UK GPs relocating to Australia to work will shortly have access to expanded pathways to permanent residency, according to a recent update from our migration agents. These visa changes, announced earlier this year, are expected to commence from the 25th November 2023 subject to the approval of regulation changes.
The background to these visa changes is that for many years now doctors coming to Australia on a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa have needed to manage various restrictions and limitations. Most of these will be lifted under the new visa changes.
The Department of Home Affairs announced it is implementing changes to Australia’s migration system to ensure temporary skilled workers have a pathway to Permanent Residency (PR). This will mean changes to the Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) (TSS) visa and the Temporary Residence Transition stream (TRT) of the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) and Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) (RSMS) visa subclasses.
Specifically, all TSS (subclass 482) visa holders, regardless of whether they are sponsored in an occupation on the Short-term (STSOL), Long-term (MLTSSL) or Regional Occupation List (ROL) will have a pathway to permanent residency.
Additionally, the eligibility period of employment on a TSS 482 visa with the sponsor has been reduced from 3 years to 2 years of employment with the most recently approved sponsor.
The visa changes also mean that the limits on the number of short-term stream TSS applications that visa holders can make in Australia will be removed. Applicants who wish to lodge a third or more short-term stream TSS visa can do so without having to depart Australia.
Changes will also be made to age exemptions for regional medical practitioner and high income earning applicants aged 45 years and over to allow for a two-year pathway instead of the current three year requirement.
For further information from the Department of Home Affairs click here
