This is part of the new Migration Strategy which is intended to support sustainable immigration levels. The aim is to make the process easier and quicker, therefore helping employers with their workforce planning.
With this visa, employees can now work in Australia for up to 4 years (extended to 5 years with a Hong Kong passport). They can also have unlimited travel to and from Australia while the visa is valid.
As part of the requirements employees must be nominated to work in one of the 456 occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) and have at least 1 year of relevant work experience (not 2 as previously required) in their nominated occupation or a related field.
Despite intentions to speed up the visa process however, many of our clients are still experiencing delays in receiving approved visas. Best to plan well in advance if you are organising overseas movement of staff.
What to Do Whilst Waiting for Visas to Be Approved
Once visa approval has been received, a relocation can move quickly. So, it’s a good idea to use that time prior to approval to prepare and get organised. Here are some keys steps for employees while they wait for final paperwork:
Connect in with a Relocation Consultant. The earlier the better. A professional Relocation Consultant will provide practical support and advise on timelines and the organisational requirements of the move.
Organise removalist and shipping. As it takes approximately 8 to 12 weeks to ship goods to Australia, organising a removalist needs to be done early. This is a task a Relocation Consultant can assist with, by organising quotes and liaising with movers.
Think about where to live. This is the perfect time for employees to learn more about the city they are relocating to. Contacting colleagues in your destination country, consulting maps/research guides and accessing Facebook groups are all great ways to learn a little more about where you’d like to live. For more expert assistance, a Relocation Consultant will organise a zoom meeting with the employee to discuss their budget, lifestyle and commuting priorities and from there recommend specific suburbs and areas. That way, when the employee is ready to move, they have a much more targeted and smooth relocation.
Identify schooling requirements. Relocating with children requires a lot more time, research and support. A Relocation Consultant can offer invaluable advice on the education system, schooling options and enrolment requirements. This makes a complex process, and one that is often the most stressful aspect of a relocation for parents, more understandable.
Start preparing for the rental market. Armed with an idea of where they’ll be living in relation to work, schools and other amenities, employees can then start narrowing down their property rental plans. Assistance from a Relocation Agent is invaluable when tackling this task, as employees need to navigate tight rental markets, renter profiles, and applications. The paperwork demands are detailed and take considerable time; so best to maximise that effort by having an expert Relocation Consultant review the employee’s renter profile and documents, and make recommendations.
Finalise the Relocation Budget. More and more employers are providing staff with a relocation budget in the form of a lump sum, which they can then choose to allocate themselves. At Australian Relocation Managers, we can work directly with employees to understand their needs and provide a plan tailored to their budget requirements. Understanding the level of support they have will help employees in the final lead up to the move.
By starting all of these tasks early, employees are ready to move ahead with their relocation as soon as their visa is approved.
Have employees relocating? Contact Australian Relocation Managers to discuss how we can help your employees relocate to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Tasmania.