Australia – Skilling Australians Fund Update
The Department of Home Affairs that the Migration Amendment (Skilling Australians Fund) Bill 2018, which was passed by the Parliament of Australia on May 9, 2018, is expected to be implemented during the first quarter of the 2018-2019 financial year (i.e. between July and September 2018.
When implemented, the SAF will be payable at the time of submission of nomination applications for Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) and permanent subclass 186 & 187 visas.
In addition, changes to current Labour Market Testing will require advertising to have been undertaken:
- for a period of four weeks;
- during a four-month period before the nomination is lodged;
- such that advertisements set out any skills or experience requirements that are appropriate to the position.
Until implementation of the legislation, the current LMT guidelines as set out in policy should be followed.
Labour market testing update
The Department of Home Affairs have expanded the list of acceptable methods of Labour Market Testing (LMT) for Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482) nomination applications to include both:
- LinkedIn’s online recruitment platform (job vacancies restricted to LinkedIn profile members only are not acceptable);
- Industry-specific recruitment websites relevant to the occupation that are of significant use by the industry.
Action items
- Employers are advised to submit applications as soon as possible to avoid having to pay the substantial new levy fees.