Australia | Immigration | Commencement of innovation and early careers skills exchange pilot for UK citizens

03 October 2023

Australia | Immigration | Commencement of innovation and early careers skills exchange pilot for UK citizens

Impact: Medium

Summary 
Facilitated by the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (A-UKFTA), the new Innovation and Early Careers Skills Exchange Pilot has now commenced, establishing a new and streamlined mobility pathway for early career professionals and demonstrated innovators from the United Kingdom.

This Pilot may offer a useful alternative to the Temporary Skills Shortage visa and Working Holiday visa programs for UK citizens between the ages of 21 and 45 years.

The Detail  
Under the new Innovation and Early Career Skills Exchange Pilot (IECSEP), eligible UK Citizens with a confirmed employment offer in Australia may apply for a Temporary Work (International Relations) (subclass 403) visa under two eligibility streams:

1. The Innovation stream – for highly experienced and skilled innovators with an employment offer in Australia in an occupation defined at the ANZSCO Skill Level 1. Applicants under this stream may be granted a Subclass 403 visa for up to 3 years to work in Australian organisations, including through intra-corporate transfers
2. The Early Careers stream – for tertiary qualified professionals aged between 21 and 45 (inclusive) who have worked for at least 3 months in their current role and have an employment offer in Australia in an occupation defined at the ANZSCO Skill Level 1, 2 or 3  and relevant to their field of work in their current position. Applicants under this stream may be granted a Subclass 403 visa to participate in a 12-month secondment, placement or intra-corporate transfer with an Australian organisation.

The IECSEP will run for an initial 2 year period during which time a total of 1,000 visas will be available in the first year of operation and 2,000 in the second year.

Contact us 
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:

Stacey Tsui
Partner & Principal Solicitor
stacey.tsui@vialto.com

Cherie Wright
Partner
cherie.wright@vialto.com

Annalisa Symons
Director
annalisa.symons@vialto.com

Rachel Williamson
Director
rachel.williamson@vialto.com

Fariha.Islam
Director
fariha.islam@vialto.com

John O’Brien
Director
john.d.obrien@vialto.com

Arathi Tekkam
Director
arathi.tekkam@vialto.com

Ben Reid
Senior Manager
ben.reid@vialto.com

Merridy Parr
Senior Manager
merridy.a.parr@vialto.com

Dee Le
Manager
dee.t.le@vialto.com

Krishneel Ram
Manager
krishneel.ram@vialto.com

Further information on Vialto Partners can be found here: www.vialtopartners.com

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