After 18 months of inquiries, Senate Committees, media releases, reports, announcements and much speculation, the Federal Government did not manage to get the relevant legislation through Parliament to abolish the TSS and introduce the new Skills in Demand Visa together with its relevant package of reforms they were proposing.
In a last-minute attempt by the Australian government yesterday, Parliament passed over 30 bills to change legislation, but this was not one of them.
What does this mean?
The TSS is here to stay for now with its current rule settings. This means the Skills in Demand Visa will not come into effect by the end of this year as the government was proposing. Neither will the proposed National Innovation Visa that was set to replace the Global Talent Visa.
The Australian Senate is now adjourned until February 2025. This means the legislation cannot be implemented until at least then, assuming the Senate approves it.
If an election is called before Parliament is due back, the government will go into ‘caretaker mode’ and the proposed changes cannot happen until Parliament sits again after the election.
What could still change
The government can still make some changes to the current TSS program without Parliament. This includes:
- The occupation lists
- The 1-year work experience requirement for TSS (being reduced from 2 years to 1)
- The work experience requirement for PR – counting 2 years with any sponsored employer
Unfortunately, we cannot advise if and when these will now happen.
Ajuria Lawyers closure period
As a reminder, Ajuria Lawyers will be taking a well-deserved break, with our office closing from 23 December 2024 and re-opening on 6 January 2025.
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