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Hi all! I'm in the midst of choosing a registered migration agent to handle my case and have spoken to about 10 so far. Out of these, I've come down to 3 agents who have similar service charges and experience. However, I'm still not able to decide which one to go for. You could say that reading stories of people getting scammed or the agent not being helpful enough in sticky situations has got to my head. The whole visa process is already so daunting to me and I haven't even started it Any advice or tips on this would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone, Thanks to almighty, finally I am here in Australia. I have a question, What if I wish to move to another state? am i supposed to serve the entire lock-in period(2 Years)? I am unmarried now, what if I move to another state and try processing my partner visa from there? is partner visa dependent on my visa 190 conditions? Seniors, please help. Thanks, Jay

Hi everyone, I have a question in regards of claiming work experience. So I have a friend who is currently working as a chef. His pay rate is in line with the hospitality industry awards. He works Fri, Sat & Sun. He's a casual so his weekly working hours vary, it can be 17, 18 or sometimes even 20+/week. He still abides by the working hour restricted rule, here's an example of it: 1st week of September: He worked 19.25h 2nd week of September: He worked 19.25h 3rd week of September: He worked 20.5h 4th week of September: He worked 19h The problem is, according to what I understand, in order to claim work experience, the applicant needs to work at least 20h/week. However, his agent said that even though he did not strictly work 20h/week every week, he still could claim the experience. The agent said when the CO asked for proof of employment, normally only payment summary and letter of employment confirmation/employment contract were needed. The CO may require payslips as well, but he (my friend) only needs to submit 12 weekly payslips which shows that he works 20h in the period of 12 working months (In the example above, that would mean he would use the payslip of the 3rd week of Sep). So here's my question. Is what the agent said true? Or besides payment summary and letter of employment confirmation/employment contract, the CO will require EVERY SINGLE payslip for every working months that you claim you have worked? I'm looking forward to any clarification. Thank you in advance.

So, as you can see, this thread is about what the title says. Just to be clear, I am, by all means, not an expert, but here is my take on this issue. First, please let me present the types of applicants at the moment and how the changes in Nov will affect them. 1/ Applicants whose partners have English & SA at the moment => they currently get 5p from their partners ---> When the change is implemented, they will get 10p, instead of 5p like before => BENEFICIAL 2/ Applicants who are single at the moment => they currently get 0 point. ---> When the change is implemented, they will get 10p => BENEFICIAL 3/ Applicants whose partners have English, but no SA at the moment => they currently get 0 point from their partners. ---> When the change is implemented, they will get 5 points instead of 0 point like before => BENEFICIAL 4/ Applicants whose partners have no English and no SA at the moment => they currently get 0 point from their partners. ----> When the change is implemented, they will still get 0 point like before => NOTHING CHANGE There is also a degree of priority being introduced in Nov, with singles and applicants whose partners have SA and competent English are considered to be equally first. Applicants whose partners only have competent English to be second and applicants whose partners have no English as well as SA to be last. This change is obviously good for singles and applicants with skilled and competent in English partners. However, people can game the new system, and here’s why I say this. In my opinion, base on what I stated above, the applicants who fall into category 3 & 4 (whether their relationships are genuine or not) will CLAIM TO BE SINGLE again in order to get 10 points, instead of only 5 points or no point at all, for the purpose of boosting their total points for a better chance at getting PR. For real couples, after the main applicants have already got PR, the other spouses, who weren’t included in the PR visa, can always lodge a partner visa after that. This is obviously easier to be done by people who are in de factor relationship rather than married couples as they don’t have to go through the complicated divorce process, which from what I understand is time consuming as costly as well. Of course this will make the PR path for both partners (de factor or married) become much more expensive and take much more time. There are also possible risks of breaking up or getting divorce for real, but let’s not talk about that now. In short, I expect there will be a lot of break-up cases in the upcoming November after the new changes are implemented. As suspicious as it looks, DHA can’t really prove if the break-ups are real or not and will have no choice but to accept that. Of course DHA can always alter the requirements or blacklist those applicants who do those shady things and thus make it harder for them to “sponsor” their spouses in the future, but who knows. I could be wrong on this, I guess we just have to wait and see how things turn out.

Hi all, I'm looking to apply for the visa 190 end of this year. I'm currently getting my documents ready for the skill assessment. I work as a Graphic Designer however I have 1 year experience as being a freelance graphic designer. I have my Business Registration and my ABN as a sole trader. For the skill assessment if you're a sole trader they asked for a self-employment reference from your accountant or lawyer. I was wondering what to do since I don't have an accountant or a lawyer? I don't make a lot of money working as a freelancer and has no need for an accountant since I just work by myself. I have all my proof of work, client testimonials, invoices, etc. Any help/advice much appreciated! Thank you!

Hi I lodged for Visa 190 on 03 June 17, submitted all document and on August 18 i got a CO contact and they required me to fill in form 1339. Does anyone know why i was required to fill it and how much does it delay my visa grant?

Hello Everyone, I have received invitation for state sponsorship from Queensland for visa subclass 190. However as per the occupation list my occupation is listed for Visa subclass 489 (provisional). My occupation is Insurance Agent - 611211. Is this normal to receive such invitation or is error. The invitation clearly says i have been invited to apply for visa subclass 190 and need to upload the documents in the link provided. Hope this is not a mistake from the case officer since my occupation is listed under visa subclass 489. I had written email to case officer however did not get any response from the case officer in this regards. I only have 5 days left to submit my document.. should i go ahead with the flow and apply for 190. Please help urgently. Thanks, AJ

Hello People I have been reading PIO for several years now and soon the reality of big move will arrive as last week we were assigned a case office. Just wondering what the wait time is and how other September lodged 190 visa people are getting on. We submitted our visa on 6th September. Front loaded the Police checks and medicals end of September Case officer assigned last Wednesday 16th October. Team 2. Lolene CATHRO when did you lodge in September and what stage are you at? Sarahxx

Hello All, I have got my PR recently under 190 subclass and it is spnsored by WA. I am planning to travel to Australia in October-13 and have few clarification. I have been trying to get it from vaious forums and unable to get clear answer hence writing it here as there are so many expereince people responding here. 1. Does my port of entry need to my Visa sponsoring state only which is WA iin my case? 2. Do I need to visit immigration office after entering into Australia for completing any formalities? 3. If answer to question#2 is yes, than what all paper do I need to carry while visiting immigration office 4. I have dependents (my wife and kids) do we need to travel to immigration office in person or Is there a way I send all documents electronically to immigration office or personal appearance is needed for all Visa holders. Kindly advise as these will be helpful for planning my trip better. I am more worried because I do have young family with me and would like to plan in advance. Kindly guide and suggest. Regards Dheeraj

hello guys, I am the primary applicant, I am planning to apply for the VISA 190 Victoria, so currently gathering my documents while i wait for the ITA. However I just realized that my spouse and her family tried immigrating to Canada in 1996 but came back 13 months later and did not apply for permanent residency. (She was 12 years old at the time). Will this be an issue? while filing for VISA do i need to get a PCC for her for this? (or for her father who was the primary applicant when they went to Canada?) I am not using an agent so really need help guys. My timeline so far is below: ACS app/+-ive : 30 Dec 2012/4 Mar 2013 IELTS : R 9/ L 8.5/ W 7/ S 7 VIC SS app: 6 April 2013/ awaiting ITA Thanks in advance guys

Hi all - some advice please! Ive go a total of 65 points or 70 with state sponsorship. I'm intending on moving to Melbourne as have friends there. I'm a Sonographer so qualify for 189 or 190. Which should I go for? Is either one easier or quicker? Confused........:wacko:

Hi there New to the forums so hope this is the correct place to post this thread. My family and I have our medicals booked for 25 Jan. Due to past medical history I am presuming that our medicals will be referred. I know from other threads that there is currently a backlog for results. So, here is my question: Are certain visa types and their medicals priority over others? as I have read that Visa 486 medical results are taking priority. Any advice or thoughts on this very much appreciated. Claire.

Hi Guys, I've lodged my visa on 2 Nov. Now starting to upload documents into the system. I havent seen any thread about November yet. So, it would be good for people who lodged their visa 190 in November to share their experience and timeframe. I think for now is just to wait for CO allocation. I'll need to do PCC and medical next week. busy busy Hear from you soon.. ''come in and Share''

Ladies and Gentlemen, Happy to announce We got our Visa 190 granted early morning today 620am... Last Documents - PCCs were submitted on yesterday 3pm!! waiting game ended !! Happy with our CO. No questions on all our evidences, no employment check, .. totally hassle free.. We didnt use migration agent too... Thank You for all your help and support!! We will still be around to help you. especially for those in de facto relationship..:xmas23: Dennis + Simon sit back, relax and party !! :xmas24::xmas25::xmas16:

I got my PCC from malaysia embassy. In the letter it stated ''based on the statutory declaration by xnamex on xdatex with passport number xxx, the malaysian government finds him a person of good conduct'' .. stamped and sealed. is this acceptable by DIAC ??

Hello, I have applied for VISA sub class 190 after getting the State Sponsership. I am applying for this visa outside of Australia and I read it that for Visa holders outside of Australia the department provides a date by which the holder has to enter Australia. Now I am not sure how long (in months or days) this date is after a Visa has been granted. Also I have included 2 of my dependents in the application and do they also have to enter the country before that date. Please help. Thanks. Ranjit

Kudos to all the Gurus ! I m a noob here. pls excuse if i sound thick. I am planning to apply for visa subclass 190 but stuck at the no. of years of fulltime experience required. 1.I did my Bachelors in Electical and electronics which qualifies as ICT minor and 2.I hold microsoft certficates (Microsoft certified IT pro & Microsoft certified technology specialist,xchange server) which qualifies as AQF diploma. the immigration website says 5 yrs of fulltime work experience with either one of the above two qualifications.( i have 3 yrs) Now since I have both,can this makeup for the 2 yrs of work experience I am falling short of?? Thanks cheers, decipheran