Southlander

Thank you for confirming! Fingers (& toes) crossed

Cheers, I think you may be right... Hopefully we hear something soon from our agents. All the best.

If you receive your visa grant do you get (email) notification directly from the doha, or in our case we are using an agent so, would they get the notification and relay it to us thereafter.

Hi Paul, thanks for clearing that up. Makes sense now. Best regards

Cheers, I don't disagree. Our agents have been on the ball so no concerns there . The last 6 months I've emailed them just twice, basic response was covid causing delays and will come back to us when they hear something. So not chasing daily as such. I really want to know if anyone has used the myVEVO app and what it actually does?

Just want to know what exactly "my vevo" does. Essentially will it allow you to check if your visa has been granted without harassing your agent to check every 5 minutes. If you have applied for an evisitor visa previously would that mean your details should be there should you create an account, and subsequently any further visas therefore show up accordingly. Also does this effect your current application with your agent or are they separate, don't want to create one an the agent says you shouldn't have done that. I really just want to check the visa grant status myself without having to ask. Is this the right app or is it the my immiaccount thing that they control which is what is needed thereafter.

Raul, found this blog. https://aptechimmigration.com/blog.php Hopefully you can confirm to us if they are mara registered or not! If someone is trying to be helpful that's great but being too brash, rude definitely puts me off using them, as the poster has done. Thanks for your help and advice along with the usual maras who assist us.

Based on this, have run the numbers again... There are 255 days left until the 30th June 2021 (8mth & 1 wk) , or 180 working days (Mon-Fri) Let's assume the DoHA have been slipping grants out under our noses and 200 have been issued so far, leaving 11,000 places for this year. Let's look at two scenarios where 3 grants are used up per applicant and the other just the one to fulfil their target for ir this year. 11,000/8.25=1,333 grnts/mth 11,000/180=61 grnts/day 11,000/255=43 grnts/day 3,666/8.25=444 grnts/mth 3,666/180=20 grnts/day 3,666/255=14 grnts/day They still have a large amount to deal with and are definitely falling short by ignoring those already applied for and waiting. Another thing I note is that should they concentrate on "onshore" applicants, this may prove a costly delay as I recall seeing a lot of onshores getting their grants within weeks of applying thus also bringing down the then processing times. I can't see many onshores who are ready to apply for 190's now as mentioned above those that were ready had already taken advantage of applying during covid and leapfrogged all of us. Will be interesting to see how this plays out but one thing for sure they have to start getting some grants out.

The process was as follows: You submit your EOI with Qld. BMSQ review all expressions of interest and if they like what they see you will be invited to apply for "State nomination" with them. At this point they review everything that was claimed for in your EOI. After reviewing your application, they wil then decide if they will grant you state nomination or not. Can take around two weeks. With state nomination now obtained (if so) you will get an "official invite" through skills select where you then apply for your ss visa, will also then be able to generate your Hap ID.

I thought the exact same thing. It would be surprising if all of a sudden they release a shed load of grants as nothing has really changed except for the economy and better treatment of covid and increase in backlog of applications (well those are actually points to consider dha ). I really need to have a poi detox, this is not healthy!

Appreciate the comments/advice. I understand the processing guidelines, what I was implying is that offshore visas are perhaps that 10% that are reamaining unprocessed. A lot of offshore applicants have been ahead of the processing times but not heard a dicke bird. Cherry picking (aka prioritising) and not oldest first clearly. What I find interesting if the quota for 190's is 11,200 (if they actually grant all these) that would mean 1400 grants a month or 46 a day until July next year to make this figure. Looking forward to hearing some grants coming through without delay

I see that, I just feel that the dha are not gaining much by doing this, it's someting that can be managed. Funnily enough all newly imported cases of covid seem to come from non UK planes/citizens. Go figure. On a different forum, I read two separate applicants also ask the same question to their respective maras. They both were told that as they had applied before the new year they would be already accounted for and would not be effected by the new quotas.... Thb I don't know what to believe any more Yip, I think it's all the late 2019's and pre-march that have been hung out to dry. Haven't got a clue how it's going to unfold, I just hope common sense prevails and once back on track process in line with their sla's. I chuckle when I see applicants asking when will they receive their grants and quote government processing times! (Whisper it, does not apply to offshore ).

Going on what has been confirmed, I jiye the following. A FOI was provided for recently for 190 visas in hand as of the 31/08/20, which the dha was quoting 13,500. Now iscah have also produced a table of the number of visas which will be allocated per class. For this year they have 11,200 spots for the 190 (11,200 for the 491 & 6,500 for the 189). Based on these figures, for the 190 there is a defecit of around 2,000 visas. So not sure if any will be invited for the 190 (barring pmsol). Not sure how they will process the backlog but logic says oldest to newest with priority visas slotting in as and when. And if there is enough places when they get to you you may get a grant, unless they hope for other applicants and continue to set you aside. So the numbers are not good reading for existing applicants and especially those hoping to apply this year. Program cut in half (and more) and existing applicants take up over the current allocation. Let's see what happens

Hi Raul, thanks for clarifying I was hoping visas applied for already were not subject to the new year quota...

Hopefully someone can clarify this for me please. If you were invited and applied for your skilled pr visa between July 2019 and Jun 2020 (last year) your visa grant would not affected by the latest visa caps 2021/22? What I cannot understand is that they've increased the partner visa allocation "to clear the backlog", surely they were always going to be processed as they were applied for in a different year? So by decreasing the skilled visas for 2021/2022 will this affect those that were applied for in the previous year that did not yet receive their grants? I used to think not but now I'm not so sure!

Points are more specific to points driven visa like the 189. For the 190 SP, they are attracted to a variety of factors, age, skills partner, children, funds, commitment to the state etc. They receive quota from the feredal government, it's up to the state who they wish to sponsor and how many places it uses up. Bear in mind a young child is more than likely to assimilate into Australian society easier and cost them nothing, no birth costs etc. Healthcare is part and parcel with any population and is relative to the amount of people they can support which the state decide. It seems the government are doing everything in their power not to grant offshore visas. And those that have been granted make their lives hell trying to get into oz. Annoyingly we were always ready to come over as soon as the visa is granted, still are to some degree. Reading some other posts, some had theirs granted long before covid and never went then . Will be interesting to see if the government adjusts the visa length if you were granted before the travel restrictions. My guess is, if they do, is when travel restrictions were put in place (Mar) to when they were lifted for each visa type. At the moment 7 months extension. Fortunately PR visa has no issue with that regard...

Surely we fall into the 2019/2020 migration fiscal year? We used up allocations provided for last year so yesterday's budget speak would not affect us. I think On the budget speech, they talk about stimulus, bringing in high net-worth applicants, business people circa 800k. Not saying we have that money but when applying for state sponsorship for Queensland you have to prove a decent sum of capital to be considered state sponsorship, if your house is part of proof you should be selling. Now bringing over that sum of money surely would equate to helping stimulate the economy? You would either need to rent, buy, start a small business. Either way injecting money in. I cannot see why they are ignoring us, makes no sense economically.

There seems to be two types of visa applicants to Australia. First are those that are passionate about oz and will do anything to get there and think it's the best choice for them/their family and want to be there yesterday. Then there are those that apply with the thought of when it happens it happens and if it doesn't happen are satisfied with their current position anyway. Hence some people find it hard to not be able to go now and live their dream life preparing for it and others easy to carry on as per norm as have less of an expectation of oz and will make plans as and when, maybe even never. I fall in the first category unfortunately . Waiting truly sucks!

For what reason did you need to provide the English test? For us it was twofold, needed for points and required for nomination. It also had to be the IELTS academic version. Had we not had UK passports would have needed for skills assessment too. But the above would have covered it anyway. Toefl ibt has always been accepted, along with ielts pte etc as stated on the doha website, depending on what test you require. Tests also conducted at official designated test centres. Immigration are unforgiving just reading through various forums. Who knows what they will say but again if it's not officially recognised they will not be held accountable for our mistakes. Let's see if any mara agent can add input to this topic.

Hmmm... The Doha have always listed those that are acceptable, the home edition has not been one. I would consult a migration agent to see what can be done before a decision is made on your application, maybe even try do the ielts pte etc and add it with mitigating circumstances. The issue I see is that when you lodge your visa all information should be accurate at the time of lodgement. I am not sure if you can add information retrospectively. I can't see how the case officer will overlook this and may lead to a visa rejection. Would be interesting to see what the previous applicants decided to do as you ask, but can't see any way around this one unfortunately.

Hi, not myself but looking at the dha website toefl home edition is not accepted, though was mooted for them to consider it. Based on this I would think it be foolhardy to use it for any evidence based application for immigration.

I have looked into it again, you have 5 years to fulfil your 3 years requirement (53k, regional etc) to apply for pr and cannot see an age requirement to transition to the 191, just have to be under 45 for the 491. Mind BLOWN, and my apologies! I thought skilled work visa to pr was set in stone for being under 45 to apply. Also you cannot apply for a different skilled pr visa whilst on a 491, unlike the 489 where you could apply for a different class visa, which is what I was implying. But 3 years on 491, I now note. All the best.

That's why you need a MARA! Thanks for clarifying Paul. For the avoidance of doubt can you apply for a 190 whilst on a 491? (I thought the old 489 you could do this but not the new 491...) Also at 42.5 years old how easy is it to get PR via 491 or employement sponsored visa? (Considering no application is submitted yet) Lastly there is no requirement to obtain PR by the age of 45? (... transitioning from 482 or 491)

From my knowledge PR has an age limit requirement of being under 45 years old to be granted it. PR to citizenship has no time limitations as such. So doing a 491 for 4/5 years at 42 will be too late to apply for pr. Employment sponsored 482 will probably also chip away at the age requirement to gain PR should you use it. So basically you have to have PR before you turn 45. If possible you should go straight for the 190 visa. You can still get sponsored with 65 points, but may be tight. Remember once on 491 you cannot go to PR quicker and need to do the full 5 years to get 191. 482 you can put in a 190 application whilst on it. Either way looking tight.

You won't need a travel exemption flying on a permanent resident visa, which the 190 is. All the best with flights though! . (This applies even if you have yet to activate your visa)