gaitonde1

With God's grace, I finally got my 186 DE grant today morning!!! This forum has been a great place of advice & guidance so thank you all! I applied as an onshore Professional Engineer (nec) from VIC. My timeline as per my Immi Account is below: IMMI Acknowledgement of Application Received 21 Sep 2020 Request for Health Examinations 21 Sep 2020 IMMI Bridging Visa Grant Notification 21 Sep 2020 s56 Request for More Information 09 Oct 2020 IMMI Grant Notification 10 Nov 2020 Overall timeline [with costs]: - Engineers Australia MSA (Fast Track) Application - 16 July 2020 [$355 + $291] - IELTS test - 28 July 2020 (booked just before VIC lockdown announced) [$335] - AFP Police certificate - 25 July 2020 [$42] - EA MSA Outcome Approval Letter - 15 Aug 2020 - Nomination filed - 04 Sept 2020 - Application filed - 21 Sept 2020 (3 yr anniversary with company) [$4,101 - DoHA, $4441 - EY visa consultation (my company chose them & I couldn't change )] - Nomination approved + Request for Info - 09 Oct 2020 - Heath checks @ BUPA MVS - 10 Oct 2020 (booked immediately after VIC restrictions opened) [$387] - Information supplied - 12 Oct 2020 (payslips, ATO NOA, PAYG, registration/licensing proof) - Grant letter - 10 Nov 2020 Total out of pocket cost for me: ~$9,952 (Thinking of it an as a one-time investment/sunk cost and letting go) Total cost for company: ~$6,050 [$500 (Visa assessment) + $550 (nomination fee) + $5,000 (SAF levy)] (Posted the costs because I got a DM asking how much it costed me overall. So I thought I'd share it here for everyone's info) Good luck to everyone and I pray that you all hear some good news/make progress very soon too!

This was the file checklist provided to me by my migration agent for my 186 visa (Direct Entry stream). Maybe different for you depending on your situation but I think this is general holistic list that covers everything they'll need: Documents for nomination - from Employer - Evidence actively and lawfully operating - Contract - MSR - Letter of support - Training - Position Description - Organisational chart - Caveat document - Genuine position letter - Nominator and contract entity the same Documents you need to have ready: - Passport - Passport family x - Marriage certificate / de facto evidence - Birth certificates for children - Health checks / HAP ID - Police checks - Military discharge - Licensing / registration - English - English speaking passport or English test - CV - Qualifications - Employment references - 3 years work experience - Skills assessment - Divorce - Name change - Dependency - Non-migration family member documents and health - Custody The above is a generic/holistic list that covers everything any applicant may require but obviously different for each case. Hope it helps!

Obviously there's no straight answer to it but my agent mentioned that along with the nominated occupation, the company size/profile matters as well - if the company is an "accredited sponsor", their applications are typically processed faster. So basically companies on this list - https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/6369/response/17729/attach/4/fa 200600144 documents released.pdf For more details, see this link: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/becoming-a-sponsor/accredited-sponsor#Eligibility

Yeah timelines in Melbourne are terrible - the prolonged lockdown has led to a huge backlog to clear and very few slots being available to book. Booking opened on 4th October 2020 after stage 4 restrictions were eased - I found one for mid November and immediately booked it in. Between 4th October and 6th October, I was non-stop refreshing for new time slots and modified my booking twice - once from mid Nov to end of October and then luckily was able to book a time slot that opened for 10th October 2020 !! It was crazy but I was very lucky and honestly you will need luck to get an early appointment. Nonetheless, I think there's certainly ways to "hack" your way (not literally) into getting an early appointment and have a few suggestions that can improve your chances - Option 1 (this is what I did) - Make a booking on any available date in your nearest center (it's OK even if it is December). Then, use the "modify/cancel existing booking" option to check for earlier dates in your test center (or the center nearby) - this is what I did because searching for a new appointment is easier when you are "modifying an existing booking" than creating a new one (chances of getting out-booked are lower because you don't have to type your details all over again). Don't just wait for a "suitable" time - just book the immediately closest/best date available - and check whenever/as often as possible (preferably in the morning times between 8-10 am as that's when people likely cancel/modify booking times. Option 2 - Book it in a regional center where there is much lesser demand but you'll have to pay much more for transport+appointment fees but you'll be avoiding the major rush that's focussed on the metro centers (however, I don't think you can do this if you are in VIC) Option 3 (rumour - was told by a BUPA attendant that they heard that this works) - Email BUPA with your HAD ID and details and desperately request them for an earlier appointment time - explain your situation and why you really need to book an appointment and that you are struggling to find a suitable date. A few people at my BUPA center told me that they tried this and they were sent a separate link by the bookings team to book when separate slots were opened up, before they were made available to others. Option 4 (rumour only) - They are known to open up a few slots for the weekends on Mon/Tue morning or at midnight - so keep refreshing and searching - there's got to be something that opens up as people move their bookings for a variety of reasons and you can change booking timings whenever/however often without any extra fees. Also, the BUPA centers open more times organically without informing people. I don't guarantee or predict that the above will 100% work but I think your chances of finding a good time slot are much better if you try the above. Let me know how you go! Good luck!

Onshore applicant here - My 186 application was submitted on 21st Sept 2020 and I was assigned a case officer on 9th October 2020 and subsequently, My nomination was also approved on 9th Oct. I was requested by the CO to submit additional documents. Requested info: - evidence of registration/lisencing and - evidence of work expereince (payslips, PAYG summary, Notice of Assessment). I have supplied this now and I also completed my health assessment on 10th Oct in Melbourne. My MARA agent thinks we could get a positive news within the next 2-3 weeks. So lets see what the turnaround now is. Fingers crossed. ________ Additional details: I'm an onshore applicant; nominated occupation - "Professional Engineer (nec)" with accredited sponsor (applications are usually processed a bit quicker than usual from what I'm told)