News Flash

For Existing 457 visa holders - Uncertainty remains arising from the recent changes announced by the

31-May-2017


In the wake of major changes announced in April to the Subclass 457 visa program and the permanent employer-sponsored program, much uncertainty still hangs over how they will impact existing and prospective 457 visa holders looking to apply for permanent residency.

Based on correspondence we recently had with the Skilled Migration Programme Management Section, Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP), we can confirm regulations regarding grandfathering provisions for these changes (such as new occupation lists and generally stricter requirements) are still being drafted. This means it is still unclear how they will apply to:

  • people granted 457 visas prior to 19 April 2017, or
  • people who applied prior to 19 April 2017, but granted 457 visas after this date
AND looking to obtain permanent residency through the Temporary Residence Transition stream under the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) (ENS) and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Subclass 187) (RSMS).

As a result, no definite advice can be given until further details are released closer to March 2018, when the majority of changes are due to come into effect. This will include information about transitional arrangements for nominating employers, visa applicants and visa holders.

In the meantime, we will continue to seek out information on behalf of our clients and promptly relay any policy updates as they arise. To ensure you receive important news, subscribe to our Visa Alert newsletters and bookmark our Newsflashes page.

Further information regarding changes to the 457 and permanent employer-sponsored visas

Source: DIBP