The government of Australia has recently introduced the Australia Pacific Visa Scheme.
Australia has introduced a new visa scheme for Pacific Islanders to promote regional employment and solve the current labor shortage. It is a big step in the immigration policy of Australia. Keep reading to learn more about this!
All About the Australia Pacific Visa Scheme
The Greens favor approving the Pacific visa scheme to reduce discrimination. An agreement followed this to review the threshold for high costs. If an applicant has a health condition that could cause a significant burden on the community, this threshold gives the authorities the power to reject temporary visa applications.
During a recent announcement, Penny Wong, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, emphasized the benefits of the new visa scheme. She believes that the program has the potential to enhance business, cultural, and educational exchange in the Pacific region.
“This will grow the Pacific diaspora in Australia and also boost our people-to-people connections across the Pacific family,” Senator Wong stated in parliament.
The visa aims to provide more Pacific Islanders the opportunity to call Australia their home. Despite concerns regarding the lottery system, the scheme will allocate 3,000 visas annually to Pacific Islanders via a ballot process. The successful candidate will then be able to apply for permanent residency.
The eligible criteria for the pacific visa are:
- be between the ages of 18 to 45 to enter the ballot
- be chosen by the ballot process
- confirm a formal ongoing job offer in Australia (or their partner/spouse must have a job offer)
- need to meet English language, character, and health checks
- have a passport for a participating country
- have been born in or have a parent born in an eligible country.
The visa scheme seeks to strengthen the ties of Australia with the Pacific neighbors and welcome them to Australia.
Which countries are included?
The Australian government is currently prioritizing countries that have limited permanent migration opportunities to Australia or citizenship rights with New Zealand, France, and the United States. The eligible countries that fall under this category are the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Moreover, the Australian government is in consultation with Pacific countries and Timor-Leste to check their interest in participating in this program.
