Good News For Kiwi’s – Australian Government Is Enhancing Pathways To Permanent Residency
The Australian Government is making changes in the New Zealand pathway to PR. It is done to support eligible temporary visa holders and citizens of New Zealand staying in Australia who want to apply for permanent residence. The applicant should be from New Zealand and must be staying in Australia for a period of five years. It is for citizens who commenced the entire period of residence before or on the 19th of February 2016.
Latest News: Great Deal For Australia From Visa Investments – New Changes in BIIP Program
When the changes come into effect?
On the 1st of July 2021, the changes will give better flexibility in the income required for the Subclass 189 or Skilled Independent visa for the New Zealand stream. The number of years is being reduced in which the candidate must meet the stated income threshold.
Aspirants must demonstrate that they earn at least a taxable income for three out of five years from the 1st of July 2021. It should be done before applying for the application and is a requirement of meeting the income threshold for the income tax year that has been recently completed.
The Income Threshold
For the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), the limit is currently set at $53900, and it will remain like this for the 2020-2021 income year. Further, the Morrison Government is also implementing several measures for New Zealand citizens who were in the process of becoming permanent residence before Covid-19, maintaining eligibility for a “permanent Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189) New Zealand stream.”
The Measures
A few measures taken by the Australian Government include:
- If they can provide evidence which claims their 2019-2020 taxable income has been badly affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the citizens will get an income requirement concession.
- Due to the pandemic, the time spent offshore will be counted as residence in Australia while applying for permanent residence to meet the eligibility criteria for the “Permanent Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189) New Zealand stream.”
A Great Opportunity
The Australian Government has given a great opportunity to New Zealand aspirants who have been eagerly waiting to apply for permanent residency. It can be applied by people who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic if they come under any of the above two measures. The decision was announced by the Hon. Alex Hawke MP, the Minister of Migrant Services, Citizenship, Immigration, and Multicultural Affairs. If you want to apply for permanent residency or wish to gather more information on the matter, you can go ahead and take expert guidance from Registered Migration Agent at ISA Migrations.