First of all,Happy New Year 2024!
Thanks for another year of company.
Just now, Australian Prime Minister Albanian also delivered a New Year's messageI would like to extend my best wishes to all Australians.
The Prime Minister also praised ——
The virtues of resilience in the Australian national character.
Albanian said in his New Year's message on Monday:
I hope Australians will have the opportunity to celebrate the New Year with their family and friends. ”
He acknowledges that 2023 will undoubtedly be a challenging year for many AustraliansBut Albanen says the community has risen to the challenge.
Albanian said:"On our great soil, the people of Australia are united in their efforts to rise to the occasion – just as they have always done. ”
As a country, we've achieved great results – and these achievements are what we have achieved together, and that's the Australian spirit. ”
At the same time,Albanian also pointed out the current global uncertainty and said it was an excellent time to take stock of Australia's strengths.
"Our people are positive, steadfast, and above all fair and just," Albanen said. Australia has the unique honour of being the birthplace of the world's oldest culture of continuity. ”
Our societies are enriched by people of all faiths, backgrounds and traditions. ”
We have so many precious things to cherish. ”
Albanes also said that these advantages of Australia will lead society in the new year, making "the world's greatest country more prosperous".
And wishing the Australians: "I wish you and your loved ones peace and happiness in the new year." ”
In addition, starting today, Australia is facing a series of immigration reforms!
We've also sorted it out for you, in the following.
The new rules for immigration naturalization have changed!
One of the stable provisions of Australia's citizenship policy has long been in the spotlight and is considered a crucial process: the naturalisation ceremony.
However, this has now been cancelled in many parts of Australia.
According to Australian media reports,More than 80 local councils across the country are set to scrap the traditional citizenship ceremony on National Day – January 26, a shocking move that will further spark discussion about the future of Australia Day.
In 2022, only four councils in Australia chose not to hold Australia Day naturalisation ceremonies – three councils in Melbourne and the city of Sydney.
But a year later, despite the full name referendum"The Voice of Australia"In the face of strong opposition, at least 81 parliaments across the country have announced that they will not hold naturalization ceremonies on January 26.
The change follows Albane's decision in December 2022 to repeal a rule that would effectively force local councils to hold a naturalisation ceremony on Australia Day.
According to the Daily Telegraph, there has been a surge in the number of parliaments opting not to hold ceremonies on Australia Day, prompting accusations from opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan, who called Albanen**"The groundwork is being laid for the abolition of the National Day"。
Albanians has said that even if the council is given the choice, they should continue to hold events, and promises:"I support Australia Day"。
He refuted the opposition's allegations that it was determined to kill Australia Day, firmly saying:"This has not changed"。
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore has spearheaded the opposition to Australia Day, saying it is for many"Painful"。
Moore said the city of Sydney will hold a ceremony on January 29 in accordance with the new rules, and this year will be the same.
This. 
She said the city of Sydney's previous ceremony on January 26 had a low attendance of 10-15 people, while 160 people are expected to be sworn in as Australian citizens on the new January 29.
Moore also fully supports changing the date of Australia Day, claimed"The date of the national celebration should not be the day of the invasion"。
Back in December 2022,The newly elected Labour Party** has made the decision to no longer make naturalisation ceremonies mandatory.
Currently, more than 80 local councils across the country have said they will abandon the traditional naturalization ceremony on January 26.
The surge in the number of parliaments choosing not to celebrate the country's national day has led opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan to accuse Albania** of laying the groundwork for abolishing the national day.
The change follows the decision of the then-newly elected Labor Party** in December 2022 to revoke a provision that effectively forced local councils to hold a naturalisation ceremony on Australia Day.
At the time, Albanese said they should continue with the choice, although they had been given the option to parliament, pledging: "I support Australia Day. ”
He dismissed opposition allegations that his ** was determined to secretly cancel Australia Day and assured Australians that "nothing has changed here".
In 2023, only 4 city councils in Australia have opted not to hold Australia Day naturalisation ceremonies, 3 of which are located in the cities of Melbourne and Sydney.
But a year later, the situation changed completely, and at least 81 parliaments across the country announced that they would not hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
As of mid-November, 70 parliaments have notified the Commonwealth** that they will no longer hold Australia Day naturalisation ceremonies, according to responses in the Senate budget. At least 11 other city councils have now also announced that they will be scrapped.
Mr Tehan said the Australian Day was being undermined and that the policy was "paying dividends".
Labor is diminishing the importance of Australia Day and laying the groundwork for the abolition of Australia Day on January 26. ”
If the general ideal changes Australia Day, he should be honest with the Australian people, not change the date in the shadows. ”
The state most keen to abandon Australia Day ceremonies is Victoria, where 22 of the state's 79 parliaments have abandoned these ceremonies this year, with NSW coming in second with criticism from 19 of the state's 128 local** bodies. In Sydney, both Woollahra and the City of Sydney's Inner City Council have given up.
New Australian immigration rules in 2024
According to SBS News on January 1**, as 2023 draws to a close, Albanese** unveiled the long-awaited Australian immigration reform strategy. In the new year, Australia's visa and immigration policy will usher in a series of major changes.
The strategy, released by Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil in early December, focuses on a new set of commitments in the areas of temporary skilled migration and international education.
*Many of these reforms are planned for 2024, including stricter English language requirements for student visas and temporary graduate visas, as well as new visas for skilled workers in in-demand areas.
In addition, a series of previously announced measures will also come into effect this year, such as new visas for immigrants from Pacific Island countries.
*Areas for future reforms are also outlined, including permanent skilled migration, remote migration and the Working Holiday Maker Program, which will be negotiated during 2024.
The information we know about immigration and visas is as follows:
*What do you hope to achieve with its immigration strategy?
Net Overseas Migration (NOM) refers to the total number of people who have entered a country and lived in the country for at least one year minus the number of people who have left.
According to the mid-year budget update, Australia's net overseas migration peaked at 510,000 in 2022-23.
This increase was mainly due to the return of international students and tourists following the easing of Covid restrictions.
* Emphasizing that NOM is not a target of immigration policy, but the new strategy aims to reduce that number from 510,000 to close to pre-pandemic 37 in fiscal year 2023-2450,000, then down to 250,000 in FY 2024-25.
o'Neil told reporters in early December: "Our goal is to return the number of immigrants to sustainable levels. ”
Leah Perkins, an immigration law certification expert at Carina Ford Lawyers, said the strategy sought to address the problems in the immigration system "in a long-term and meaningful way."
One of the first issues, she said, is to reduce "permanent temporary residence", where people live in Australia on a temporary visa and stay in Australia by constantly changing their visas.
"Overall, this strategy seeks to reduce the number of long-term temporary visa holders and increase pathways to permanent residence, which I think will have a positive impact on social cohesion," she said. ”
I hope that this strategy will eventually lead to better skilled migration, increasing permanent rather than temporary migration, and combating the exploitation of migrants, which has become a growing problem, especially during the pandemic. ”
These reforms are widely supported by trade unions and business groups as essential to improving working conditions and boosting the economy.
01 New visas for workers with in-demand skills
Perkins said the biggest change coming soon is employer sponsored visas.
A new four-year Temporary Skilled Worker visa is being introduced, which means it will provide workers with more opportunities to change employers and provide a pathway to permanent residency.
Once implemented, the Skilled in Demand visa will replace the current Temporary Skills Shortage visa (subclass 482), which allows the holder to live in Australia while working full-time for the sponsoring employer.
This will be implemented by the end of 2024, according to the timeline of new and existing commitments.
The visa will be divided into three pathways, the first is the Specialist Skills pathway, which will expedite the visa application process for immigrants with advanced skills.
This policy will apply to an initial income of at least 13$50,000 for any job, but excluding **workers, machine operators, drivers and labourers.
02 **Commitment to reduce the average processing time for this visa to 7 days.
The second Core Skills Pathway will be available to most temporary skilled migrants whose work must be listed on a new Core Skills Occupation List, which is based on occupations identified as in short supply by Employment and Skills Australia.
They must earn at least the income required by the Temporary Skills Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT).
Earlier in 2023, ** increased TSMIT from $53,900 to $70,000.
03 **The threshold will also be adjusted annually according to the wage index.
Consultations on immigration policy adjustments for low-income but requisite skilled workers – the third pathway – are expected to begin in the first half of 2024.
04 Stricter English language testing
International students and graduates – who are the largest part of Australia's "permanent temporary" migrants according to the migration strategy – are the focus of the reforms.
Mr Perkins said that "trying to improve the skill level of students coming to study in Australia" is "almost trying to discourage someone from coming to Australia to study if it looks like they don't have a path to permanent residence." ”
One of the changes is the increased English language requirements.
Starting earlier this year, applicants for a student visa will need an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 60 (from 5.)5 up) or other equivalent English language proficiency tests, such as PTE English for Academic Purposes, which are becoming increasingly popular among international students choosing Australia as their education destination.
The test score required for a temporary graduate visa will start from 60 to 65。
* said that this will improve the quality of education for students and reduce potential workplace exploitation.
05 New "Genuine Student Test".
Australia's new immigration strategy will also introduce a new "Genuine Student Test" for all international students, which will replace the existing "Genuine Temporary Entrant" requirement.
This will "encourage genuine students to apply and crack down on non-genuine students whose primary purpose is to come to Australia to work rather than study", the strategy states.
The change is expected to be implemented in early 2024.
At the end of last year, the Home Office's Student Visa Integrity Unit was strengthened and steps will be taken in 2024 to "weed out bad providers from the system".
06 Student visa processing priorities
*New priority processing for student visa and student guardian visa applications has been issued, with a commitment to rigorous review of applications from "high-risk institutions".
These priorities are outlined in the Ministerial Directive, which is based on the Rating System for Educational Institutions and applies to all applications submitted on or after 15 December.
07 More changes to the Temporary Graduate visa
From mid-2024, the ** will be mobile for the 'Enhanced and Simplified' Temporary Graduate visa. Changes will include:
08 Age Limit for Visa Applicants
Under the new setup, applicants need to be under 35 years old (currently under 50 years old).
09 Shorten the validity of your visa
The initial temporary graduate visa period will also be reduced to two years for students who have obtained a bachelor's or master's degree through coursework, and three years for students who have obtained a master's degree through research.
Students in remote areas will be eligible for a second visa, which is valid for one to two years, depending on their location.
Perkins explained: "It's all part of the effort to reduce long-term temporary visa holders. ”
What has been announced?
10. Phased out COVID-19 special measures
In September 2023, it was announced that it would phase out the Pandemic Event Visa, which was created in 2020 to allow temporary visa holders to remain in Australia when international borders were closed during the pandemic.
From 2 September, no new applicants will be accepted and applications will be completely closed in February.
The strategy states that the phase-out of COVID special measures, including the suspension of pandemic event visas and the abolition of unlimited working hours for international students, will help restore migration to near pre-pandemic levels.
11 New visas for immigrants from Pacific Island countries
A new visa for eligible migrants from Pacific countries and Timor-Leste will also be introduced this year.
The Pacific Engagement Visa will allow up to 3,000 nationals from participating countries to migrate to Australia as permanent residents each year.
Legislation passed by the Senate last October would allow for the random selection of applicants using a lottery process.
If the lottery is successful, the applicant will need to meet certain conditions, including having a job in Australia.
In a statement issued in October last year, Minister for Immigration Andrew Giles and Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy said the plan would begin in 2024 once all remaining legislative and administrative arrangements had been approved.
12 Priority processing for protection visa applicants
Also in October, a 1A $600 million package to help strengthen the refugee visa system, which was previously found to have been abused to extend refugees' stay in Australia.
This includes $54 million to set up real-time prioritisation of protection visa applications "to help break down the business model of those who abuse the system".
Perkins said we'll see more of that in 2024.
This will become even more important as we see more and more people getting fast-track approvals and quickly rejecting them," she said.
What will be included in the immigration agenda in 2024?
The strategy outlines areas for future reforms that will need to be consulted in 2024.
This includes how immigration policies can be adapted for low-income workers with the necessary skills, and how permanent skills immigration can be reinvented.
*Plans to review the Remote Migration and Working Holiday Program to support remote areas and their workers, with a proposal expected to be released early this year.
Finally, I hope you all have good luck in the new year!
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