrying about what the Minister will actually say. We will know what he says within the next 24 hours, I reckon, so I'd suggest that all we can do now is to sit back and wait for the actual content. Cheers Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Are the new changes afecting ENS applications? Hi Lizzy Nobody will know for sure until the changes have been announced. However the Minister does not want to prevent Aussie employers from getting PR quickly for their staff via the ENS visa, so my instinct is that he is unlikely to interfere with ENS visas tomorrow. Cheers Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlsdq Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Well, I just hope this time DIAC is making up after their broken promises, that's it's ashamed to use people for their own benefits. I hope DIAC will depict the essence of "People our Business", and whatever the changes are, I hope its ultimate objective is to be fair and just to those people who sacrifice in good faith to help Australia. DIAC is nothing without us. Think positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cartertucker Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 ...........:wideeyed: What's New? Recent Changes in General Skilled Migration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest icehorizon Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Hi guys, What is a state migration plan? Q 2 What are the changes to the skilled migration visa processing priorities? The minister has set new priority processing arrangements which apply to the following visas from 8 February 2010: • Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) • Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) • General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas listed in question three. Under the ministerial direction, the following processing priorities (with highest priority listed first) apply: 1. Applications from people who are employer sponsored under the ENS and the RSMS. 2. Applications from people who are nominated by a state/territory government agency under a state migration plan agreed to by the minister. 3. Applications from people who are nominated by a state/territory government agency and whose nominated occupation is on the Critical Skills List (CSL). 4. Applications from people who are neither nominated nor sponsored in priority groups 1, 2 or 3, but whose nominated occupation is listed on the CSL. 5. Applications from people who are nominated by a state/territory government agency whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL. 6. (i) Applications from people whose occupations are listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL). (ii) Aplications from people who are sponsored by family and whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL. 7. All other applications are to be processed in the order in which they are received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virtual_bajwa Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Guys Everybody is busy on talking about the changes ... Here are some hints given by the DIAC for tomorrow's changes on their website..... What's New? Recent Changes in General Skilled Migration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virtual_bajwa Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 This is just a dress rehearsal If I am not wrong................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 So, no agents were invited to the so-called "significant migration policy changes announcement"? No MIA representatives? Interesting...... Who's going to ask the minister unpleasant questions or disclose technical details? Should we, applicants, start sending thousands of PLEs tomorrow morning asking for thousands questions regarding new changes and our applications? Hi McKlaut I reckon that the answer is to hit the Senators on the Estimates Committee. The Committee met three times in 2009, in February, May and October. The three Hansards are below: Hansard Senate Committees Please scroll down to Estimates. I can't get the Hansards to open at the moment. However at the beginning of each Hansard it lists all of the members of this Committee (loads of them.) Under the full list, Hansard then records which ones of them actually attended all or part of the meeting on the date concerned. The link below lists all of the Senators in the Australian Parliament: Parliament of Australia: Senate - Senators One e-mail will cover all the Senators that I intend to address myself. I've got the two Hansards from May and October 2009, stored on my computer. My own intention is to hit the Opposition Senators only. Which party they are from and which States they are in is all provided on the List of Senators, together with e-mail addresses for them all. If I'm feeling particularly polite and formal, I will copy my e-mail to Senator Trish Crossin purely as a matter of courtesy because she is the Chair of this particular Committee. She is also a member of the Australian Labor Party, though, so if I'm not feeling nice then I won't bother with her. She'll survive a few formal courtesies being ignored by a member of the public. I plan to focus on three Senators mainly, being Senator Fierravanti-Wells, Senator Russell Trood and Senator Guy Barnett. Parliament of Australia:Senate:Senators:Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells Parliament of Australia:Senate:Senators:Senator Guy Barnett Parliament of Australia:Senate:Senators:Senator Russell Trood Those three are good. They attended both of the May and October meetings in 2009, so they take this Committee seriously. They are all Liberal Party as well, so they are programmed to give the Minister for Immi a really hard time. If I can get any one of those three Senators to listen, I reckon that they can be trusted to cause damage and to make inroads. Since it will only involve one e-mail from me, I plan to go through the Hansards and pick out the Opposition, no matter which party they are from as long as it isn't the tame puppets from the Australian Labor Party. I'll include all of them in my e-mail since I don't know which ones will actually be attending on Tuesday. E-mails to the Senators must be very short, very pithy and absolutely to the point. They won't read books, especially not when they are very busy and time is very short. I plan to wait for the promised announcement, which I reckon will be at around one o'clock on Monday 8th February (UK time.) Whatever links are given on the DIAC's and the Minister's websites, I plan to include those links in my e-mail. I plan to howl, "Look at what Minister Evans has only just been up to!!!! Please, please look into this and grill him about the whole thing on Tuesday. The effects on [future] Poms in Oz member visa applicants will be as follows: [then a list.]" I reckon that that is enough, along with the links to the two Peter Mares Interviews so that the Senators are clear that the backlog in existing applications is a cause for major concern: Migration applicants stuck in two-year limbo - The National Interest - 30 October 2009 Immigration Minister responds to backlog concerns - The National Interest - 13 November 2009 The news that DIAC and the Minister took Peter Mares seriously enough to get the Minister to be interviewed by Mr Mares should wake the Opposition Senators up to the very real problems, I hope. I don't think the Minister will say anything tomorrow that will impact badly on existing applicants for GSM visas. He knows that any changes he proposes to the law are changes which cannot have a retroactive effect. He also knows that the members of DIAC's staff and the public alike are FED UP with being treated like mushrooms by the man the whole time. [Kept in the dark and fed on horse manure.] He knows that everybody is sick of him and equally sick of DIAC as a result. He knows that he has no proposals in place for offering anybody their money back in the light of the long wait - which he knows perfectly well is an appalling failure of humanity, decency and Australian Fair Dinkum on his part. He knows what meds cost in some countries and that a lot of applicants will be forced to pay for those at least twice - including all 30,000 applicants for onshore visas. He would be LIVID if he were landed with these extra expenses himself, so he knows he should have done something about them in 2008, not belatedly start thinking about them in 2010. He knows that in making people sign the stupid, "Australian Values" Statement, he is inviting all visa applicants to go to Australia and to behave in the same underhanded way as himself from the moment that they set foot in the place. And so on. Cheers Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cartertucker Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 What is made of this information on the Diac webpages?.....:unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virtual_bajwa Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Well man changes are uploaded here... If this is change I AM RUINED BY DIACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Kelly...if I am reading it correctly...and I may not be...cat 5 non CSL are bumped back up to second priority in front of CSL with SS??? Good news? Hope so, fingers crossed. No new list till April though, to be implemented by mid 2010. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cartertucker Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Am I reading this correctly....SS applications are now priority 2?......:wideeyed: 2. Applications from people who are nominated by a state/territory government agency under a state migration plan agreed to by the minister. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest icehorizon Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Hi Kelly, I think we are still at Cat 5. For Cat 2 it says, ""Applications from people who are nominated by a state/territory government agency under a state migration plan agreed to by the minister"". Thats what i dont get it. My question is what is a state migration plan agreed to by the minister? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 2. Applications from people who are nominated by a state/territory government agency under a state migration plan agreed to by the minister. What does that bit mean??? Otherwise could still be cat 5? 5. Applications from people who are nominated by a state/territory government agency whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Q 9 What is a state migration plan? State migration plans are developed by state/territory governments and include occupations that are in demand in each individual state and territory. Each state migration plan is approved by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. As at 8 February 2010, the minister has not approved any state migration plans http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/priority-processing.pdf WTF, are they trying to be deliberately awkward or what!!!! Something new to come methinks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cartertucker Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 .......:confused: I really hope its good news....But its so hard to understand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest recherche Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Q 9 What is a state migration plan?State migration plans are developed by state/territory governments and include occupations that are in demand in each individual state and territory. Each state migration plan is approved by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. As at 8 February 2010, the minister has not approved any state migration plans http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/priority-processing.pdf WTF, are they trying to be deliberately awkward or what!!!! Something new to come methinks! sounds like we are still under cat 5.. what's the point of this sentence: 'If you are not nominated by a state or territory government in accordance with an approved state migration plan, or your nominated occupation is not on the CSL and you have applied for an offshore GSM visa or intend to apply for an offshore GSM visa, it is unlikely that your application will be finalised within three years of the date of the application. Please note, if you choose to withdraw your application you will not be entitled to a refund of your Visa Application Charge (VAC). ' there's no approved state migration plan.. so cat 5 people will still have to wait till 2012? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyler Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 I guess I was a bit late in noticing the new posts on the DIAC website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Migration Help Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Have a read of this.....What's New? Recent Changes in General Skilled Migration MODL revoked from the 8 Feb 2010. New SOL to come into effect mid-year when the CSL will be revoked. 20,000 plus visa application fees to be refunded to those applicants who will not meet the new requirements. KATHARINE MURPHYFebruary 8, 2010 ABOUT 20,000 people will have their visa applications cancelled as the Rudd government launches a crackdown in the skilled migration program. In a move likely to inflame political sensitivities over the treatment of Indian students, the government is expected to deny migrants any opportunity of achieving ''back door'' permanent residency through the skilled migration scheme. The changes to be unveiled today will see 20,000 current applications binned; an overhaul of the queueing system that identifies occupations in demand and creates a points system; and state governments will be asked to develop new migration plans. The Immigration Minister will also gain new legal authority to set a maximum number of visas for a single occupation. The cancelled applications apply to all offshore general skilled migration claims lodged before September 2007. Refunding 20,000 visa applications will cost taxpayers about $14 million. Given the changes could have a significant impact on many foreign students already in Australia, the government will introduce transitional arrangements to apply until 2012. Foreign students who have a qualification for an occupation no longer considered in demand will get to apply for a temporary 18-month visa, allowing them to gain work experience. The 18 months will also give a foreign graduate time in which to find an employer willing to sponsor their application as a skilled migrant. If they are unsuccessful in that attempt, they will have to return to their country of origin. The overhaul of the system will set a new list of occupations in demand. The new system is expected to favour skilled workers including nurses, general medical practitioners, mechanical engineers and teachers instead of groups such as cooks and hairdressers. Employers are supportive. Yesterday, Australian Industry Group chief executive Heather Ridout said: ''The changes should result in a better connect between permanent residency and addressing Australia's critical skills needs.'' In a frank speech to be delivered this morning, Immigration Minister Chris Evans will argue that the skilled migration program has not been working in Australia's economic or demographic interests. ''The program has been delivering self-nominated migrants from a narrow range of occupations with poor to moderate English language skills who struggle to find employment in their nominated occupation,'' Senator Evans will argue. Senator Evans will acknowledge the impact of the changes on foreign students, but argue they can still gain residency if they gain qualifications in professions that are in demand. He said the current tensions and misunderstandings have been made worse by unscrupulous migration agents. ''[These agents] have been misleading many international students into believing that a course in Australia gave them an automatic entitlement to permanent residence,'' Senator Evans said. ''It does not, and it will not.'' Senator Evans will also argue that the government supports skilled migration and continues to want migrants, ''be they from India, the United Kingdom or China - our three largest source countries or elsewhere''. ''We want skilled migrants on terms that work both for Australia and for the migrants themselves. We need a program with integrity and direction.'' SOURCE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eXtaTine Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Hi everyone, I've been reading this thread with quite a bit of interest as I'm planning to apply for permanent residency within these few months. I've looked at the latest changes, and seems like they are removing the MODL altogether for all applications after the 8th of February....this means there's no more 15 points for occupations under the MODL! If they are removing the MODL and the MODL points this means its that much harder, perhaps even impossible for someone to get the required points on a 175 visa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Presumably the approved state migration plans will be published soon...I think that they will be along the lines of the lists already published by the states...so..if your occupation is in statewide demand...you will be within the approved state migration plan?? Maybe a way of appeasing the states without looking like they did a U-turn?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Butlers Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 wheres everyone gone !!!!!!!!!!! Are we cat 5 Cat 2 :err: Emma has her laptop back Butler hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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