runni

Interesting bit that I forgot to mention. Turns out, the eligibility to sit the test is only confirmed after all the background checks are complete. Some are done by the processing centres and some (newly introduced) are done in Canberra (which can take time). Only after these return all clear, the candidate will be allowed to sit the test. Furthermore, only after the test is passed successfully, immi processes the final onshore police check (AFP?) and the application can only get approved after it shows all clear. For some people, the results come back the same day, for some... we all know it can take a while. The above were the answers to my questions from an immi officer about the processing timelines discrepancies between candidates. I didn't ask any questions about application buckets or anything like that. In cases where a family sits the test together and not everyone gets the approval on the same day - my (somewhat random) theory is that the rarer your name is, the quicker you will get approval if your police history is clear. Because surely there's plenty of John Smiths with rich criminal history to check against before they make sure you're in the good books. Just my 5 cents!

Got my approval. Online application submitted/received – 31 Jan 2019 Council – North Sydney Test invitation received 16 Sep 2019 for late Nov, rescheduled Interview/Test date at Parramatta office -- 17 Sep 2019 Date of approval – 17 Sep 2019 Ceremony : TBA (held once a month at the council)

Here's what I did. At page 6/34 (the residence eligibility), you can choose you're applying for an residence exemption (answer Yes). This way, it will let you proceed with filling out the questionnaire. I completed my application up until the point of attaching all the documents and then saved it. When you reach the date of being eligible, the page 6/34 just disappears and is not even displayed to you anymore - it's automatically skipped because you're already eligible.

What happened with your 457 after it expired in Sep 2018 though?

Got mine granted today. Position: Call centre manager Stream: TRT Country: high-risk Nomination and application submitted: 17 Feb 2017 Nomination approved: 11 Jul 2017 Docs requested on 13 Jul 2017: Australian police check for all name combinations, police check from home country. Docs submitted: 27 Jul 2017 Grant date: 04 Sep 2017 Total wait time: 6.7 months Nomination and visa were approved by different case officers. I wish everyone waiting the soonest approvals!