Department of Home Affairs Confirms Permanent Residency Concessions for Grandfathered 457 Visa Holders
The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that it will accept applications for Permanent Residency (PR) under the Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme visa from 457 or 482 TSS visa holders after 23 months in their nominated occupation/position, as opposed to the previous 24 month period. This concession is only available to ‘grandfathered’ PR […]
RSMS 187 and ENS 186 visa processing times
The Department of Immigration & Border Protection (subsumed by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on the 20th December 2017) has flagged that it has changed its approach to the Subclass 187 Regional Skilled Migration Scheme and Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visas processing times, in response to a number of factors in the current caseload. These […]
457 visa processing times and accredited sponsorship
A recent industry liaison meeting revealed that 457 visa processing times – Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (457) applications have now stretched to as much as 5 months due to a combination of staffing restraints, changes to the regulations, and high application volumes. In addition, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) recent approach of requesting more detailed […]
SkillSelect – Update & changes to pro-rata occupations
As many prospective SkillSelect applicants are likely aware, one of the major changes to the Skilled Migration program is the introduction of new occupations lists on 19 April 2017 and revision of the available occupations, effective 1 July, 2017. The system has however also retained pro-rata occupations, this means applicants need to think strategically about […]
Partner Visa Update – January 2017
2016 was a difficult period for the Partner visa caseload with a number of applicants going more than 12 months without an update on their lodged applications. New applicants are forced to deal with the costly Partner Visa Application Charges of $6865 for primary applicants. In addition, news that increased government involvement in the sponsorship process is likely […]
Parent visa allocation 2014-2015
The Department of Home Affairs has announced Parent visa numbers for the 2014-2015 program. 1500 places will be allocated to Parent visas and a further 7175 places to Contributory Parent visas. The Parent visa program has effectively ceased and the Department is no longer accepting applications for this visa class. The Department estimates a waiting […]