What's new in global
immigration?

This week, the SSW Global Immigration team would like to highlight the following updates from Australia, South Africa and Canada.

Australia: New labour market testing requirements and fee increases

On 4 July 2022, JobActive was replaced by a new online service called Workforce Australia. Employers who need to advertise for roles for labour market testing purposes, will now need to use Workforce Australia and not JobActive. Existing JobActive advertisements will be migrated to the new system.

The requirements for labour market testing are as follows:

  • The nominated position has been advertised in Australia for 28 days within the previous 4 months before lodgement of the nomination
  • The advertisement is in English and must include the following information:
    • the title or a description of the position
    • the skills or experience required for the position
    • the name of the approved sponsor or the name of the recruitment agency being used by the sponsor
    • the annual earnings for the position (if the intended annual earnings are lower than $96,400 AUD).  Please note that a salary range is acceptable.
  • At least 3 advertisements
    • a mandatory posting on the government’s Workforce Australia website plus two or more published in any of the below:
      • on a recruitment website with ‘national reach’ in Australia
        This would include: 

        • prominent or professional recruitment websites that publish advertisements for positions throughout Australia, as well as industry specific recruitment websites relevant to the occupation that are in significant use by the industry; and
        • LinkedIn’s online recruitment platform except for Job vacancies restricted to LinkedIn profile members.
        • The jobs portal of a general classified advertisement website.
      • This would NOT include the classifieds portal of a general classified advertisement website or an advertisement solely through a social media notification, such as Twitter or Instagram.
    • in print media with national reach in Australia
      • This would include national newspapers or magazines that are published at least monthly and marketed throughout Australia.
    • on radio with national reach in Australia
      • This would include radio programs that are broadcast or syndicated nationally.
    • if the sponsor is an accredited sponsor – on the approved sponsor’s website.

In other immigration related news from Australia this month, the government has raised its application fees for most visa types, effective 1 July 2022. Government fees have increased, for, among others, the following:

  • Subclass 400 Temporary Work, Short Stay Specialists visa: from AUD 315 to AUD 325;
  • Subclass 482 Temporary Skills Shortage visa:
    • Short Term Stream: from AUD 1290 to AUD 1330 for principal and adult dependents; from AUD 325 to AUD 335 for dependent children;
    • Medium Term Stream: from AUD 2690 to AUD 2770 for principal and adult dependents; from AUD 675 to AUD 695 for dependent children;
  • Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa: from AUD 4115 to AUD 4240 for primary applicants; from AUD 2060 to AUD 2120 for adult dependents; and from AUD 1030 to AUD 1060 for child dependents.

South Africa: Temporary measures to tackle visa backlog

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the South African government has introduced temporary measures to address the impact of the current visa processing backlog.

  • Applicants whose visa waiver application outcomes are still pending are granted a blanket temporary extension until 30 September to enable the Department to process their applications and to enable these applicants to collect their outcomes and submit applications for appropriate visas.
    • Applicants who wish to abandon their waiver applications and depart from South Africa are permitted to exit at a port of entry on or before 30 September 2022 without being declared undesirable.
  • Applicants whose visa applications are still pending are granted a blanket visa extension until 30 September 2022 of their current visa status.
    • Those who wish to abandon their applications and depart from South Africa are permitted to exit at a port of entry on or before 30 September 2022 without being declared undesirable.
    • Applicants are not permitted to engage in any activity other than what the visa conditions provide for.
    • Applicants with pending long-term visa applications who originate from countries that are exempt from port of entry visa requirements and who wish to travel may do so by presenting their VFS receipts on arrival back at the port of entry for admission into South Africa and to collect their visa outcomes.
    • Applicants with pending long-term visa applications who originate from countries that are visa restricted require a port of entry visa and their VFS receipt in order to be re-admitted into South Africa.

Canada: Express Entry draws resume

On 6 July 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held its first all-program Express Entry draw since December 2020. These draws mean that candidates from outside of Canada will now be invited to apply for permanent residency. Express Entry draws had been on hold for approximately 18 months due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The draw includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the most popular pathway for skilled workers overseas who wish to become permanent residents of Canada. Candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) were also included in the draw for the first time since September 2021.

IRCC invited a total of 1500 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence.  The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off score was 557.

Expert advice on global immigration

If you need support with any aspect of worldwide immigration, Smith Stone Walters is here to help.

To speak to a member of our Global Immigration team, please contact us today.

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