The program provides skilled migrants with a pathway to permanent residency in the following visa categories:

• Skilled – Nominated (sub​class 190)
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491)

The Australian Government has announced the State and Territory nominated visa allocations for the 2022-23 Migration program year.

The ACT, Tasmania and Victoria have now officially opened their skilled migration program.

The remaining States and Territories are expected to follow in the upcoming months.

To discuss pathways to migration in Australia, please contact us to book a consultation with our registered Migration Agents.

The post Australian State Nominated Migration Program appeared first on Global Health Source.

The Australian government has announced the planning levels for its 2022-23 Migration Program, which will consist of 160,000 places with two-thirds allocated to the Skills stream and one-third allocated to the Family Stream.

The Skills stream will have an allocation of 109,900 places (which is up from approximately 30,000 places in 2021-2022), which is intended to improve the economy and ease critical workforce shortages.

It consists of the following allocations for employer-sponsored, skilled-independent, regional, state/territory nominated, business innovation and investment, global talent (independent) and distinguished talent visa categories.

As a result, foreign nationals will now have additional opportunities to enter the country for work, residency and a pathway to citizenship.

To discuss pathways to migration in Australia, please contact us at ghs@globalhealth.com.au  to book a consultation with our registered Migration Agents.

The post Australian 2022-2023 Migration Program appeared first on Global Health Source.

As borders open and the global travelling community return to the skies a growing number of people are refused travel due to presenting passports that have even the smallest of imperfections.

Passport damage includes:

• Water damage
• Faded pages
• Stained pages
• Missing pages
• Loose binding or folded pages
• Tearing on the cover or any pages (even if it does not interfere with the information on the page)
• Damage to the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip.

Put simply, if your passport has sustained any such damage, then it should be replaced immediately as it will be invalid for travel.

Even if your home country allows you to depart on a damaged passport there is a very real likelihood that your destination country will refuse to accept your damaged passport on arrival and will immediately return you to your country of origin.

They will not permit you entry to obtain a new passport.

It usually takes several weeks for a passport application to be approved. In most cases that is between 6 and 8 weeks but it could take longer.  In some instances, it is possible to expedite the process in urgent cases by paying an extra service fee, but remember that depends on the issuing government.

Don’t take any chances. 

Keep your passport safe, dry, flat and in a secure location at all times.

#passports #passportdamage #keepyourpassportsafe #immigrationadvice #alliedhealthrecruitmentagency #alliedhealthrecruitment #sonography #radiography #radiologists #physiotherapy #occupationaltherapy #podiatry #speechpathology #travel

The post DAMAGED PASSPORTS appeared first on Global Health Source.

Agreement in principle has also been reached between Australia and the UK to increase the maximum eligible age from 30 to 35 years for UK passport holders and to issue visas for up to three years.  Negotiations are still in progress and further updates are anticipated to be provided in late 2022.

From 4 April 2020, WHM’s working in critical sectors, including health, aged and disability care are automatically exempt from the six-month work limitation with the same employer and no longer need to obtain prior permission from the Department.  WHM’s can now also count critical COVID-19 work undertaken in the healthcare and medical sectors as ‘specified work’ to apply for a Second or Third WHM visa.

Currently, WHM visas can be processed in less than one day, with the majority of applications finalised within 61 days. From 15 December 2021, fully vaccinated WHM visa holders, can come to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption.

If you previously held a WHM visa which was impacted by COVID travel restrictions, you may be eligible for reapply for another ‘no fee’ visa or request a refund.

If you are a medical imaging professional, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist or podiatrist and are eligible for a WHM visa, we would love to hear from you!

The post Welcoming All Working Holiday Makers! appeared first on Global Health Source.

The post NEW ZEALAND IMMIGRATION UPDATE appeared first on Global Health Source.

The New Zealand Government has announced a staged opening of its international borders commencing 16 January 2021.

The Details: 

• Fully vaccinated Kiwis and other eligible travellers can travel to NZ from Australia without staying in MIQ from 11.59pm Sunday, 16 January 2022.
• Fully vaccinated Kiwis and other eligible travellers can travel to NZ from all other countries from 11.59pm Sunday, 13 February 2022.
• All fully vaccinated individuals will be able to travel to NZ from 30 April 2022 onwards, with the re-opening staged over time.
• Unvaccinated Kiwis can travel to New Zealand, however they will have to spend seven days in MIQ, then isolate at home for another three days.
• The Very High-Risk classification for Indonesia, Fiji, India, Pakistan and Brazil will be removed in early December 2021.

The plan still includes a mandatory period of self-isolation. The border will open in 3 steps, and all travellers who do not have to go into MIQ will still require:

• a negative pre-departure test,
• proof of being fully vaccinated,
• a passenger declaration about travel history,
• a day 0/1 test on arrival,
• a requirement to self-isolate for 7 days, and
• a final negative test before entering the community.

More information can be found here. 

The post New Zealand Travel Update appeared first on Global Health Source.

This includes children under 12 and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

This could start as early as November, but more information will be provided soon.

It is important to note that State and Territory governments are responsible for determining, and managing their own quarantine arrangements and it remains important to check current arrangements before making plans to travel.

The post Travel update for vaccinated Australians appeared first on Global Health Source.

New Zealand resident visa holders with travel conditions set to expire between 25 August 2021 and 10 September 2022 (and who were outside New Zealand on 22 August 2021) will automatically have their travel conditions extended to 11 September 2022.  Immigration New Zealand will advise all affected by email by 10 September 2021 and the new travel conditions will be visible on the VVS  by 10 September 2021.

Australians Travelling to New Zealand

Whilst the bubble between Australia and New Zealand remains suspended, Australian citizens or permanent resident visa holders may request a border exception to travel to New Zealand by submitting a Request for Travel to New Zealand.

You must have a critical purpose reason to travel to New Zealand.

You should have the following documents ready to provide with your Request for Travel to New Zealand:

• Evidence of your reason for travelling to New Zealand
• Copy of your passport photo and bio information page, and Australian permanent resident visa if applicable
• Evidence of your relationship to any partner or dependent children included in your request
• Evidence of New Zealand registration if required for your role as a health worker

Not providing the above documentation may result in processing delays.

Once you submit your request, you may be invited to apply for a resident visa on arrival at the New Zealand border. You will be able to use the Invitation to Apply letter as evidence of permission to travel to New Zealand. You do not have to apply and pay for a visa before travelling to New Zealand. Australian citizens do not need an NZeTA to travel to New Zealand. Australian permanent resident visa holders (including resident return visa holders) must hold a valid NZeTA prior to travel.

In completing an arrival card when you arrive in New Zealand, an Australian is considered to have made an application for a resident visa. There is no fee for this application. Australians must still meet the good character requirements for resident visas when entering the country, the arrival card will ask you some questions about your character.

The post NZ Travel Update appeared first on Global Health Source.

DFAT will never request payment over the phone.  If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from DFAT seeking payment for one of these flights, please hang up.

DFAT are arranging facilitated commercial flights with Qantas to return Australians to Australia. DFAT do contact travellers to ensure they are prioritised on these flights.

If you have concerns, call the Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305.

More information can be found here

The post DFAT Flight Scam Alert appeared first on Global Health Source.

If you’re in Australia (except for in NSW) and you usually live in New Zealand, you have until 11:59pm (NZT) on Friday 30 July to return home.

If your return flight departs Australia before 11:59pm (NZT) on 30 July, you will not need to go into managed isolation (MIQ) when you arrive in New Zealand.

The suspension will continue for at least 8 weeks and will be reviewed in September.

Read more here

The post Quarantine-free travel from Australia to New Zealand suspended appeared first on Global Health Source.