Raul Senise

Things are slow with 482 processing at the moment, but I would expect an accredited sponsor application to go through more quickly.

Alan Tudge MP, Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs issued a media release over the weekend detailing the Government response for temporary visa holders in Australia during the current Coronavirus emergency. The official media release can be viewed here. Some of the key points from the media release: Temporary visa holders who are unable to support themselves under these arrangements over the next six months are strongly encouraged to return home. Students who have been here longer than 12 months who find themselves in financial hardship will be able to access their Australian superannuation. Temporary Skilled visa holders who have been stood down, but not laid off, will maintain their visa validity and businesses will have the opportunity to extend their visa as per normal arrangements. Businesses will also be able to reduce the hours of the visa holder without the person being in breach of their visa condition. These visa holders will also be able to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation this financial year. Working holiday makers who are working in critical sectors will be exempt from the six month work limitation with the one employer and eligible for a further visa to keep working in these critical sectors if their current visa is due to expire in the next six months.

This is very dangerous advice. A 187 requires two years service with your employer, in Regional Australia, otherwise the visa can be cancelled under Section 137Q of the Migration Act.

Yes there is. The subclass 187 can be cancelled if you do not do your two years of employment in Regional Australia.

I know the topic of the obligation to live and work in the Sponsoring State for a subclass 190 visa is often discussed. Many advise that this is just a "moral obligation" and not required. This is not the case. Some States are now actively pursuing non compliance and have successfully had sc190 visas cancelled for applicants not meeting their obligations of living and working in the sponsoring state, using cancellation provisions in the Migration Act. Subdivision C - Visas based on incorrect information may be cancelled

The age-old question which is guaranteed to fire up debate and very differing opinions. The reality is that it will depend on your specific and personal situation as to whether an Agent is required or recommended. You state that you are about to submit a 190 visa application. Do you mean that you have lodged an EOI, lodged a State sponsorship application with Victoria, been approved by Victoria, received an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs and are about to lodge the subclass 190 visa?

Have a look to see if you qualify to apply for the subclass 408 under the emergency Covid 19 provisions as this has a $0 lodgement fee.

Partly because the system has been overwhelmed by people using the AAT as a loophole to extend their visa, when their case has no real merit. As of March, the AAT has over 65,000 active Migration and Refugee cases, many off which are with little or no merit. Unfortunately, people with genuine cases are being unfairly delayed.

I would advise you to proceed with caution. If you spoke to the Department of Home Affairs Help Line, you should be aware that this service has been outsourced, so you are not actually speaking with anyone from the Department of Home Affairs. Also be mindful that there is a big difference in terminology between "processing" and "finalising" applications.

This would be a risky strategy as it is possible that they will not process offshor 186 applications while the travel ban is in place. Yes. They are two completely different nominations. You cannot use a 482 nomination for a 186 and vica versa. You can pay an extra fee to Vetassess for priority processing of complete applications.

It desn't even need to be complicted these days. Have had a number of previous visa clients come back asking for assistance for problemes encontered with DIY Citizenships.

Again, this information is not correct.

This information is not correct as it depends on the specific circumstances of the applicant.

It depends on your situation and when your 457 visa was lodged. If you have a Maigration Agent, you should be guided by them as they are aware of all your spefici details.

It's not only a matter of whether you as an employye qualifies, but also whetaher your employer's business qualifies. Evene if you all qualify the emplyer is under no obligation to apply. Many emplyers have found the system too difficult and in some cases expensive and have chosen not to apply.

If you look at your application on your ImmiAccount it will have a heading that states: "Estimated Processing Time" and tell you the current estimate for your application. If you have applied for a partner visa you may be waiting as long as a year or two before a case officer is allocated.

Hi Alan, At the moment processing of visa applications (especially off shore applications) has become very erratic. It is possible that the processing of your visa application will be slow due to the current covid19 crisis. It is early days yet, so only time will tell. Good luck.

Eligible NZ Citizen has a very specific meaning in Law and regarding sponsorship for a Partner visa. Simply having a NZ passport does no make one an "eligable NZ Citizen" in the context of a 309/100 visa. Some professional advice may be warranted, especially considering the very high cost of this visa.

Considering the current situation, your focus should be on actually obtaining the subclass 190 visa as this is not easy or guaranteed, especially for NSW.

Which State are you sponsored by? South Australia has announced that they will hold existing applications affected by a section 48 bar until 30 June 2020. Other States may follow.

You may want to post in the correct section as you have posted in the Business Visa Section. In answer to your question, it will depend what visa you were bridging from.

There is no official word from the Government in this regard. We are hoping that a reasonable approach will be adopted, as these positions will still be needed once things settle down. Processing of 186 applications seems to have slowed considerably.

Generally processing times all round seem to be slowing down. The Department may be re allocating resources where they are needed most. Only time will tell.

As your situation is not straight forward, there are many variables and the Australian visa situation is changing regularly, you would be well advised to consult a Registered Migration Agent to formulate a visa strategy.

It is always a good idea to be on the same 457 visa when applying for a 186 as the rules as a secondary applicant are much more lenient. This is due to the Regulatory definition of member of family unit.