Business and Skilled Migration Queensland (BSMQ) logo
  • About Queensland
    • Home
    • Cities and regions
      • Brisbane and surrounding areas
      • Gold Coast and Hinterland
      • Sunshine Coast and Hinterland
      • Toowoomba and South West Queensland
      • Bundaberg and Fraser Coast
      • Central Queensland
      • Mackay to Whitsunday Islands
      • Townsville and North Queensland
      • Cairns and Far North Queensland
      • Central West Queensland
    • Living in Queensland
      • Lifestyle and culture
      • Healthcare and community safety
      • Education
      • Housing and property
      • Transport
    • Working in Queensland
      • Key industries
      • Finding a job
      • Business in Queensland
    • Studying in Queensland
  • Visa options
    • Home
    • Skilled visas
      • Graduates of a Queensland university
      • Skilled workers living in Queensland
      • Skilled workers living offshore
      • Small business owners operating in regional Queensland
    • Business visas
      • Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188)
        • 188 - Business Innovation stream
        • 188 – Investor stream
        • 188 – Significant investor stream
        • 188 – Entrepreneur stream
      • Business innovation and investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888)
        • 888 - Business Innovation stream
        • 888 - Investor stream
        • 888 - Significant Investor stream
        • 888 - Entrepreneur stream
      • 405 - Investor retirement visa (renewal)
  • Nomination process
    • Home
    • What is state nomination?
    • Eligibility criteria
    • Application process
      • Application fees
      • Apply online
      • Important considerations
      • Pay online
      • Settlement funds and financial requirements
  • Occupation lists
    • Home
    • Queensland Skilled Occupation Lists (QSOL)
  • Success stories
  • Resources
    • Home
    • Documents and forms
    • Find a migration agent
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Migrant support and advice
    • Migration agent resource portal
    • Home
Visa Updates from the Department of Home Affairs

Visa Updates from the Department of Home Affairs

There have been some exciting announcements made over the last couple of months by the Department of Home Affairs to address skill shortages as a result of COVID-19 and closed borders over the past two years. This will benefit both those already on a Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa, and prospective applicants looking to fulfil Queensland State Nomination requirements.

These have included an announcement that the Government is extending the Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489, 491 and 494) visas by 3 years if the visa holder was affected by COVID-19 restrictions. Read more here.

485 visa holders have also seen some changes and extension benefits due to COVID-19. A summary of the key changes are as follows:

  • From 1 December 2021, the stay period for Masters by Coursework/Masters extended graduates is permanently increased from two to three years same as Masters by Research graduates.
  • From 1 December 2021 as a concession during the COVID-19 pandemic, the stay period on the Graduate Work stream, will temporarily increase from 18 to 24 months.
  • The requirement for graduates of VET courses to nominate an occupation from the skills occupation list will be temporarily removed from 1 July 2022 till 30 June 2023. This means if your client studied any Diploma or Advanced Diploma in Australia for at least 92 weeks and finished their course before June 2023, they can obtain a 485 graduate work visa for 2 years.

Read more here.

s48 barred applicants are now also able to apply for the Skilled Regional (Provisional) Work and Skilled Nominated visas (as mentioned above), and students have had their work limitation of 40 hours a fortnight lifted. Migration Queensland has had a number of enquiries on this development for students – please read our current policy here regarding students (last FAQ on page).

Please note: Migration Queensland is not qualified to provide visa advice. The information above is for your general knowledge only. Please undertake your own further research.

Last published: 12:58 PM, Friday, 11 February 2022

Connect LinkedIn Icon Twitter Icon Facebook Icon Weibo Icon
Sign up to the MQ newsletter
  • Events
  • News
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Apply
  • Pay
TIQ Logo
  • © 2021 — Migration Queensland
  • Copyright
  • Privacy policy
  • Right to information
  • Careers
Close Popup

We and selected third parties use cookies or similar technologies for technical purposes and, with your consent, for other purposes as specified in our privacy policy. Denying consent may make related features unavailable.
You can consent to the use of such technologies by using the “Allow All Cookies” button. By closing this notice, you continue without consenting and only essential cookies will be used.

View privacy policy