457 Visa New Rules To Take Effect On January Of Next Year

The new rules on the Australian 457 visa which are going to take effect on 1st January 2017, are expected to have a huge impact on the visa holders who have children and are living in Southern Australia. These visa holders are going to be affected by the newly established school fees, which could alter their family budget in a big way.

Through the Australian 457 visa, migrants who are sponsored by a business in Australia, are allowed entry to the country so that they can live and work for as long as 4 years under a labour agreement with the Immigration Department.

Changes to the Australian 457 Visa

The changes to the rules in the 457 visa in the states of Southern Australia is understood to be the same to the fees charged in the other parts of the country. As of January of next year, 457 visa holders who have just arrived to the country, and have children, would be subjected to the stipulated school fees so the cost of education can be covered in the government schools. From January of the following year, the new rules are going to take effect to all of the 457 visa holders.

The payable fee is most probably going to depend on the financial situation of the family. The payment for a child or a young person’s schooling would be demanded when they are enrolled in a government or public school. In 2017, the annual fee for a family on a 457 visa, living in southern Australia, is going to be $5,100 for each primary school student. For a child who is in high school, the annual fee is going to be $6,100.

The fees are first going to apply to the family’s eldest child, while the cost for every brother or sister thereafter is going to be provided with a discount of ten per cent. Under these changes, the parents can choose to make an upfront payment of the whole contribution, or pay it through regular instalments, or per term.

Contributions are to be determined by the 457 visa holder’s income

If a 457 visa holder, along with their husband, wife, or partner, has less than a gross income of $57,000 per year, no contributions are going to be made. A means-test is most probably going to be utilised to make sure that a family, with a child attending school, does not pay the whole contribution rate until the gross income reaches or goes more than $77,000.

The threshold in which the maximum fees are going to be payable would increase by $10,000 for each child. As an example, a family who has 2 kids are not going to be liable to pay full fees unless their gross family income per year is at $87,000 or more.

The Exemptions to the new Australian Permanent Resident visa rules

Australia’s permanent residents are exempted from giving the contributions. All you need is to provide your proof of permanent residence to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection so that your residency status can then be noted or registered appropriately. The contribution fee is only going to apply to the individuals who will have arrived from the 1^st of January of next year, in southern Australia, for the first 12 months. Individuals who have the 457 visa but have entered the country prior to January 1^st 2017, still won’t be subjected to pay for the fees.

As of January of 2018 however, the contribution fee will already be applied to all 457 visa holders who live in southern Australia, regardless of when they arrived here. This rule can result to either an exodus of 457 visa holders who are hoping to avoid the contribution fees, or an increase in the number of applications for permanent residency.

Source: https://www.workpermit.com/news/new-australian-457-visa-rules-announced-january-2017-20160927