The latest APAC Immigration updates from our Immigration specialists in Singapore…
Singapore
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in Singapore has refined its standard occupation list, which in turn has meant that occupations have been removed. In renewal applications where the occupation has been removed, employers must now identify the closest equivalent on a case-by-case basis.
MOM has also released a new immigration portal called EP eService portal which replaces the old EPOL portal. From now on, all pass-related (except for work permit) transactions must be completed in the new portal.
Lastly, new salary benchmarks have been released by MOM relating to criteria 1 under the new COMPASS framework. There has been a rise in almost all sectors, meaning that the minimum salaries to score under COMPASS have increased across the board. For the most recent salary benchmarks please see here: (https://www.mom.gov.sg/-/media/mom/documents/work-passes-and-permits/compass/c1-salary-benchmarks.pdf)
Australia
On 27 April 2023, the Australian government introduced a new migration strategy called “A Migration System for a More Prosperous and Secure Australia”. This strategy reforms the current migration framework with regard to temporary work visas and employer sponsored permanent visas. Its aim is to attract talent and simplify what is currently perceived to be a complex framework. In short, the current temporary work visa (Subclass 482) will be divided into 3 streams:
- Highly specialised workers
- Temporary skilled stream – using an alternate test for skills needs, and minimum salary above TSMIT
- Essential industries – allowing for low-skilled/semi-skilled workers and reducing the number of other visa categories and subcategories
Further, the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (Aust-UKFTA) commenced on 31 May 2023. One of the provisions under the FTA is that employers in Australia looking to sponsor UK passport holders will no longer need to go through labor market testing.
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