Legislative Amendment – F2017L00549 -Migration Legislation Amendment (2017 Measures No. 2) Regulations 2017 – creates a new permanent visa stream for specified New Zealand citizens.

This Instrument creates a new stream in the Subclass 189 Skilled – Independent visa that allows New Zealand (NZ) citizens, who meet the regulatory requirements, to be granted Australian permanent residency.

Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of the new NZ visa stream are included in this Instrument.

The main features of the ‘New Zealand stream’ are:

• The primary applicant must hold a Subclass 444 Special Category visa. Secondary applicants must hold a substantive visa or Bridging Visas A, B or C.
• The applicant must have been usually resident in Australia, on or before 16 February 2016, for a continuous period for at least five years immediately before the date of application.
• This stream is subject toPIC 4007, which allows health waiver requests to be made to the Minister.
• The visa application charges will be paid in two instalments.

The applicant’s taxable income for four of the five most recently completed income tax years, is required to be no less than a minimum amount specified in a legislative instrument.

The initial amounts for the following financial years will be:

• 2012/13 – $51,000
• 2013/14 – $53,900
• 2014/15 – $53,900
• 2015/16 – $53,900
• 2016/17 – $53,900

This New Zealand stream visa will become available from 1 July 2017.

Subclass 189 Skilled Independent maximum age lowered

Legislative Amendment – F2017L00549 -Migration Legislation Amendment (2017 Measures No. 2) Regulations 2017 – lowers the upper age limit at invitation for Subclass 189 Skilled Independent, Points Tested stream applicants to45 years old.

Schedule 1, subitem 1137 (4B), item (4) lowers the ageat the time of invitation to apply for a points tested stream visa to 45 years.

TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

Schedule 3 of this instrument provides transitional arrangements. The amendments made by Schedule 1 of this instrument apply only to applications made on or after 1 July 2017.

The Schedule 1 amendmentdoes not apply to applications, made:

• in response to an invitation by the Minister given before 1 July 2017,and
• the application is made on or after 1 July 2017,or,
• the applicant claims to be a member of the family unit of the primary applicant and is making a combined application with the primary applicant..

This Instrument will come into effect on 1 July 2017.

Outgoing passenger cards abolished from 1 July 2017

Legislative Amendment – F2017L00549 -Migration Legislation Amendment (2017 Measures No. 2) Regulations 2017 – abolishes the outgoing passenger card.

Travellers departing Australia will no longer be required to complete the outgoing passenger card, as this information can now be collected by other means.

This instrument comes into effect from 1 July 2017.