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Eight ways you can get Australian permanent residency and citizenship

19 March, 2020

In most countries you must spend several years living and working there before you can qualify for permanent residency. Australia is different...

Australia offers a range of permanent visas that allow you to stay in the country indefinitely from the moment your visa is granted. Here are some Australian visas that can lead to permanent residency and citizenship.

Australia’s high quality of life, prosperous economy, diverse population, excellent healthcare and world-class education system continue to make it one of the most popular countries for people looking to settle abroad.

In 2018, there were 7.3 million migrants living in Australia, making up 29% of the country’s total population. People born in England continued to be the largest group of overseas-born residents, accounting for 4.0% of Australia’s total population.

Permanent residency and citizenship continue to rise

In the period 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019, 127,674 people became citizens of Australia through residency (also referred to as conferral by the Australian government) – an increase of 58.3% from the previous year. In the same period, 238,300 people became Australian citizens.

Moving to Australia: How you can make a permanent move Down Under

Before you can obtain Australian citizenship, you must first become a permanent resident. Permanent residency allows you to live in Australia indefinitely and leave and re-enter the country as often as you wish. You’ll also enjoy many of the rights and privileges of citizens, such as access to free or subsidised legal and health services.

Permanent residency is a five-year visa, but what’s great about this visa is that even when it expires, you’ll still be allowed to stay in Australia indefinitely without breaching immigration regulations.

While there are Australian visas that are temporary and can eventually lead to permanent residency and citizenship, there are some that can fast-track the process.

If your goal is to live in Australia permanently and become a citizen, these are the visas you should apply for.

Employer-sponsored visas

To be eligible for these visas, you need to find an Australian-based employer that will sponsor you. Employers can only sponsor you if they can’t find an Australian citizen with the skills and experience needed for the job. When you receive a sponsorship, you can only work for the employer who sponsored you.

Temporary Skilled Shortage visa (subclass 482)

The Temporary Skilled Shortage visa (TSS) has a short-term stream and a medium-term stream. To qualify for permanent residency, you must work in an occupation on the medium-term stream for three years.

Jobs on the short-term stream are only eligible for a two-year visa and will not allow you to qualify for permanent residency. Should your occupation fall on the short-term list, it is possible to extend your stay for another two years. Your employer will need to submit a new nomination and you will have to apply for a new visa.

Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186)

This is a permanent visa, which means that you’ll be a permanent Australian resident the moment your visa is granted. There are three streams under this visa, all of which allow you to:

Stay in Australia indefinitely
Work and study in Australia
Enrol in Medicare, Australia’s public healthcare scheme
Bring your relatives with you
Travel in and out of Australia for five years
Apply for citizenship, if eligible

Temporary Residence Transition stream

You’ll need to apply for this visa if you’re already in Australia on a medium-term 482 visa and have worked for your employer for at least three years. Your employer will need to sponsor your application for permanent residency.

Direct Entry stream

You can apply for this stream if you work in an occupation on the medium-term stream and have an employer willing to sponsor you. Usually you are living outside of Australia or have only briefly worked in Australia. As part of your application, your skills will be assessed to ensure they meet the standards of the occupation you’re applying for. You’ll need to receive a positive skills assessment to apply for this stream.

Agreement stream

You’ll be eligible for this stream if you’re currently working or will work for an employer under a labour agreement. Labour agreements allow approved businesses to sponsor skilled overseas workers when there isn’t a suitable Australian candidate and standard temporary or permanent visa programmes are not available.

Skilled visas

The skilled migration visa for Australia works on a points-based system. Points are awarded based on your age, qualification, experience and English language skills. Your eligibility for the visa is determined by your occupation. Having an occupation that is in demand gives you the greatest visa options.

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)

This is a permanent resident visa and one of the most sought-after visas because it allows you to live and work anywhere in Australia. To be eligible you must be under 45 years of age, score at least 65 points on the immigration points test and have an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

To be eligible for this visa, you must be nominated by a state or territory government. To be nominated or invited to apply, you must first submit an expression of interest to the specific state or territory you want to work in (e.g. New South Wales or Queensland).

You must be under 45 years of age, score at least 65 points and have an occupation on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL).

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)

This visa allows you to live and work in specific regional areas in Australia for up to five years. To apply, you will need to be sponsored by an eligible relative or nominated to apply by a state or territory government agency.

If you’re being sponsored by a relative, they can be one of the following:

A parent
A child or stepchild
A sibling, including adopted and step siblings
An aunt, uncle, adoptive aunt, adoptive uncle, step-aunt or step-uncle
A nephew, niece, adoptive nephew, adoptive niece, step-nephew or step-niece
A grandparent
A first cousin
Your relative must also:
Be 18 years old or older
Reside in a designated regional area in Australia*
Be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen
Be you or your partner’s eligible relative

Regional Australia is defined as: South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (except the Melbourne metropolitan), Queensland (except the greater Brisbane area) Northern Territory and New South Wales (except Sydney).

The cut-off age for this is 45 years. As with the other skilled visa, you must score at least 65 points or more and your occupation must be on the list of eligible occupations. After three years of living on the 491 visa you can apply for permanent residency.

Business visa routes

There are various options for individuals wanting to establish a business or invest in Australia.

Overseas business sponsorship

If you own a business, you can move Down Under by expanding your business to Australia. This is done by applying for an overseas business sponsorship as well as the 482 visa. The process from your first application through to obtaining Australian citizenship comprises four stages.

Stage 1 – Become an overseas business sponsor

This stage is a three-step process. You’ll need to:

Apply to be an overseas business sponsor
Nominate a position within your new Australian business
Apply for your TSS 482 visa

You can bring your family with you to Australia by including them on your visa application. Once you’ve been granted your TSS 482 visa, you can move to Australia and establish the Australian branch of your business.

Stage 2 – Become a standard business sponsor and get Australian permanent residency

To make the transition from a temporary residence visa to a permanent residence visa, your Australian-based company must first obtain a standard business sponsorship.

Stage 3 – Become a permanent resident on the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)

You’ll move onto this stage once you have lived and worked in Australia for three years.

When applying for your permanent visa, you will need to show that your Australian business can meet its obligation of paying staff members and other statutory requirements. You must also show that you’ve lived in Australia and worked for your sponsoring business for three years.

Stage 4 – Apply for Australian citizenship

Once you’ve lived in Australia for the qualifying period and met all the requirements, you can apply for citizenship.

Business Talent (Permanent) visa (subclass 132)

The Business Talent (Permanent) visa is suited to business owners, investors or property developers. In the last 20 years, the Australian property market has provided an average capital growth of 6.8% a year. A growing economy and population have led to a huge demand for houses.

We help entrepreneurs meet the requirements of the Business Talent visa and start a business. The programme requires that you form or join a property development company that will allow you to build and sell property in Australia. With the assistance and guidance of our team in Australia, you can continue to buy, develop and sell property within your own company.

To be eligible for the Business Talent visa, you must:

Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)
Be nominated by an Australian state or territory government agency
Be invited to apply for the visa
Have the required funding or assets

This visa has two streams:

The Significant Business History stream, which allows experienced business owners to start a new or existing business in Australia

Venture Capital Entrepreneur stream, which allows you to start a new or existing business if you have sourced venture capital funding from a member of the Australian Investment Council (AIC), in the Venture Capital Membership category

Significant Business History stream

To be eligible for this stream, you must:

Be under the age of 55*
Have an overall successful business career
Have a genuine intention to establish a qualifying business in Australia, or participate in an existing business
Be committed to the business in a manner that benefits the Australian economy
Have a total net asset of at least AU $400,000 as the ownership interest in one or more qualifying businesses for at least two of the four fiscal years immediately before you are invited to apply
Have an annual business turnover of at least AU $3 million for at least two of the four fiscal years immediately before you are invited to apply
Have total assets of at least AU $1.5 million that can be transferred to Australia within two years of the 132 visa being granted

*This requirement can be waived by a state or territory if your proposed business offers substantial economic benefit to the nominating state or territory.

Venture Capital Entrepreneur stream

To qualify for this stream, you need to source venture capital funding from a member of the Australian Investment Council (AIC), in the Venture Capital Membership category. You must:

Have agreed with a venture capital firm to provide capital funding for either an early phase start-up, commercialisation of a product, development of a business or the expansion of a business
Have at least AU $1 million in funding from a venture capital firm
Have a genuine intention to establish a qualifying business in Australia, or participate in an existing business
Be committed to the business in a manner that benefits the Australian economy

How to get Australian citizenship

Obtaining citizenship through residency is also sometimes referred to as by conferral. This route applies to:

Australian permanent residents aged 18-59
Children aged 16 or 17
Children 15 years or younger applying with a parent or guardian
Partners or spouses of an Australian citizen
To qualify through this route, you must fulfil the following residency requirements:
Have lived in Australia for four years
Have been a permanent resident for at least 12 months
Have not spent more than 365 days outside of Australia in the past four years
Have not spent more than 90 days outside of Australia in the past 12 months
You also need to meet the following criteria:
Pass the Australian citizenship test (unless you are over the age of 60)
Be a permanent resident at the time of application and decision
Satisfy the residence requirement
Be likely to reside, or to continue to reside, in Australia or to maintain a close and continuing association with Australia
Be of good character

Other pathways to Australian citizenship

Descent

If one of your parents was an Australian citizen at the time of your birth, you can claim Australian citizenship. You’ll be entitled to citizenship irrespective of your country of birth or if your parent has lost their citizenship.

Birth

If you were born in Australia between 26 January 1949 and 20 August 1986, then you could be eligible for citizenship. People born after 20 August 1986 do not automatically become Australian citizens as the status of their parents dictates whether a claim can be made.

Adoption

To qualify, at least one of your parents must have been an Australian citizen at the time of your adoption. You must be able to show that you were fully and permanently adopted under either the Hague Convention or a bilateral agreement and that you are of good character.

We can assist you in navigating the pathway to Australia so Contact us for a confidential discussion and refer family, friends and colleagues and be rewarded.

Come Live Our Philausophy

Britain is almost out of the EU—but what next?

17 January, 2020

Boris Johnson looks like a strong prime minister, but his position with Brussels is weak

The impact of Boris Johnson’s election win was clear on January 7th when Parliament resumed consideration of the eu withdrawal bill. A huge Tory majority made the debate and votes perfunctory. The Lords may be less controllable than the Commons, but the bill will become law largely unamended so Brexit can happen on January 31st. Mr Johnson hopes then to drop the very word Brexit, arguing that trade talks will be technical stuff more suited to business than front pages.

In fact Brexit will still not be done on January 31st. Britain will move into an 11-month transition period when it must obey all the eu’s rules and keep paying into its budget. And the future talks will cover not just trade but standards, security, data exchange, fisheries, financial services, research and much else. Moreover, as Ursula von der Leyen, the commission president, made clear at her meeting with Mr Johnson at Downing Street on January 8th, they will be even more difficult than the withdrawal negotiations.

Changes to the withdrawal bill will not help. It now bans by law any extension of the transition period beyond 2020. Promises to safeguard workers’ rights post-Brexit have gone, in line with Mr Johnson’s plan to escape eu regulations. And the bill dumps provisions giving mps a big role in scrutinising and voting on future deals with the eu. The aim is to avoid the misery that beset Mr Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, as she repeatedly failed to win parliamentary approval for her Brexit deal.

All this fits with a much-loved Brexit trope that the way to win a good deal in Brussels is just to hang tough. The notion is that setting firm conditions and deadlines will force the eu to make concessions, that the 27 member countries are likely to prove disunited under pressure, that the Europeans need the British more than the other way round and that sticking with Brussels’s rules is wrong in principle and also unnecessary to preserve close trade links.

On her visit to London, Mrs von der Leyen spoke eloquently of her deep friendship and admiration for Britain. Yet she was steely when talking of future relations. The end-year deadline made a comprehensive deal impossible. As a third country, Britain would have less privileged trade access. Without free movement of people, it could not have free movement of capital, goods and services. Although the eu wants a trade deal with zero tariffs and zero quotas, she added a third condition of “zero dumping”. This is code for a level playing-field under which Britain is required to observe eu rules in such fields as labour, taxes, the environment and state aid. The more Britain diverges from such rules, the greater the barriers to its exports.

The truth is that Mr Johnson, like Mrs May before him, is in a weak bargaining position. The withdrawal agreement deals with money owed after Brexit, the rights of eu citizens in Britain and, via customs checks in the Irish Sea, the guarantee of an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The eu 27 have learnt the value of unity from previous talks, and unlike Britain they have experienced trade negotiators. And size matters: the eu accounts for almost half of Britain’s exports, while Britain takes barely a tenth of the eu’s.

The agreed political declaration also sets awkward staging posts on the way to a deal. By July 1st it envisages agreements on fish and on future regimes for financial services and data exchange. Mrs von der Leyen suggested these might rely on a system of regulatory equivalence, but she made clear this would be unilateral and could be withdrawn at any time. Even Mr Johnson’s big majority may be a weakness, suggests Maddy Thimont Jack of the Institute for Government, a think-tank. eu leaders often win arguments by claiming their parliaments cannot agree, but they know Mr Johnson is not so constrained.

The end-year deadline causes another problem. Comprehensive trade deals of the sort Mr Johnson wants are invariably “mixed” agreements that need ratification by national and regional parliaments, which typically takes years, not months. If a deal is to be ratified by next January, it must be a simple one not subject to this procedure. That points to goods trade only, with nothing on services, security and so on. And Mr Johnson’s insistence that Britain must have freedom to diverge from European regulations makes it harder to meet the timetable. David Henig, a trade expert, wonders if Britain could go for divergence in principle but not in practice. After all, most companies prefer eu rules they understand to an entirely new regime.

Some ministers suggest putting more pressure on Brussels by opening trade talks with other countries, notably America. But although Donald Trump is beguiling, trade aficionados say the Americans are even tougher than the eu. They would insist on acceptance of their food, which would stymie any deal with Europe since the eu bars much of it on health grounds. Any third country would also want to see how Britain will trade with the eu before doing bilateral deals. Besides, British negotiators will have their work cut out merely trying to roll over the 60-odd free-trade deals that the eu now has with third countries like Japan, Mexico and South Korea.

The conclusion is that, if Mr Johnson refuses to move on the transition deadline or on regulatory divergence, he will get only a bare-bones deal eliminating tariffs, but not regulatory barriers, for goods. This might be expanded in future negotiations, but only after a break in today’s close relationship. The alternative would be to leave on December 31st with no trade deal at all, but that would imply not just regulatory barriers but tariffs and quotas as well.

The industries that will suffer most from new regulatory barriers to frictionless trade are those like aerospace, cars, chemicals, food and drink, and pharmaceuticals that rely on uninterrupted supply chains across Europe. They are concentrated in the midlands and north—exactly where Mr Johnson won his new Tory majority. If his weakness in the negotiations causes him to lose favour in those areas, his new domestic strength will be at risk.

European Commission President wants 'unprecedented' Brexit trade deal by end of 2020 | ITV News

BLOG SERIES – WORKING IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE) – PART 6

11 January, 2020

You can hold a full-time and part-time job together with the right permit

Since 2010, the UAE’s Labour Law has made provisions, which allow an employee to have a part-time job along with a full-time one subject to certain conditions. The employee can work part-time after getting the work permit from Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE).

Cost – The fee for part-time work permit includes an application fee of Dh100 and an approval fee of Dh500.

Law – As per Federal Decree Law No. 2 of 2007, if an expatriate is caught working for another company without an official permit, then a fine of Dh50,000 will be applied to the hiring company, in addition to other penalties in case of repeating the offence.

For people on an existing work permit – Emiratis, other GCC nationals and expatriate employees who are living in the UAE on a work visa, can take up a second job, upon getting a part-time work permit from MoHRE, which is valid for one year.

Part-time work permit holders are allowed to work in another company at the same time as working in the current company on a part-time basis for less than eight hours per day.

For people on a dependent visa – Those who live in the UAE on a family visa can take up a second job after getting a part-time work permit with a No Objection Certificate from the sponsor. Such work permits can be issued to men and women between 18 and 65 years of age.

Temporary/Part-time work permit – It is a service provided by the Ministry to recruit a national or expatriate worker residing in the UAE to carry out a certain work within a period not exceeding six months.

Required Documents

A copy of both establishments’ trade licences (the current establishment and the application applying establishment).
A colour photograph with a white background of the applicant.
A copy of the applicant’s passport.
If academic qualification is required (post-secondary diploma, university degree or equivalent), a copy thereof which should be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall be attached.
A letter of approval issued by the competent authority shall be attached if so required (doctor, pharmacist, nurse, and teacher).
A copy of the contract.
No objection certificate from the first sponsor.
A copy of the applicant’s visa that includes (the sponsor or establishment name) that is valid for more than six months.
Terms and Conditions.

Workers who are registered in the Ministry, under following conditions:

The permit and residency visa shall be valid for more than six months
The permit’s period shall not exceed six months or the current permit expiry date, whichever is earlier.
Approval of those authorised signatory of the current and applying establishments shall be submitted.

Workers not registered at the Ministry:

Government employees.
Students of both genders (from the age of 18 years) who are under the sponsorship of their relatives, schools, or universities. On the condition that the visa profession is (student).
Females (from the age of 18 years) who are under the sponsorship of their relatives.
Husbands of UAE national women.
Children of UAE national women.

Under the following condition:

The worker and his/her non-national relatives shall have a valid residence visa stamped in the passport.
The guardians approval.
This permit shall be valid for six months.
Submitting approval of the profession related authority (Ministry of Affairs – Ministry of Health – Ministry of Education – Sports, Youth, Community Development Authority).
Exceptions
The Ministry may approve to grant a temporary work permit, without satisfying the condition related to the former employer’s approval and the validity of the card and residence visa, in the following cases:
A labour complaint that is referred by the Ministry to a court of law.
If it is confirmed that the employer failed to pay wages for a period exceeding two months according to the wages protection office report or the labour relation offices report.

General conditions for the above:

The applying establishment trade licence should be valid.
The new labour profession should be suitable with the establishment activity.
The labour should not be below 18 years of age.
Payment

Request for initial approval of a new electronic work permit (Part-time)

1st Category: AED 100
2nd Category: Level (A) AED 100 – Level (B) AED 100 – Level (C) AED 100
3rd Category: AED 100

Initial approval of a new electronic work permit (Part-time) six-month period

1st Category: AED 500
2nd Category: Level (A) AED 500 – Level (B) AED 500 – Level (C) AED 500
3rd Category: AED 500

The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship website

4 Ways Data Is Improving Healthcare

8 January, 2020

The Power Of Healthcare Data

From therapy to x-rays, progressive technology is keeping us healthier, however 7% of all data produced by hospitals each year goes unused, but that’s beginning to change.

Hospitals produce 50 petabytes of data per year. This mass of information comprises clinical notes, lab tests, medical images, sensor readings, genomics, and operational and financial data. At the moment, 97% goes unused – but this is changing, with great potential to transform the quality of medical care.

Here are four ways data analysis is improving healthcare without adding staff or beds.

Boosting the humble X-ray

The X-ray is the oldest form of medical imaging, and still the most commonly used. Chest X-rays alone represent 40% of the 3.6 billion imaging procedures performed worldwide every year. But X-ray “reject rates” – the number of images that cannot be used due to poor image quality or patient positioning – can approach 25%.

To address this, software engineers have developed an application that helps clinicians pinpoint the root causes of rejected images. The app was piloted at the University of Washington Medical Centre, and has automated a process that once required 230 mouse clicks and nearly seven hours of work. Reducing reject rates saves time and resources while putting patients on the right path sooner.

Enabling collaboration

In oncology, the process of preparing for, conducting, and documenting tumour board meetings is frequently suboptimal and non-standardized. Each specialist aggregates data on a patient in a silo. As a result, meetings are spent switching back and forth between the different systems and technologies used across each discipline.

To address this, an alliance between Roche Diagnostics and GE Healthcare is combining and analysing patients’ diagnostic data — including genomics, tissue pathology, and biomarkers — with their medical imaging and monitoring data. From here, cloud-based data integrating software could fundamentally change the process of tumour board meetings, helping doctors make more informed, faster diagnoses and individualize treatments to each patient.

Tailoring therapies

Integrating data can have transformative effects across the entire healthcare ecosystem. GE Healthcare recently began a partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Centre (VUMC), to enable safer, more-precise immunotherapies.

The project will retrospectively analyse and correlate the immunotherapy responses of thousands of cancer patients with their demographic, genomic, tumour, cellular, proteomic, and imaging data. From here, AI-powered apps will help physicians identify the most suitable treatment for each patient.

Organising hospitals

A small but growing number of hospitals are implementing NASA-style mission control Command Centres to manage their functions and services. The goal is to address the capacity, safety, quality, and wait-time issues that have plagued healthcare.

A hospital Command Centre pulls in streams of data from various systems, generating analytics that help staff predict what will happen in the next 24 to 48 hours. The data is displayed on Command Centre screens and on tablets and mobile devices. This allows staff to focus on delivering care, rather than organizing it.

The Power Of Healthcare Data

UK Recruitment Industry Reacts To Queen’s Speech

5 January, 2020

Proposed Legislation includes a new employment bill, a points-based immigration system for skilled workers, flexible working and a national skills fund

During the State Opening of Parliament in December, the Queen outlined a comprehensive list of the new government’s proposed legislation including a new employment bill, a points-based immigration system for skilled workers, flexible working and a national skills fund.

The proposed employment bill promises to protect and enhance workers’ rights when the UK leaves the EU. The government is also set to create a new single enforcement body to protect workers’ rights. Workers would also have the right to request a more stable contract. Flexible working would also be default, unless employers have a good reason not to allow this (this is subject to consultation).

The recruitment industry has reacted to the announcement.

Tom Hadley, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, said, “We hope the government’s employment bill will incentivise business compliance and increase fairness and flexibility in work. Two way flexibility, that supports businesses and workers’ choices, is vital to a fair and productive labour market. The challenge ahead is to ensure that this works for all parties.”

“The government’s recognition of the importance of all people being able to retrain is welcome,” Hadley continued. “Recruitment professionals are in a unique position to facilitate career transitions and progression, and to provide the latest insight into how skills needs are evolving. We look forward to ensuring that the National Skills Fund works for employers and workers alike.”

Tania Bowers, General Counsel at The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), also commented, “While it was confirmed that measures will be brought forward to encourage gig workers to request a “more predictable contract”, our members are keen to understand whether this right will be extended to non-permanent agency workers, who by their nature are flexible.”

“We welcome the introduction of a National Skills Fund. However, while a commitment to ‘growing our own’ talent will help to mitigate against talent gaps in the future, in the interim access to skilled professionals from Europe and beyond must be maintained,” Bowers said.

“While today’s speech underlined a commitment to a ‘modern, fair, points-based immigration system’, Tier 2 Visas will continue to require a job offer. APSCo maintains that there must be a dedicated visa route as part of the future skills-based immigration system, through which highly skilled contractors from overseas can come to the UK and support British businesses. The abolition of the previous cap on numbers under the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visas coupled with a new fast-track immigration scheme for top scientists and researchers, however, should help alleviate skills shortages in some of the most talent-short sectors,” Bowers continued.

Bowers also called for a rethink to incoming changes related to IR35, and added that APSCo believes it should be delayed ‘pending a further impact review and completion of an assessment on employment status.’

October 2019 Queen's Speech and State Opening of Parliament

BLOG SERIES – WORKING IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE) – PART 5

4 January, 2020

How to get an Emirates ID & Sponsorship?

This is necessary to complete your visa application process. It is basically a digital national identification system that is required for most transactions in the UAE. It is linked to your passport and visa – it is part of a national centralized system.

Once this done, you just have to wait till your employer completes the process, has the residence visa affixed on your original passport. This can take anywhere from five days to a month, depends on your employer. Once you have a visa, you can bring in your family dependent upon the required criteria being met.

Once you are done with your visa process, how can you get your family to the UAE?

Expatriate residents, can sponsor their families in the UAE provided they have a valid residency permit. Male residents who are employed in the UAE can sponsor their immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions, which include minimum salary of AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. Since March 2019, the type of profession is no longer a condition for an expatriate worker to be able to sponsor his family visas.

Male residents who are employed in the UAE can sponsor their immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions, which include minimum salary of AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. Now, an expatriate can bring over his family members to the UAE and sponsor their residence visas regardless of his profession, as long as he maintains the ‘income criteria’ or the minimum wage requirement, which is a minimum salary of AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 plus accommodation

Further, if the father of the family is residing in the UAE and meets the conditions for sponsoring his children, the mother is not allowed to sponsor them. A resident sponsor has 60 days to apply for his dependents’ residence visa after they enter the UAE and modify their status from an entry permit holder to a resident visa holder. Family members are issued visas for one or two years depending on the nature of the work and employment contract of the sponsoring member.

Sponsored residents except adult males who are continuing their education and sponsored parents can enjoy the same visa duration as their sponsors. For adult males and parents, the residence visa is granted on a yearly basis regardless of the sponsor’s visa duration.

An expatriate resident may sponsor the residence visa for his wife and children if he fulfils the sponsorship requirements set by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA). To sponsor his wife, the expatriate resident must prove an existing marital relationship by submitting an authenticated marriage certificate in Arabic or duly translated into Arabic by a certified translator.

In strict cases, a Muslim resident may be allowed to sponsor his two wives, if he meets certain terms and conditions set by the respective GDRFA.

An expatriate resident can sponsor his daughter/s only if she/they is/are unmarried, till the age of 18 years in case of a male child. Since October 21, 2018, students who graduate from their universities or secondary schools or complete 18 years of age will be granted a one-year residence visa, renewable for another year from the graduation date or on completing 18 years. For this type of visa, parents are not required to place bank deposits. The visa will cost AED100 for first time issuing and renewal. To avail of this service, parents must present duly attested graduation certificates from universities or schools, whether inside the country or abroad.

Important note: An expatriate resident can also sponsor his stepchildren, subject to GDRFA’s conditions, which include a deposit for each child and a written no-objection certificate from the biological parent. Their residence visas are valid for one year; renewable annually.

Required documents to sponsor your wife and children include:

Online application or through a registered typing office
Passport copies of the wife and children
Photos of the wife and children
Medical clearance certificate for the wife and children above 18
Copy of the husband’s employment contract or company contract
Salary certificate from the employer stating the employee’s monthly salary
Attested marriage certificate
Registered tenancy contract
Latest utility bill

How can you sponsor your parents?

An expatriate employee can sponsor his parents, which is for a year, by paying a deposit as a guarantee for each parent as stipulated by the respective immigration department. This is refundable. An expatriate employee cannot sponsor only one of his parents. He needs to sponsor both parents together. He also needs to provide proof that he is their sole support and that there is no one to take care of them back home. If one of the parents has passed away or if the parents are divorced, he has to show the related official documents as justification to sponsor only one of his parents

To sponsor parents, the employed expatriate resident must earn the minimum salary stipulated and obtain a medical insurance policy for parents with the minimum coverage stipulated for each, to be renewed each year. For example: GDFRA in Dubai stipulates a minimum salary of AED 20,000 or a monthly pay of AED 19,000 plus a two-bedroom accommodation to sponsor parents’ visa.

How can a woman sponsor her family?

In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating that she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any other profession related to the medical sector and if her monthly salary is not less than AED 10,000 or AED 8,000 plus accommodation. She needs to provide additional documents as stipulated by the respective authority.

In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in one of these categories, she may still get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than AED 10,000 and with a special permission from the GDFRA. A single mother can sponsor her child. The authorities might ask for documents similar to those required to sponsor stepchildren.

What happens to your family’s visa/s if you quit or lose your job?

The family’s residence permits are linked to the residence permit of the sponsoring expatriate employee. If the sponsoring family member’s visa is cancelled, it requires cancellation of the visas of the dependents. Dependents are granted a 30-day grace period from the date of expiry or cancellation of their visa to obtain a new residence permit. If the employee fails to renew or cancel the visa of his dependents, the dependents would be deemed illegal residents and could be liable to pay a fine.

A great toll free number for MoHRE to have: 800-60

Issuing of ID Card for the First Time

Why Australia Is The Next Place To Expand Your Business

3 January, 2020

Australia's Dynamic Industries

The Australian Government welcomes foreign investment. As the Australian Government’s investment promotion agency, Austrade works to inform investors about growth opportunities in five areas which play to our strengths, jointly agreed by Australian and State and Territory Governments:

Agribusiness and food
Major infrastructure
Tourism infrastructure
Resources and energy
Advanced manufacturing, services and technology

Within advanced manufacturing, services and technology, Austrade focuses on highlighting growth opportunities for investment in Australian medical and materials sciences and technologies, and digital technologies.

Australia has achieved significant global success in the energy and resources, agribusiness, education, tourism and financial services industries.

The country is also developing and commercialising new disruptive technologies in a range of sectors, including agriculture, education, financial services and healthcare.

Australia is renowned for its resources sector, upon which Asia continues to rely to help fuel its industrialisation. Australian agricultural commodities and premium food are in high demand worldwide, as are its tourism, education, wealth management, healthcare and professional services.

Australia is:

the world’s largest producer of gold, iron ore and uranium
a major global producer of agricultural commodities
a leader in investment management, with the sixth largest pool of funds under management in the world
the world’s third most popular destination for students
the seventh largest international tourism market.

GLOBALLY SUCCESSFUL IN FIVE KEY INDUSTRIES

Australia is a major producer of in-demand agricultural commodities, premium food and natural resources. The nation is a leading destination for international tourists and students in tertiary education. It also has large, expanding, sophisticated financial markets, including the world’s sixth largest pool of managed fund assets.

A LEADER IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Australia’s transition to a services-based economy is driving the development of new technologies in agriculture, education, financial services and health, among other sectors. This includes the use of blockchain in finance, immersive simulation technologies in education, robotics in medical procedures and the Internet of Things in agriculture.

ABUNDANT RESERVES OF MINERAL AND ENERGY RESOURCES

Australia’s natural resources continue to be a vital contributor to the nation’s wealth. It has the world’s largest resources of iron ore, gold, lead, zinc, nickel, rutile and zircon, as well as the second largest bauxite, cobalt, silver and copper reserves. Australia also has the world’s largest uranium reserves and the second largest brown coal deposits, enabling it to play an important role in supplying the world’s energy needs.

Why Australia is the next place to expand your business

Australia Holds World Record For Longest Period Of Growth Among Developed Economies

2 January, 2020

Austrade estimates that Australia holds the record for the longest period of recession-free growth for a developed economy

According to the latest National Accounts figures recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia holds the record for the longest period of recession-free growth for a developed economy.

The latest outcome is a positive sign that Australia’s economy is maintaining the solid momentum and has entered its 28th year of uninterrupted annual economic growth.

Australia is the only country in the developed world with a period of uninterrupted economic growth of this length, based on the typically recognised definition of an economic recession being a decline in GDP for two or more consecutive quarters.

All 34 member countries in the Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development (OECD) have experienced at least one period of two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth since 1991. Many of these economies experienced two episodes of negative growth during that period – one in 2001 following the collapse of the ‘dot.com bubble’, and one during the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC).

The period since 1991 is the longest growth phase Australia has recorded for at least the past 50 years. It has seen the economy register an average growth rate of 3.2% per annum.

The next longest period, during which Australia’s economic year-ended growth remained positive was between 1961 and 1971. In the 1970s and 1980s, Australia’s growth phases lasted only seven or eight years before another recession hit.

On a quarter-to-quarter basis national accounts figures represented the 104th positive growth rate since the economy started to recover in Q3 1991, following the two consecutive negative growth rates in Q1 and Q2 1991.

By Austrade’s count, Australia’s consecutive quarters of positive growth have now exceeded all OECD member countries including the Netherlands (96 quarters between Q1 1982 to Q2 2008), Ireland (78 between Q3 1986 and Q1 2007), South Korea (77 since the Asian Financial Crisis in 1998) and Canada (68 between Q2 1991 and Q3 2008).

Australia’s economic resilience over the past two decades has been the envy of many countries. Australia sailed through the Asian economic crisis of 1997–98, prospered through the US stock market bust and recession of 2001 and continued to grow through the GFC of 2008–09.

Australia has managed to deliver a solid economic performance relative to other developed economies, while adjusting to the end of its mining boom of the 2000s.

The nation is expected to realise an average annual real GDP growth of 2.7% between 2019 and 2023, according to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook October 2018. The latest average growth rate over the next five years is the highest among major advanced economies and up from an average growth rate of 2.6% between 2014 and 2018.