Jean Valjean

Dear all, I finally received my PR! I want to share my timeline here: Application and Visa: 02/02/2018 Grant: 12/10/2018 Number of people: 2 Low Risk country Stream: Direct Entry Software Engineer Direct grant, no additional docs asked. Please update the spreadsheet (my nickname is JV). This forum helped me a lot. I wish everyone waiting for PR to get it soon.

Just out of curiosity, did he say why you DON'T have to do it? As far as I know, a lot of people in this Forum (and others), including myself, have imported their application in their Immi Account. This will allow you to follow the progress of your Application. However, you will not be able to see your Nomination because it contains sensitive information about your employer. Also, since he lodged the application, he will be contacted by the Immigration. Therefore, importing the application does not change anything. Maybe your MA is worried that you may make some changes to the documents he uploaded. I think this might the main concern for an MA. P.S.: Checking the process regularly won't make it faster, but it might help to reduce the stress of waiting for the Visa ?

My Overseas Police Certificate is also expired. I received an email two weeks ago from my MA with the following info: "Overseas Police Certificates – Clarification on validity periods As part of your visa application you may be asked to provide overseas police certificates. All overseas police certificates are considered valid for 12 months from the date of issue, irrespective of the period specified by the issuing country. If you return to the country that issued the police certificate during the certificate’s validity, it will not affect the validity. The duration of overseas travel is reviewed after expiry of the certificate and a new certificate may be requested if a case officer has concerns about your character. The Department has recently advised that where a certificate has expired, and you have not returned to the country that issued the certificate, a new certificate will not be required. Where a certificate has expired, and you have returned to the country that issued the certificate, a new police certificate is required if you have returned to the country that issued the certificate for more than two months in total (as a cumulative period) since the certificate expired. Further, if the case officer has concerns about your character and you have travelled less than two months in total, a new certificate may be requested." So, sorry, but the statement "FOREVER" makes me laugh ? Feel free to send the above information to your MA. This info should be well known to all the Registered Agents! Here you can check if the person is taking care of your case is a real MA: https://www.mara.gov.au/search-the-register-of-migration-agents/ And here some general information about what they can really do for you: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/lega/lega/form/immi-faqs/how-do-i-know-that-i-am-talking-to-someone-i-can-trust Finally, the AFP is only valid for 12 months: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/supporting/Pages/skilled/Police-certificates.aspx

@Micgeo, You cannot do anything now to undone what happen before. Don't think too much about that. They did not refuse your previous Visa, so just wait and enjoy your life. And don't do anything that might change your status.

Hi @Micgeo 1) "Am I flagged ?" - Yes, you are flagged. You were the contact person for your friend and you didn't tell the truth to the Immigration. That's bad. 2) "Is it gonna affect my application ?" - Maybe, maybe not. You've already got the 457 approved. So, don't worry too much about that. If they refused your 186, you can appeal and explain why you acted like that with your friend. My recommendation is to avoid saying that you were not aware that finding a job for a tourist was against the law. "Ignorance of the law excuses no one" and you will lose the appeal. It's up to you to find a good reason to convince Immigration or the tribunal that you acted in bona fide. All the best for your 186.

Hi @Totto, I don't know where you read/heard about that, but it should not be the case. The processing priority is determined by the economic situation of the country: "The changes to priority processing arrangements address the needs of industry by targeting skills in demand across a number of sectors, while ensuring that the Skilled Migration Programme is responsive to the current economic climate and the needs of the Australian economy. Priority processing arrangements are subject to changes in response to Australia’s economic situation and do not change visa eligibility criteria." Therefore, there is the need for Cooks or Software Engineers or whatever, it makes sense that they first clean the backlog then they start processing new applications. If it was true what you heard, then the backlog would grow exponentially. The Industry sector has already criticized the stricter Visa requirements. It would not tolerate longer waiting times. You can read more about processing priority here: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/24apriority-skilled With that said, in this Forum I've read a lot of posts such as "oh, they are processing this kind of Visa now", "they are processing the following occupations", "they are prioritizing TRT over DE". Most of this info is based on comments found on this Forum and a rapid look at the excel sheet that lists the applicants. Well, that excel sheet has ZERO relevance in the terms of statistical analysis of what the Department of Immigration (Home Affair) is doing: it's a drop in the ocean. I recall that @boo-yaa once wrote: "you would be surprised by the number of applications that are processed every month" (more or less, I can't remember :D) It might be true that TRT comes first than DE, as well as that some occupations are prioritized depending on the economic situation/needs. But certainly, the expiring date of your current Visa does not matter. Although I applied for 186 6 months ago, I've been in Australia for almost 4 years and my 457 Visa will expire in 2020 like yours. Occupation: Software Engineer, 2 applicants, LR. Visa and Nomination lodged last February. I hope you get soon your PR ?

Well, the fact someone has not left the country since the last PCC has been released does not prove that in the meantime this person has not been charged for an old crime. Hopefully, the fact that the processing time is getting longer and longer might dissuade COs from requesting new PCCs. According to Immi website, the validity is 12 months, which is ridiculous because the processing time is up to 18 months ? Mine expired last month because was issued June last year and I applied for DE February this year. By the way, only for English and Skill requirements is clearly specified that they must be fulfilled at the time of the application / lodgement. For Character (and PCC) there is no specific timeline.

You're welcome. I hope you guys can find a solution. And please let us know how it goes. The approval time is getting longer and longer and anyone may be in the same situation in the future.

Hi @Boli, If the company name is different, your boyfriend cannot apply for 186 under TRT stream. In your situation, another business in another city is probably another company and your bf cannot prove that he has been working for them for the required time. Also, I believe that Restaurant Manager is in the STSOL, so he cannot even apply for 186 under DE. Also, I'm not too sure what you mean with "place my bf there until his visa comes through": don't mess up with Visa requirements. The employer can be highly fined. You deported as soon as a few weeks. When you applied for 186, you stated that you were working for a certain business. And you are required to notify Immigration about any changes. My suggestion is to consult a proper Migration Agent. In a situation like this, asking for help in this forum is useless. Nobody here is an expert. There might be some legal instrument that could help you in this situation. There is always hope if you follow the right way. When I was unsure about my situation, I consulted different MAs. This cost me money, but at the end, I guess I could do the right choice.