Australia Announces Changes To Visa Applications For Religious Ministers

10 Aug 2015

According to the new visa rules, Ministers of religion, who aspire to work in Australia are no longer exempt from age, English language requirement and skill.

For an employer sponsored visa, we also find  that, Changes has been introduced to the application process for nominating a Minister of religion .The religious organization who wish to bring ministers of religion to Australia on a temporary or permanent basis for the employment must from now on do so through available Ministers of Religion Industry Labour Agreement.

 We also find that, the occupation is no longer eligible for Direct Entry stream or Temporary Residence Transition stream of (ENS) Employer Nomination Scheme and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme or the 457 visa programme.

All interested religious organization should come forward and sign  up to the Minister of Religion Industry Labour agreement. Before filing the nominations for Agreements stream of Employer Nomination scheme to become the sponsor for the 457 visa

These changes will  help in upholding the integrity of our employer sponsored visa programmes and it would continue to support religious organizations to meet the spiritual needs of Australia’s multicultural society,’ said a spokesman for the Immigration department.

The spokesman for the immigration department said these, changes would uphold the integrity of employer sponsored visa programmes and they continue to support religious organizations to meet the spiritual needs of the Australia’s Multicultural society, said

If an applicant is nominated for the agreement stream, then they should meet the stated requirements as outlined in the Minister of religion Labour agreement to get visa. He has explained that all new visa application should meet the standard age, English language requirement as skill requirement or  meet one of the other exemption criteria.

Employer nominations as well as visa application lodged before 1^st July 2015 will not be affected by these changes and these nominations as well as visa application would be processed as per the previous arrangements.

‘For a Minister of Religion, If an employer nomination was lodged before 01 July 2015 and is then approved, the corresponding visa application can be lodged for the relevant stream for the Employer Nomination Scheme or the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme,’ the spokesman explained.

The spokesman explained, If an employer nomination for a Minister of Religion was lodged before 1^st July 2015 and then it approved, the corresponding visa application can be lodged for the relevant stream for the Employers Nomination Scheme or the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme.

 He added, however, the visa application lodged on or after 1 July 2015 must meet the skill, standard age and  English requirements for the stream which is relevant.  We find that, Australia govt has now announced that there would no exemptions whatsoever with regards , skill, age and  English requirement for the application lodged on or after this date.

He added, for a Minister of religion, the employer nominations for Temporary Residence Transition stream are possible . Only if the visa applicant was offered their most recent 457 visa inorder to work as a Minister of religion for a standard business sponsor prior to 1 July 2015. This is also the case, where the application was lodged before 1 July 2015 and the 457 visa granted after the above date. 

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