Engineers have always had advantages in applying for skilled migration to Australia. For instance, most engineering occupations are on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) and the skills assessment does not require any work experience.
This article explains some of the recent changes and little known facts benefitting engineers who wish to migrate to Australia. The article covers:
Improvements to Engineers Australia Skills Assessment
There are a number of changes to the skills assessment process for engineers through Engineers Australia.
English Language Ability
Engineers must demonstrate their English language ability to pass skills assessment. Previously, only the IELTS test of English language ability was accepted. Engineers Australia will now accept the TOEFL iBT (Internet Based Test) as well. Results from more than one test can also be accepted by Engineers Australia.
You would be exempt from the English testing requirement if you have completed an undergraduate engineering qualification in Australia, a PhD or 2-year masters in Australia. Certain passport holders are also exempt.
Priority Processing Service
A priority processing service has been introduced which allows for a 5-day turnaround in processing for skills assessments, rather than the usual 13 weeks.
Accredited Australian Master Qualifications
Generally, you must have an accredited bachelor degree to avoid the Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) process. CDRs can take a significant amount of time to put together.
Engineers Australia also accredits some Australian Masters qualifications. Even if you have an overseas bachelor degree, you may be able to use your Australian masters for the skills assessment without needing to complete a CDR.
There are even some advanced diplomas assessed by Engineers Australia - in some cases completing one of these can result in a positive skills assessment in an SOL occupation.
Skilled Recognised Graduate Subclass 476 Visas
If you have completed an engineering qualification within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for an 18-month work visa called a Skilled Recognised Graduate Subclass 476 visa.
The qualification must be at the bachelor level or higher - so this would include masters qualifications. You must complete the qualification at an institution which offers courses accredited under theWashington Accord, or certain other universities which have been specified by Immigration.
The visa is somewhat similar to the Graduate Temporary Subclass 485 visa. The main difference is that you can qualify for the recognised graduate visa even if you have never studied in Australia, you could qualify for a recognised graduate visa.
State Nomination
Engineering is one of the most advantageous professions for state nomination. Every single state and territory has engineering occupations on their "in demand" lists. State nomination can increase your points score as well as give you higher priority when it comes to SkillSelect, giving you a big advantage.
Conclusion
Engineering remains one of the most favoured occupations when it comes to migration to Australia. Recent changes make the make the application process even more streamlined for engineers.
If you would like to know more about how you can qualify for migration to Australia, please book an appointment with one of our advisors.
Program Overview
The golden visa program in Greece offers an affordable real estate investment route to permanent residency in Europe. Following the launch of several European investment visa programmes it was introduced by the Greek government in 2013 to encourage investment into Greece.
Investment
An investment of €250,000 is required in real estate in Greece making the Greek programme the lowest investment level of any real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. The property, which can be located anywhere on the Greek mainland or the islands, can be either residential or commercial. Any number of properties can combine to make up the €250,000 minimum investment. Joint buyers can combine investments into one property.
Process
The application process takes approximately 40 days from the time of investment until the Residency Permit is issued. The applicant needs to have made the property investment in Greece prior to applying for the visa. Once a property has been selected through ourselves at La Vida, the lawyers who we recommend can take care of the application process, conveyancing and legal work for the property.
A typical application involves initial discussion with ourselves followed by a 3 or 4 day visit to Greece to view properties, meet with lawyers and open a bank account. The application after this point can be processed within Greece by the clients’ lawyers under Power of Attorney. Provided everything is done correctly at this stage the client will not need to visit again to collect the residence permits.
Requirements
In addition to the real estate investment applicants will need a clear criminal record and medical insurance to cover any stay in Greece. There is no minimum stay requirement and the residency visa can be renewed after five years providing the investment is maintained.
Fees
Government, notary and lawyer fees for the property purchase and visa application will amount to around €15,000. In addition there is VAT of 23% to pay in Greece on new property purchases.
Family
Qualifying family members include spouse and all children under 18. Children 18 and over can qualify if studying and dependent. The Greek residency program was recently extended to the parents of both investor and spouse.
Taxes
Non-residents in Greece will pay tax on their income derived in Greece but not on income from outside of the country. Income tax starts at a rate of 22%. Rental income from property in Greece is taxed at rates, from 11% to 33%. Certain expenses are deductible from the gross income. Capital gains tax (CGT) is charged at 15% on property sales.
Living and Working
The residence permit allows the applicant to live in Greece but not to work. However the applicant can set up business in Greece.
Travel
Gaining visitor visas to travel to Europe and the Schengen zone has become problematic from many countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Once granted the Greek residence permit allows freedom of travel throughout the EU Schengen zone.
Citizenship and Passport
Applicants who live in Greece can apply for citizenship and a passport after seven years. Once applicants have citizenship then they are free to dispose of their investment as further visa renewals are not necessary. Because of the need to reside in the country the Greek golden visa program is considered a residency investment program rather than citizenship by investment. However the option for citizenship is there for those committed to living in Greece.
Benefits
Applicants gain the right to live in Greece although there is no requirement to do this. With the residency card all family members will have freedom to travel to and throughout the EU Schengen visa zone with ease and without further visa applications. If the resident sells the property to another non-EU citizen, the Greek residency becomes transferable to the new investor.
Summary
The Greek program offers the lowest real estate investment level of any European residency scheme. It is also has favourable family rules. Taxes on property are high and the restrictions on citizenship make it less attractive than the programs of Portugaland Cyprus.
Since the E-2 visa is a treaty-based visa, it should be noted right away that there are many countries that do not have E-2 treaties with the United States and whose nationals, thus, are not eligible for this visa. The largest of these ineligible nations are: China, India, Brazil and Russia. You can read the entire list of eligible treaty countries here. The E-2 visa may be an attractive option for investors who have considered EB-5 and who are from an eligible treaty country. The purpose of this article is to help investors determine if the E-2 is appropriate, and provide a step-by-step guide to the application process. What is the E-2 Visa? The E-2 visa is an investment-based nonimmigrant visa for entrepreneurs who want to come the United States to open and operate a business. The regulations refer to it as a “Treaty Investor Visa” and this simply means that there must be a treaty between the investor’s country of origin and the United States that allows the investor to apply for the E-2. As mentioned above, China, India, Russia and Brazil are a few of the larger countries not eligible. The E-2 visa allows owners and directors to bring essential employees from their home country to help with their business. Furthermore, the visa does not have strict job requirements, unlike the EB-5 program. However, the foreign national must demonstrate that the business can generate significantly more income than required to provide a living for the foreign national, which means creating jobs and having a positive impact on the U.S. economy. The E-2 visa allows spouses and unmarried children under 21 to enter the United States with the principal applicant. They are permitted to work and attend school without hindrances. It is important to keep in mind that the E-2 does not lead directly to permanent residency, however, the visa can be extended indefinitely, as there is no cap on duration. While some investors may see this as a limitation, there are many investors who do not have the immediate objective of permanent residency. Even so, there are still permanent residency options for those investors who wish to seek a green card at a later date while on E-2 status. Eligibility The first eligibility criterion is the nationality of the investor. Only investors from countries on this list are eligible to apply for the visa. Once treaty eligibility is established, the investor must satisfy several more criteria. An analysis of these criteria is below: How much money needs to be invested? The regulations do not specify an exact investment amount required for the E-2 visa. However, there are many clues to help determine a “safe” amount. The first clue being that the investment must be substantial. To determine whether an investment is substantial, the consular officer will perform a “proportionality test.” The test is an evaluation of the following two figures: Amount of investment vs. cost of buying or creating an established business. Here is an example to illustrate: Giorgio from Italy is applying for an E-2 visa to open a brand new coffee shop in Hollywood. He has invested $150,000. • Scenario 1: With his application, he submits evidence that an existing coffee shop in the neighborhood sold for $150,000 last year. In this case, Giorgio has proven that his investment is 100 percent proportional to the cost of buying an existing coffee shop. ($150,000 investment vs. $150,000 cost of established business). • Scenario 2: This time Giorgio submits his application showing that he has invested $150,000 but he does not have evidence of another coffee shop selling at that price. Instead he gets a letter from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce showing that the average cost for starting a coffee shop in Hollywood is $125,000. He also provides a letter from a local coffee shop explaining that their startup costs were only $100,000. Here Giorgio has also likely proven that his investment is proportional. ($150,000 investment vs. $100-125,000 cost to start a coffee shop). An important note here is that the more expensive a business, the less proportional the investment has to be. For example, a consulting firm can become operational and successful with an upfront investment as low as $60,000 (arguably even less), however a large manufacturing facility requires a much larger investment to operate due to the cost of lease, equipment, employees, etc. Therefore, if the proposed business is a consulting firm, it is highly advisable that the investor commits the entire amount prior to application. However, if the proposed business is one that typically requires substantial infrastructure, investors may satisfy the officer with a smaller fraction of the investment amount. Many consulates use the following scales: • For businesses requiring an investment of less than $500,000, it is recommended that 85 percent to 100 percent of the funds are invested prior to filing; • For businesses requiring between $500,000 to $3 million, 50 percent investment is sufficient. • For businesses greater than $3 million, 30 percent is considered substantial. Furthermore, the amount of the investment must be sufficient to show the investor’s commitment to the success of the business. If the consular officer believes that the investor is worth $100 million, it is unlikely that a $60,000 investment will convince the officer of his/her commitment. On the other hand, for the average investor worth $300,000, a sum of $100,000 will likely be considered large enough to prove commitment to the success of the business. When does the money have to be invested? The proposed business must be very close to being operational at the time of filing the E-2 petition. This means that the consular officer would like to see that the funds and assets have been irrevocably committed to the enterprise. A business that merely exists on paper, with speculative or idle investment does not qualify. Investments do not yet have to be deployed in their entirety, but investors should be prepared to document how a significant portion of funds has already been spent and how they intend to spend the rest. Here are some general rules for normal expenditures: • Rent: Investors CANNOT count the entire value of the lease, but only count the duration paid prior to filing. Investors who have not yet taken possession of the space can count one month of rent. • New goods or equipment: Investors CAN count the full value of all equipment that is purchased for the business. • Existing goods or equipment: Investors CAN count the total amount of previously purchased equipment so long as they can prove that the equipment will be used for business purposes. • Other expenses: Expenses for marketing, branding, web design, etc. CAN be used in their full values towards the E-2 investment. Proper documentation must be submitted to prove these expenses. It should be noted here that many E-2 investors wish to purchase existing businesses but also wish to protect themselves from massive loss in the event that the application is denied. In these cases, the regulations allow for the investor to enter an escrow agreement where release of the purchase funds is contingent on approval of the E-2 petition. How to prove the investment Though not as stringent as the EB-5 process, the E-2 also requires the investor to prove the source of the investment funds. There are two parts to proving the source of funds to the consular officer: • First, the investor must show the possession and control of the invested funds. This requirement can be satisfied by providing documentation showing how the money was acquired. The regulations allow money derived from income, gift or inheritance. Funds derived from a loan are only eligible if the investor is personally liable for the loan. • Second, the applicant must prove that the investment came from lawful sources. Typically, this requirement is satisfied by the documentation provided for item 1 above. Sometimes multiple layers of documentation are required. For example, if the funds were earned through the sale of real estate, applicants may have to show proof of the sale and proof of how the funds were earned to purchase the real estate in the first place. Which documents are required? Different consulates may have slightly differing criteria but applicants will likely be required to provide a variety of documents, including lease and purchase agreements, bank statements, receipts and purchase orders, wage history, documentation of gifts or real estate sale and business plans. Application process Because E-2 approval is reliant on the development of a business, the entire process requires complex calculations, market research and advanced planning. As such, interested parties are encouraged to consult with legal counsel and advisors as early on in the process as possible. Interested investors can petition for E-2 classification through Form I-129 to change their status from another legal classification if already in the United States, or by filing Form I-129 from outside of the United States.
مالتا مجمع الجزایری در مدیترانه مرکزی بین سیسیل و سواحل آفریقا شمالی است. مالتا دارای آب و هوای فوق العاده ی آفتابی، سواحل جذاب، شب های پر جنب و جوش است و یکی از بهترین مناطق دنیا برای زندگی است. مالتا دارای دو زبان رسمی: مالتی و انگلیسی میباشد.
مالتا یک قلمرو مشترک المنافع، یک دولت عضو فعلی مشترک المنافع سازمان ملل است که در سال 1964 به اتحادیه اروپا در سال 2004 در سازمان ملل متحد پذیرفته شد. در سال 2008، آن را بخشی از منطقه یورو شد. مالتا دارای یک میراث طولانی مسیحیت میباشد. مناطق تفریحی متعدد در مالتا، و آثار معماری و تاریخی، از جمله سه سایت میراث جهانی یونسکو است که گفته میشود برخی از آنها قدیمی ترین ساختمان های جهان میباشند. از جمله جاذبه های گردشگری مالتا می توان به موارد ذیل اشاره کرد: والتا بندر مهم و استراتژیک مالتا، جزیره ی شاعرانه ی گزو، سایت نوسنگی ، تارکسین، معبد پیش از تاریخ ، مرداب آبی ، بلو لاگن مالتا، غارهای آبی مالتا و .
فرهنگ مالتا مدرن و به عنوان یک "الگوی غنی از سنت ها، باورها و اعمال" است که نشان دهنده تماس جوامع مختلف با جزایر مالتا در طول قرن ها، از جمله فرهنگ مدیترانه است.
لیماسول قبرس به پشتوانه ی وضعیت خوب اقتصادی کشور که حاصل برنامه های ی اعطای اقامت و شهروندی از طریق سرمایه گذاری است، در آستانه ی تبدیل شدن به شهری با ساختمان های سر به فلک کشیده با ابهت در اروپا است.
شهروندان کشورهای غیر اروپایی میتوانند با سرمایه گذاری 2 میلیون یورویی در بازار املاک و مستغلات قبرس شهروندی این کشور را بدست بیاورند. در حالی که سرمایه گذاری 300 هزار یورویی میتواند منجر به اخذ اقامت قبرس گردد که اصطلاحا ویزای طلایی نیز خوانده می شود. از سال 2013 که این برنامه آغاز به کار کرده است تا ماه آوریل سال 2017 برنامه ی تابعیت از طریق سرمایه گذاری به تنهایی 4 میلیارد یورو درآمد عاید این کشور کرده است که این سرمایه بیشتر در املاک مسی بسیار لوکس هزینه شده است.
اوایل سال جاری، صندوق بین المللی پول به قبرس هشدار داده که اقتصاد قبرس به دلیل تقاضای زیاد نسبت به برنامه ی شهروندی از طریق سرمایه گذاری، بیش از حد به بخش املاک وابسته است.
بلافاصله پس از معرفی برنامه ی شهروندی از طریق سرمایه گذاری، تعدادی برج مجلل در امتداد خطوط ساحلی قبرس سر به فلک کشیدند، علی الخصوص برج های باشکوهی که در شهر لیماسول سر برافراشتند. حالا این قطره ی کوچک به موج عظیمی از توسعه ی چشمگیر تبدیل شده است که از زمان توسعه ی مجدد London Docklands و Central Warsawدر اروپا اتفاق نیفتاده بود.
منهتن کوچکی در قلب مدیترانه در حال شکل گیری است، 16 برج 15 تا 39 طبقه ای در لیماسول یا اطراف آن در حال ساخت و یا در انتظار تاییدیه ی مقامات رسمی هستند. همه ی آن ها طبق برنامه تا 5 سال آینده و یا زودتر تکمیل خواهند شد. حداقل نصف سرمایه این ساخت و سازها ازشهروندان کشورهای ثالثی که درخواست شهروندی از طریق سرمایه گذاری کرده بودند تامین می شود.
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