CHANGES TO THE 187 Regional sponsored migration scheme VISA FOR CERTIFICATE IV HOLDERS
Matthew Halliday, RMA 0701626, Admitted as a Solcitor (QLD)
Over the last few years, the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection has been requiring applicants who apply for occupations like cooks, mechanics or hairdressers to hold at least a Certificate III and 2 years of post qualification experience. While the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) states that a Cert IV can substitute for the Cert III and 2 years of post graduate experience, the Department was requiring Cert IV holders to also have completed 2 years post graduation experience.
However a recent decision by the MRT has led the Immigration Department to update their policy. The MRT accepted in this case that the Department's policy had gone beyond merely annotating the legislation, it had in fact raised the required amount of experience to a level that would need to be legislation not just policy.
So what does all this mean for applicants looking to apply for a subclass 187 RSMS visa? In effect, applicants who hold a Cert IV should no longer be required to also have at least 2 years of relevant post-qualification work experience prior to being able to satisfy the requirements for a subclass 187 RSMS visa.
This is a timely change in direction by the Department given recent statistics from the Department showing that Australia was failing in attracting the necessary number of skilled tradespeople vital to the nation's economic growth.
The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa is a permanent resident visa which requires sponsorship from an employer in a regional or low growth area in need of a skilled worker they have been unable to find within Australia. Having much lower obligations than the subclass 457 visa, it is often an attractive choice for both employers and employees.
The 187/RSMS is an attractive visa option for both employees and employers alike as employees gain the security of permanent residence while employers do not face any immigration obligations once the visa is granted.
If you wish to sponsor someone who holds a Cert IV or hold a Cert IV yourself and have been holding back on applying for an RSMS visa, please feel free to contact us for further information.
visa@gamigration.com
82 2 2058 1119
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