Editors Pick

Highlights: $100 Million Australian university program to support women in STEM

• Tech founder Robin Khuda has recently funded $100 million to the University of Sydney.
• The record donation is set to fund a two-year program to support women enrolled in STEM.
• According to the STEM Equity Monitor 2024, women represent only 15% of individuals working in STEM jobs.
• The STEM course aims to support female students in relevant high school courses and further encourage them to pursue STEM.
   

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Record $100m donation to the University of Sydney

Tech Founder Robin Khuda has funded nearly $100 million from the Khuda Foundation to the University of Sydney. This is recorded to be the largest ever amount of funds to be received by any of the universities in New South Wales. The donation is directed towards encouraging young women to enroll in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.) The funds will go towards the two-decade program to support women studying and employed in STEM jobs.
 

Mark Scott, the vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, said that he and Robin Khuda had consulted for two years to devise the program. Robin Khuda had earlier donated $22m to over 300 of his employees after he acquired a $24 billion acquisition from a US firm. Khuda chose the University of Sydney because it has a strong research, academic, and teaching reputation.
 

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Highlights: New work visa rules are introduced by Australia on Subclass 400 visas

• Australian government introduced new rules for Subclass 400 visa.
• The Subclass visa is granted for up to 3 to 6 months and can be completed within three months.
• The reason behind the new work visa rules for Subclass 400 is to ensure that Australian citizens and permanent residents are not disadvantaged in the job market.
• The two notable changes in the new policy are ‘scrutinizing longer-term stays' and 'return visits.'

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New rule for Subclass 400 visa

The subclass 400 visa is most commonly used for business-related work in the country. It requires workers in Australia on a short-term basis to complete non-ongoing highly specialized jobs. The visa can be granted for up to 3 or 6 months, depending on the business that refers to 'non-ongoing' work that will be completed within three months.

The new rule for Subclass 400 will ensure that every application is investigated to determine whether any businesses are using Subclass 400 as an alternative to the Subclass 482 visa, where work is not 'non-ongoing.' This change ensures that Australian citizens and PR holders are not disadvantaged in the job market. The two changes that are more focused on are 'scrutinising longer-term stays' and 'return visits.'

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Scrutinizing longer-term stays

The current Subclass 400 visa policy case officers are expected to closely scrutinize applications that will result in workers being in Australia for more than three months over 12 12-month periods. This new rule will not stop visa processing for six months until and unless they have a genuine reason.

For example, circumstances in which the government will allow six months subclass 400 visa grants are:

• Application from residents of countries with lower income than Australia
• Where an employer intends to fulfill multiple separate contacts
• Lower Skilled role in ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5

Return visits

This policy includes a specific connection to an easy process for the work requirement that provides an assessment approach to applicants who can submit more than one subclass 400 visa application over 12 months. This flexibility has now been removed.

Currently, the policy may consider granting multiple subclass 400 visas over 12 months, which will not result in visa holders being in Australia for more than three months over a 12-month. This is a significant reduction from the recent policy, which referred to approving applications where the total stay would not exceed six months over 12 months.  

Previous holders of Subclass Visa 400 who have held the visa within 12 months will be granted subsequent Subclass 400 visas, the duration of which will be consistent with the balance remaining of a total 3-month stay over a 12-month period.

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Highlights: Australia’s new law to come into effect today!

• Australia introduced a new law, "Right to Disconnect," effective today.
• The new law allows Australian employees to avoid work calls or emails outside working hours legally.
• The new law is focused on protecting workers from having their personal lives intruded on by work.
• A survey by the Australia Institute showed that Australians have worked an average overtime of 281 hours of unpaid work.

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Australia's new law, "Right to Disconnect," is to be implemented starting today

Australia introduced a new law, "Right to Disconnect," specifically for employees working in the country. The new law allows workers to ignore work-related emails, texts, or calls outside working hours. Employees will now be able to avoid work messages legally under the new law without fearing punishment.

The new law aims to protect workers' personal space outside working hours. It was introduced to stop the invasion of work life into the employees' personal lives. John Hopkins, an associate professor at the Swinburne University of Technology, said, "Before we had digital technology, there was no encroachment. People would go home at the end of a shift, and there would be no contact until they returned the following day."

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Australians worked an average overtime of 281 hours in 2023

According to a survey conducted by the Australia Institute, in 2023, Australian employees worked an average overtime work of 281 hours that was unpaid. The unpaid labor accounted for up to A$130 billion or $88 US billion dollars. The new rule adds Australia to the list of 20 other countries, mainly including Latin America and Europe, which have similar laws.

Pioneer France, a real estate business, introduced these regulations in 2017 and sued Rentokil, a pest control firm, with an initial fine of 60,000 EUR for asking an employee always to have his phone on.

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Reasons for refusal must be rational, as per the new law  

As per the new law, employers can still contact workers in emergencies or for jobs with irregular shifts, and employees can refuse to revert only if the refusal is reasonable enough. The Fair Work Commission (FWC), an industrial umpire in Australia, will decide if the refusal is reasonable or not. The employee's role, how and why the contact was initiated, and other personal circumstances will be taken into account for a decision.

The FWC has the power to grant a cease-and-desist order or even implement fines of up to A$19,000 for employees and A$94,000 for companies.

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Highlights: Australia to welcome 185,000 PRs in 2025

• The government of Australia has announced details about the planning levels for 2024-25 Migration program.
• As per the announcement on May 14, 2024, a total of 185,000 PRs will be welcomed in 2025.
• The 185,000 PRs were split among Skill streams and family streams with a ratio of 70:30.
• The Australian states and territories will also receive allocations through the program in the Subclass 190 and Subclass 491 visa categories.

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Federal Budgets of 2023–24 and 2024–25

The table below has information on the planning levels for the migration program as a part of the 2024–25 Federal Budget.

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Composition of 2024-25 Permanent Migration Program

The Australian government announced 185,000 PRs in 2025 by the 2024-25 migration program planning levels.  The program focuses on filling the top sector's skill shortages and streamlining visa processing for regional Australia. The skill stream was given 132,000 places, while the particular eligibility stream received 300. The family stream was granted a total of 52,500 places, divided into 40,500 for partner visas and 3,000 for child visas.

The table below has complete compositions of the 2024-25 permanent migration program:

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Nomination allocations for State and territory-nominated visa categories

Nomination allocations are also issued to states and territories under the Migration program.

The allocations are distributed via the following streams:

• Skilled – Nominated (Subclass 190 visa)
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 491 visa)

List of 2024–25 state and territory nomination allocations

Given below is the total number of allocations that were granted to the states and territories:

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Highlights: Australia Announces Plans to cap New International students in 2025!

• Australia's Federal Government has announced a cap for new international students in 2025.
• The number of new international students pursuing a course in Australia will now be 270,000.
• The course of study may include vocational educational courses and higher education.
• The Australian parliament has yet to approve the proposal and pass the legislation to allow the Government to implement it.

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Australia Government to cap new International students

The Australian Government has set a cap on the number of new international students in the country in 2025. The total number of international students starting a study course in Australia will be set at 270,000. The studies could include higher education and vocational educational courses. The parliament has yet to approve the proposal and pass the legislation to the Government to implement a cap.

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Which International students will be capped?

The overall cap, referred to as the "National Planning Level," will not be implemented for all student categories.

The student categories that will not be capped are as follows:

• School students
• Postgraduate research students
• Certain English language students
• Students enrolled in Non-award courses (exchange students)

Some of the other exemptions include:

• Students with scholarships from the Australian Government
• Students with scholarships from "key partner" foreign governments
• Students who are included in "twinning arrangements."  
• Students from the Pacific and Timor-Leste

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Who is considered a new international student?

In 2025, the cap will be set only for new international students. An international student is recognized as new every time they start afresh at each of the education providers. Those who start a different course at the same provider will not be considered "New." It is anticipated that in the coming years, the Government will exercise the power to cap more international students.

The overall cap for new international students at public universities in Australia will be 145,000, while the cap for the Vocational educational sector, which includes TAFEs, will be 95,000.

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