lynney45

To add to the unfairness for 489 visa holders. It seems there is visa application fee refund form that can be completed: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/departmental-forms/online-forms/covid-19-vac-refund-request but it doesn't mention 489 visa holders in the eligibility criteria

No luck sadly, i applied for exemption around late November and it was rejected. My skills weren’t deemed critical enough to support the countries efforts and economic recovery during the pandemic. Still none the wiser at this point months later. The visa is starting to feel like scrap at this point, that’s my current sentiment.

Hi @lewisant48 i had posted a thread here with similar concerns a while back, in the same boat as you.

Hi Laxmi and Jo.b extremely sorry to hear about your situations also. Afraid i have nothing positive to report at this time, just keeping an eye on government announcements and news articles as to when international borders may reopen. My only lifeline at this point is the concession that JetBlast shared, if the borders open in the first half of 2021 i am hoping i can leverage the concession. If it's the second half of 2021 even the concession won't suffice as my visa will expire before i am able to do the 18 months. I am surprised they haven't offered visa refunds or extensions under the circumstances. Just staying patient for now and checking updates regularly. If you guys hear any positive news on your end also, please do keep me posted. Cheers and good luck!

Thank you so much JetBlast, your support and contribution to this forum is invaluable. This might just be the lifeline i require, will need to study this thoroughly and speak with my MARA agent regarding the requirements and implications in my particular case. thank you so much

Morning guys, i just wanted to feedback that my exemption application was rejected just in case there is anyone in a similar situation: Dear Paul I refer to your request for an exemption from the current travel restrictions for travel to Australia. Your request was for the following travellers: Based on the information provided, your circumstances do not meet the requirements for referral to the Commissioner or delegate. Whilst your occupation is on the Priority Migration Skills Occupation List, you do not have a current employment or an offer of employment in Australia. You are still subject to the travel restrictions and, should you attempt to travel to Australia, you may be refused entry while those travel restrictions remain in force. This assessment is against current COVID-19 travel restrictions and not your entitlement to a visa. It does not affect any future visa application which you may lodge. Any visa application will be assessed on the basis of information available at that time. For further information on Australia’s travel restrictions, please refer to our website at: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/

Thanks for the reply Marisa, and the understanding. I applied for an exemption as software engineer is on the critical skills list but i doubt it will be approved as i have no employer in Australia yet. I just uploaded my previous employer reference, my java programming accreditation and my under grad and post grad degree certificates and emphasised that the visa will be redundant if i am unsuccessful with the exemption as i will be unable to meet the 2 year visa requirement for PR. Yeah i did read that statement from the PM and that's what has me spooked, i put so much work into this visa, financial expense, and above all dreamed of a life in Oz.... if the exemption is rejected it just wasnt meant to be....if only there was some sort of appeal process for an extension under the circumstances, it just feels like such an oversight....

correction (i meant the visa will expire January 2023) so i need to be able to meet the 2 year visa condition before then, which means arriving prior to January 2021 - sorry for the confusion

Hi my 489 state sponsored visa for South Australia if i do not arrive by January 2021 i will be unable to meet the two year work requirement criteria for PR as the visa expires in January 2022. Is there any way i can emigrate before January? Is the only solution to apply for an exemption to travel? I am from the UK, (i work in software development). If a travel ban is in place until the end of the year my visa i will be unable to emigrate and meet the 2 year requirement for PR. If i am not allowed to travel is there any way i can apply for an extension under the circumstances or apply for a reimbursement or partial reimbursement? I have spent around 6k on this visa.... Thanks for any advice in advance....

Hi, i have a 489 state sponsored visa for South Australia. I am planning on activating the visa for a 6 week trip then returning back to the UK as i have some minor health issues i need to resolve via the NHS in the UK prior to emigrating officially 1 year later. Can someone please advise whether this 6 weeks visit would constitute towards my 2 year resident requirement? The requirement is that i must reside in south australia for 2 years. I will be staying in Airbnb’s in Adelaide during this total 6 week period. If i keep the invoices for the accommodation will i be able to count these 6 weeks towards my visa condition requiring me to live in Adelaide for 2 years before applying for 887 PR visa? In other words can i count this 6 week visit in Adelaide towards my visa requirement? So that when i do officially emigrate i will only need to live there for a further 1 year 10.5 months (less the 6 weeks that i spent there during the 6 week visit?) Many thanks in advance for any advice

From liasing with my agent i have recently found out that if i meet state sponsorship criteria/conditions on the 489 visa and my visa is about to expire then i can apply for a bridging visa and work in another state while waiting on the 887 being processed. Therefore i won’t have to stay in SA for 11 months during processing time of 887.

That's reassuring NicF, it intils me with some hope. Are you aware of what his specialism/field of expertise is in IT if you don't mind sharing please? Or is he a bit of an all rounder in different areas? Thanks

Good luck with the move hope you find a role where your experience lies. I tried broadening the search criteria and i see there are more generic roles, so i will be applying for those too as i don't expect to find a role in my specialism with such low volume of opportunities there. I am also preparing myself to apply for roles outside of the IT industry altogether just to pay the bills if Adelaide is as difficult to find a job as the sentiment on the forums portrays. Is Seek the career site that has the highest volume of IT roles do you know? I am wondering what the employment prospects are when registering with local recruitment agencies in Adelaide compared to applying directly on Seek? We probably don't have many other options as it will take time to develop and establish a linkedIn network.

I work as a software tester in the IT industry, i have 9 years experience with several major companies in the UK, and hold a masters in computing and information systems, and professional certifications. I am committed to building a new life in Australia, so much so that i appreciate that i will most likely need to make sacrifices and take a step back in my career for 2 years until i meet my state sponsorship criteria in Adelaide to apply for PR then i can hopefully get my career back on track in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane if PR is approved. I will be emigrating alone. My biggest concern is that when i filter for roles in my profession on seek.com.au i see literally around 5 new jobs per month in my profession. This is very daunting considering Adelaide has a population of 1.2 million. Due to this i am anticipating to find it difficult to find a job in my profession, so therefore i am willing to take any job as long as it pays the bills in order for me to get through these two years. Even then however, i am trying to understand how difficult it is to just get any job that merely pays the bills given the negative sentiment i have seen on the forums around employment prospects in Adelaide/South Australia. I am just trying to gain an understanding so i can prepare for the worst, in case i need to have two years worth of savings prior to migration.

i am wondering if doing that would have any detrimental impact on my 887 visa application outcome?