Could your partner stop you from living in Australia? New visa rules to favour single migrants and those with skilled spouses
- New immigration laws favour single migrants and those with skilled spouses
- An applicant's application could be impacted if their partner is uneducated
- The new General Skilled Migration laws come into effect from November 2019
Migrants with uneducated partners will be disadvantaged under new immigration laws which will favour applicants who are single or have skilled spouses.
The points system used to determine an applicant's potential economic contribution has been updated to offer single migrants equal opportunity.
Migration expert Chaman Preet told SBS 'preference will be given to the applicants who have a skilled partner or those who do not have a partner.
'The applicants with a partner who does not have skills to or English competency to claim points will be ranked below all others,' Ms Preet said.
New immigration laws favouring single migrants and those with skilled spouses mean an applicant's progress could be impacted if their partner is uneducated
The Migration Amendment (New Skilled Regional Visas) Regulations 2019 have been introduced to 'assist regional Australia'.
A statement issued by the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs explained how the changes would impact people applying to come to Australia via the General Skilled Migration visas.
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'Points are awarded for attributes that are linked with the applicant's ability to make the greatest economic contribution, as the key purpose of the skilled migration program is to maximise the economic benefits of migration to Australia.'
The primary changes to the point system include an increase in the points awarded to an applicant with a skilled spouse or de facto partner.
Applicants without any spouse or de facto partner are also awarded 10 points, while persons with a partner who has competent English are awarded five points.
The points system used to determine an applicants potential economic contribution has been updated to offer single migrants equal opportunity
Entry into Australia via the Skilled Migration visas require a minimum score of 60 points, and are based on factors including age, experience and qualifications.
The new laws will come into effect from November 2019 and are in response to a Productivity Commission recommendation from 2016.
'The Commission noted that around 50 per cent of Australia's permanent skill intake is secondary applicants, many of whom have limited skills. Given the significant share of secondary applicants in the permanent skill stream immigration, the Productivity Commission stated that it is important to assess their contribution to the Australian economy,' the commission read.
