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Pacific Engagement Visa: All You Need To Know

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11Sep
2023

Pacific Engagement Visa: All You Need To Know

What is Pacific Engagement Visa?

The Pacific Engagement Visa is a key component of Australia’s effort to strengthen ties with the Pacific region. It aims to increase permanent migration from Pacific nations, fostering cultural, business, investment, and educational connections between Australia and countries like Timor-Leste. This visa promotes a closer Pacific family bond.

Pacific islanders will compete for up to 3,000 visas through a balloting process per year with all participating nations. Those chosen by ballot will be eligible to seek Australian permanent residency.

Although the PEV has received general support from all parties, the lottery system used to grant visas has emerged as a sticking point. The Samoa Quota and Pacific Access Category Visas, which are comparable to New Zealand lottery-based Pacific visas, served as the inspiration for Labor’s PEV. The chances of the PEV being implemented are now in the hands of the Senate crossbench because the Coalition rejected adding a lottery to Australia’s immigration system.

To guarantee that the programme meets regular needs and objectives and helps a peaceful, prosperous, and resilient Pacific family, the PEV is being developed in close cooperation with partner governments and the Pacific and Timor-Leste people.

What does a Pacific Engagement Visa Australia entail?

A new permanent resident visa called the Pacific Engagement Visa is available to citizens of participating Pacific Island nations with Timor-Leste.

Through a balloting process, up to 3,000 visas per year—including those for partners and dependant children—will be distributed to citizens of the Pacific and Timor-Leste.

The Pacific Engagement Visa will expand Australia’s Pacific diaspora, strengthen our strong people-to-people ties, and promote more cross-cultural, commercial, and academic interaction.

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Pacific Engagement Visa Eligibility Criteria

Primary applicants must meet the following requirements to qualify for the Pacific Engagement Visa:

  • be between the ages of 18 and 45 to vote
  • be chosen using a voting method
  • obtain an official, ongoing job offer in Australia (or have a job offer for their spouse or partner).
  • meet the health, character, and English language requirements
  • own a passport from a nation participating
  • either have a parent born in a country that qualifies or have been born in one.

Applicants may submit applications with a spouse or legal dependant child.

Closer to the program’s start, further programme settings and information, such as ballot and visa eligibility requirements, will be accessible.

What is The Pacific Engagement Visa ballot?

Successful candidates and their immediate families can apply for a Pacific Engagement Visa through the ballot, an automated random selection process.

By choosing participants at random, the ballot seeks to offer qualified citizens of Timor-Leste and Pacific Island nations equitable and transparent access to the program. It involves giving Australian employees currently employed under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme (PALM) access to the voting process.

The voting will start once all governmental and administrative procedures for the visa have been established. You must check the official website to stay updated on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade developments.

How much does it cost to enter the Pacific Engagement Visa?

The expected ballot entry fee is $25. The validity of registrations is one year. A fresh registration must be made for participants to be included in the following ballot if the registered person is not chosen within that time frame.

The candidates chosen by voting will have a certain amount of time to apply for the visa. 

You must pay the prescribed fees for this specific visa.

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What are the support services for Pacific engagement visa holders to access Australia?

It is imperative to offer constructive community participation and integration to meet the regular needs of participants, partner governments, and Australia. The program will include measures to assist successful settlement outcomes and access to the most basic levels of economic stability, including early eligibility for various benefits to help with the cost of raising a family and reduce the financial load of education and training.

If qualified, PEV participants will have access to the following services and support because they are permanent residents:

  • Education and training
  • Medicare
  • Fiscal Family Benefit B
  • Program for Settlement Engagement and Transition Support
  • Scheme for Adult English Migrants.

What countries are going to be represented?

Nations with little chance of obtaining citizenship with New Zealand, France, or the United States are given preference.

Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu are just a few examples of eligible nations.

The Australian government is still in consultation with the countries of the Pacific and Timor-Leste over their participation in the scheme.

How will country distributions be made?

The size of the population, the diaspora in Australia, the availability of immigration possibilities, and anticipated demand will all be considered when allocating visas.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Development and the Pacific will decide on allocations.

The government will continue with Pacific partners on their inclusion and national allocations to ensure the programme meets requirements and goals.

How will participants be assisted in preparing for life in Australia and finding employment?

The Australian Government will launch a service in the Pacific to link qualified candidates with Australian employers, opening doors to a range of employment at various skill levels.

The resource will also conduct programme outreach appropriate to applicants’ cultures and languages, walk successful applicants through the visa application process, and educate them about living in Australia.

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Can people with visas live and work anywhere in Australia?

Yes. Because this visa is for permanent residents, candidates can choose to reside, work, and study in Australia. There are no limitations on the type of employment, industry, or employer.

What differentiates the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) program from the Pacific Engagement Visa?

The Pacific Engagement Visa will add to the PALM program by providing permanent residence visas to nationals of Timor-Leste and Pacific Island nations. The Pacific Engagement Visa is intended to increase the diaspora in Australia while maintaining ties to their home countries; it is not a scheme for labour mobility.

In contrast, the PALM scheme is a temporary migration program that will continue to promote the economic growth of Pacific nations, address the labour gap in rural and regional Australia, and improve skills for when workers return home.

Participants in the PALM system who are in Australia with valid temporary visas may vote in the Pacific Engagement Visa ballot when available.

What alterations to the law are necessary?

The legislation submitted to the Australian Parliament in February 2023 will permit the behaviour of a ballot procedure in which registered participants will be chosen to apply for the Pacific Engagement Visa.

The Act also permits charging a nominal fee to cast a ballot. Additional legislative modifications will be needed to facilitate the introduction of the visa and guarantee that holders of Pacific Engagement Visas receive the proper assistance once they arrive in Australia. 

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Conclusion

The Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) is expected to strengthen ties between Australia and these regions by revolutionising permanent migration from the Pacific and Timor-Leste. The essential elements of the PEV, such as the prerequisites, the voting procedure, and the assistance services accessible to qualified candidates, will be covered in this article. 

Up to 3,000 persons from the Pacific region can immigrate to Australia as permanent residents with the new Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) the Australian government has announced.

With this program concept, the government demonstrates its dedication to boosting people-to-people connections, fostering stronger cross-cultural, business, and educational interchange, and fortifying Australia’s ties with the Pacific family. A migration agent will help you lodge an error-free application for a Pacific engagement visa. He will explain thoroughly about the Pacific engagement visa, how to apply its requirements and other aspects.

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