29/07/2023
The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) is now $70,000. From 1 July 2023, new nomination applications will be required to meet this threshold or the annual market salary rate, whichever is higher.
• Nominations lodged on or before 30 June 2023 will need to meet the ‘old’ TSMIT of $53,900; and
• Nominations lodged on or after 1 July 2023 will need to meet the ‘new’ TSMIT of $70,000.
The TSMIT applies to a number of skilled visas, including the Temporary Skill shortage (subclass 482), Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494), Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) and Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visas.
The annual market salary rate (AMSR) is the Australian industry standard pay a worker receives for their occupation. AMSR may differ for an occupation based on years of experience, location and an employee's skills.
The AMSR ensures an overseas worker is paid no less than an Australian worker doing the same work in the same location. It can be determined by enterprise agreements or industrial awards, job outlook information, remuneration surveys, job advertisements for roles in the same location or advice from unions or employer associations.
Why the TSMIT has been lifted:
Lifting the TSMIT means the skilled visa program is targeted at highly skilled workers who are less open to exploitation. We want to ensure migrants entering Australia under these programs have sufficient income to support themselves and their families.
This is the first increase to the TSMIT since 2013. The new $70,000 income threshold is around where the TSMIT would have been if it had been indexed to average weekly ordinary time earnings growth over the last 10 years.
Source: DoHA
Photo Credit: birds eye view of the stockpile of the purest salt in the world, Shark Bay, WA
