• Applicants for General Skilled Migration holding an existing skills assessment from TRA can now use that assessment for future applications
• New Skilled Occupation List (SOL)
• Changes in Registration Bodies for Nurses - to come into effect 1 July, 2010
• New Arrangements to meet health requirement for onshore GSM applications
• Upcoming AMVL Seminars
• IELTS Test Dates

As of 12 March, 2010, onshore applicants for General Skilled Migration Visas under the subclasses 487, 885, and 886 are now able to use existing suitable skills assessments to lodge a valid visa application. Changes to the skills assessment criterion by DIAC apply to applications lodged on and after that date.

This recent change has remedied the requirement existing since January 1, 2010, that applicants under these subclasses provide a skills assessment dated on or after January 1, 2010.

The amendments were made in response to concerns expressed by potential applicants who already held assessments issued prior to January 1, and means that applicants who do hold suitable assessments will no longer have to go to the inconvenience and expense of obtaining a second.

New Skilled occupation List (SOL)

As advised by the Minister for Immigration on February 8th, a new SOL will be announced on April 30th and will come into effect in mid-2010. At this stage we are not aware of what will and what will not be on the SOL. We will of course include this in our newsletter updates once it is available. The Department of Immigration has advised that the new SOL will not apply to people applying for a Skilled Graduate Visa (subclass 485) who as of February 8th held a Student Visa (sub-classes 572, 573 or 574). However an applicant will be subject to the new SOL if they apply for a permanent or provisional GSM visa.

At present in Australia, the registration of nursing skills has been overseen by a number of different bodies. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council Incorporated (ANMC) was set up in 1982 and is the authorised assessing authority for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to undertake skills assessments of internationally qualified nurses and midwives seeking permanent migration in Australia.

To gain employment as a Registered Nurse or Registered Midwife every nurse and midwife must also obtain registration and maintain a current practicing licence. Registration is granted by individual state and territory Nursing and Midwifery Regulatory Authorities (NMRA).

From 1 July, 2010 the new National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, to be administered by the new Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) is due to commence operation. After this date, the NMBA will be the DIAC authorized assessing authority for skills assessments, and oversee registration which will be recognized in all Australian states and territories. Please see the NMBA website for further information and updates at: www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au

IF you are graduating from an Australian university and wish to apply for a General Skilled Migration category visa, or require a skills assessment as part of your DIAC application, you must receive your Australian nursing registration prior to applying for your Skills Assessment.

Please note that you do not need to apply for a migration skills assessment from the ANMC (or NMBA) if you are:

• An Enrolled Nurse/Registered Nurse Division 2.
• An overseas educated nurse or midwife who holds a permanent resident visa; or
• A nurse or midwife applying for a Working Holiday Visa/Temporary Visa.

Applicants for an onshore General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa must show evidence at the time they make their application, that they have made arrangements to undergo a medical examination.

The usual evidence required of such arrangements has been a booking for a health assessment or a completed health assessment provided by Medibank Health Solutions (formerly known as HSA)

Due to the length of processing times for these visas, these assessments have often expired by the time an application is decided. This has meant that applicants have often had to have health checks done a second time at considerable inconvenience and expense.

DIAC has instigated a regulation change that will remove the requirement for applicants to provide evidence of an arrangement to undergo a medical examination at the time of lodging their application. This regulation change is unlikely to come into effect, however, until closer to the end of the year.

In the meantime, DIAC has advised that applicants will be taken to meet the requirement of making arrangements to undergo a medical examination if they obtain a “Booking Reference Number” from Medibank Health Solutions, in lieu of booking an actual appointment. DIAC will then ask the applicant to undertake a medical examination when the application either is, or will soon, be “decision ready”.

DIAC has advised that applicants should phone Medibank Health Solutions, state that they are applying for a GSM visa and request a booking reference number.

Applicants will need to keep a record of this booking reference number to provide with their application and for future reference.

We will keep you posted when these changes are updated by the legislation.

• Grovely TAFE - Tuesday May 11th 12pm – 1pm
  Location: Block A, Level 1, Room 5


• Caboolture TAFE - Tuesday May 4th 12pm – 1pm
  Location: Room J1.15


• Bracken Ridge TAFE - Wednesday May 5th 12pm – 1pm
  Location: Block C, Level 4, Room 19


• Ithaca TAFE - Wednesday May 12th 12pm – 1pm
  Location: Block 5, Level 1, Room 26 & Block 5, Level 2, Room 47

For IELTS Test Dates in Brisbane, please see the below availability:

University of Queensland

CITY Venue: 495 Boundary St, Spring Hill
UQ Venue: Sir Llew Edwards Building – Building 14, Corner of Campbell Road & University Drive, St Lucia

Tel: 61 7 3346 6770
Fax: 61 7 3346 6771
Email: ielts@icte.uq.edu.au
Web: http://www.icte.uq.edu.au

Next available test dates:

Griffith University - Griffith English Language Institute

Address:
Griffith University (Mount Gravatt Campus)
M14 Lvl 5 International Bldg, 176 Messines Ridge Rd
MOUNT GRAVATT
QLD - Brisbane
4122

Tel: +61 7 3735 3461
Fax: +61 7 3735 3462
Email: ielts@griffith.edu.au
Web: www.griffith.edu.au/ielts


Next available test date:

• Next available Academic Test - 29 May 2010
• Next available General Training Test - 26 June 2010

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