In the latest July 2020 Government announcement for Economic and Fiscal Update, the threshold income requirements may be eased for the subclass 189 New Zealand stream applicants of the skilled independent pathway.

To begin with, this subclass is for the New Zealand passport holders who arrived in Australia after 26 February 2001 and are not eligible New Zealand citizens. To be eligible for this subclass, applicants were required to meet the threshold salary requirements unless exempted as mentioned in the associated legislative instrument LIN 19/191: Specification of Income Threshold and Exemptions—Subclass 189 Visa (New Zealand Stream)) Instrument 2019.

As the details of the proposed changes are not extremely clear due to multiple political statements but can be interpreted in two ways:

1. The temporary skilled migrant Income threshold required may be changed to three years in the last five years including the financial year before applying for the visa. On the contrary of the current salary requirement, when the applicant is required to have a taxable income at or above a specific income threshold for each of the four completed income years prior to lodging an application when the applicant started living in Australia on or before 19 February 2016.
2. The temporary skilled migrant Income threshold for an NZ citizen may be changed to the threshold for any of the three years in the last five years immediately prior to applying for the visa.

(Source: Migration Institute of Australia)

Written by: ShilpiWalia