South Australia waiver of school fees for Subclass 457 and 482 Visa Holders

The Honourable John Gardner MP has announced that from January 2019 the South Australian government will waive the student contribution fee for dependents of 457 and 482 visa holders attending government schools in regional areas. This is an annual saving of $5,300 per primary school child and $6,400 for secondary school. A list of eligible schools can be found here.

Designated Area Migration Agreements

The Northern Territory and the Great South Coast region of NSW have both successfully negotiated a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) for their regions.

A DAMA provides employer sponsors with an avenue to nominate skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers for positions where they are unable to fill them with local workers, and are unable to utilise existing sponsorship arrangements. They also provide concessions to the standard eligibility criteria such as salary and English language.

The Department of Home Affairs is currently in discussions with the Pilbara and the Kalgoorlie-Boulder regions, Cairns, and Orana in central NSW.

Next week we will explain how DAMAs work and how your business can benefit.

This publication does not deal with every important topic or change in law and is not intended to be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other advice that may be relevant to the reader's specific circumstances. If you have found this publication of interest and would like to know more or wish to obtain legal advice relevant to your circumstances please contact one of the named individuals listed.