UK-Aus and UK-NZ trade deals include easing of visa rules
A new visa pathway for UK citizens and nationals
The Innovation and Early Careers Skills Exchange Pilot (IECSEP) is a new visa pathway that will enable eligible UK citizens to take their next career step in Australia. Agreed under the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement, IECSEP is one of a number of outcomes under this comprehensive free trade agreement that will deepen economic ties between the two countries.
IECSEP offers two streams:
- Innovation stream – stays up to three years for highly skilled and experienced innovators, working in occupations defined at the ANZSCO Skill Level 1.
- Early Careers stream – stays for up to one year for tertiary-qualified 21-45-year-olds, who have worked a minimum three months in their current role, and working in occupations defined at the ANZSCO Skill Levels 1-3.
IECSEP applicants need to have a confirmed job in Australia to be able to apply, and must remain with this employer for the duration of the visa. Applicants can undertake placements, secondments, graduate rotations or intra-company transfers between the applicant’s UK employer and any partnering Australian organisation.
Alternatively, IECSEP applicants can commence a new role in Australia. Applicants who will work in regulated occupations in Australia must have current Australian occupational licencing without any conditions or restrictions. More information for applicants and prospective Australian employers is contained in the IECSEP Guidebook.
IECSEP is a 2-year pilot. Places will be limited to 1000 in 2023-24, and a further 2000 places in 2024-25.
IECSEP is now open for applications. The round will close on 20 November 2023.
Since long before the UK’s departure from the EU in 2020, and even before the Brexit referendum in 2016, the idea of new, bespoke Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) between the UK and its antipodean cousins has been touted as a key part of the country’s future trade policy. On 31 May, these new trade deals finally came into effect after years of negotiations and the completion of domestic ratification in the British, Australian and New Zealand parliaments.
While there are of course provisions in both the UK-Australia and UK-New Zealand FTAs for easier and increased trade in goods and services, the coming into force of these deals is also good news for those Australian and New Zealand citizens interested in obtaining visas for the UK, as well as for UK citizens looking to emigrate to Australia or New Zealand.
Relaxed eligibility criteria for young people
The UK Youth Mobility Scheme continues to be one of the most popular ways for young people from Australia and New Zealand to travel to the UK to live and work for up to two years, with only a handful of prerequisites in order to be eligible. In the year to March 2023, 9,528 Australian citizens and 4,305 New Zealand citizens were granted a visa under the scheme.
Following the coming into force of the new FTAs, this number is set to increase as the deals include the expansion of the eligible age range for this visa. From 29 June 2023, the upper age limit for applicants from New Zealand will be raised from 30 to 35, who will also have the option to extend their stay in the UK for up to three years. From 31 January 2024, the same changes will come into effect for Australian citizens..
To match this, from 1 July 2023 Australia and New Zealand will also be expanding the eligibility criteria for British applicants to those countries’ similar schemes. UK passport holders applying for Australia’s Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa will now be able to do so up to the age of 35 (up from 30), and from 1 July 2024 will be eligible to be granted up to three separate Working Holiday visas without needing to meet specified work requirements. The same is true for British applicants for the New Zealand Working Holiday Visa.
Tailored advice for visas to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US
VisaEnvoy is a truly international migration firm, with a long track record of working with both companies and private individuals to understand their personal circumstances and visa needs, and helping them get the right visa for them as quickly and hassle-free as possible.
We understand that the key to a successful visa application is understanding both our clients and the immigration systems with which we work. A key part of that work is keeping on top of the frequent changes to the immigration systems and visa categories of the countries in which we operate.
Our friendly, professional team of migration agents and immigration solicitors work with trusted partners in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, as well as in Canada and the United States.
If you would like to know more about VisaEnvoy, our agents or the services we offer, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
For individual or corporate visa enquiries, we recommend booking an appointment.
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