190 Visa Grant

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Domo said:

quarintine capacity will be increase to >6,000/week again on April 17th. That would mean that the "40,000 stranded Aussies" would be returned in a matter of 3 months, after which they would probably begin moving onto some visa group into the country as they continue with the rollout. 

You'd think so, except for the fact that there were only about 25,000 "stranded Aussies" to begin with, and that number has kept growing rather than falling.

The reason is that more and more Australians who live abroad, are changing their minds during the pandemic and now want to come home. They are not really "stranded", they are settled overseas and don't have a home in Australia - but as citizens or PR, they are entitled to register.

Another factor causing that figure to rise, is that family visas are still being processed.  Offshore partner visas are being processed faster than pre-Covid now.  Parent PR visas are also being awarded. Partners and children are managing to get travel exemptions on tourist visas, to visit their families in Australia.

Plus,  there aren't a full 6k places available to returning Aussies every week.  There's the air crews, for a start.  Also, just over 10% of all places are taken up by "business and investor" travelers according to the government.  

Edited April 11, 2021 by Marisawright

[Domo]

14 hours ago, Toots said:

Well let's hope there are jobs waiting for all those imported people.  Things aren't that great here you know - no matter what some people will try to tell you.  Just be prepared for that.

  According to an FOI I saw awhile ago, there's a total of 12,000 on-hand 190 visa applications (on and offshore inc dependents). 250,000 temp visa holders left Oz last year and will continue to leave as their visas expire, coupled with a decrease in net migration. 

  What I'm saying is that we make up a very small number in the grand scheme of immigration quotas. Plus, If you're confident in your work and ability, you'll land a job. 

[Domo]

13 hours ago, Marisawright said:

You'd think so, except for the fact that there were only about 25,000 "stranded Aussies" to begin with, and that number has kept growing rather than falling.

The reason is that more and more Australians who live abroad, are changing their minds during the pandemic and now want to come home. They are not really "stranded", they are settled overseas and don't have a home in Australia - but as citizens or PR, they are entitled to register.

Another factor causing that figure to rise, is that family visas are still being processed.  Offshore partner visas are being processed faster than pre-Covid now.  Parent PR visas are also being awarded. Partners and children are managing to get travel exemptions on tourist visas, to visit their families in Australia.

Plus,  there aren't a full 6k places available to returning Aussies every week.  There's the air crews, for a start.  Also, just over 10% of all places are taken up by "business and investor" travelers according to the government.  

   You're right, my numbers certainly aren't exact, more Aussies are added to the list daily and the ratios are way off. They're drawing out the process so everyone can be vaccinated inside and out. We all know that Government bureaucracies are typically slow.

   I saw an interview with Gladys berejiklian and even the premiers along with scomo know they'll have to start putting plans forward to being select groups into/out of the country, whether they're travelling Aussies, int students, temp visa holders, PR, etc

[Marisawright]

6 hours ago, Domo said:

   You're right, my numbers certainly aren't exact, more Aussies are added to the list daily and the ratios are way off. They're drawing out the process so everyone can be vaccinated inside and out.

If that was their plan, which I very much doubt, then they'll have to rethink it, given the pig's ear they're making of the vaccine rollout.  

The official reason why there aren't more quarantine places is "lack of staff" and "lack of suitable facilities", and I agree that makes sense.   I guess it's hard for a Brit to understand the panic that hits Australia every time one case escapes from hotel quarantine.  The state premiers are terrified of an outbreak getting out of control, not because of the health cost, but of the cost to their career.  Any premier who lets that happen will be out of a job come the next election.

So the hotels now have a high staffing ratio of trained people, round the clock.  The medihotels even more so.  All the hotels have strict requirements for fresh air and safe air conditioning which are way above normal, too.  So it's not just a case of commandeering more hotels, it's a case of finding ones that are suitable, or spending a fortune to upgrade them, and then trying to find the large amount of people needed to staff them.  

In hindsight, they should've spent the money to set up big quarantine facilities near the airports, but I think everyone thought it would all be over before they were ready (the same optimistic thinking that led to a minister saying, "Oh there's no point setting up local manufacturing for other vaccines, it would take a year"").

[Marisawright]

7 hours ago, Domo said:

we make up a very small number in the grand scheme of immigration quotas. Plus, If you're confident in your work and ability, you'll land a job. 

I agree with that.  The sad thing is that the shortage of skilled workers isn't getting any media attention, and that means Scomo isnt giving it any attention (we call him Scotty from Marketing for a reason).  Here's a good article on it, but this journalist is a voice in the wilderness:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/commentisfree/2021/apr/11/yes-job-vacancies-are-high-but-laziness-is-not-the-reason-they-arent-being-filled

Scomo is very influenced by the news cycle, and right now the things making the news are

1. Our crops are all going to rot in the fields if we don't fly in temporary seasonal workers for the harvest
2. Our universities are all going to collapse if we don't find a way to bring in thousands of international students
3. The tourist industry is going to collapse if we don't all take lots of holidays in Australia, and  set up travel bubbles with covid-safe countries
4. We've got a lot of people unemployed and it's going to get far, far worse.

....so those are the things he's interested in dealing with.  You'll notice that Aussies (and 491 holders) stranded overseas doesn't even get a mention.   Nor do employers struggling to find good staff.  And unfortunately, Scomo knows that a high unemployment rate always leads to statements like, "our young people don't have jobs and you're bringing immigrants into the country?", so he's not going to be in a hurry to listen.  Hence my pessimism. 

[Domo]

5 hours ago, Marisawright said:

If that was their plan, which I very much doubt, then they'll have to rethink it, given the pig's ear they're making of the vaccine rollout.  

The official reason why there aren't more quarantine places is "lack of staff" and "lack of suitable facilities", and I agree that makes sense.   I guess it's hard for a Brit to understand the panic that hits Australia every time one case escapes from hotel quarantine.  The state premiers are terrified of an outbreak getting out of control, not because of the health cost, but of the cost to their career.  Any premier who lets that happen will be out of a job come the next election.

So the hotels now have a high staffing ratio of trained people, round the clock.  The medihotels even more so.  All the hotels have strict requirements for fresh air and safe air conditioning which are way above normal, too.  So it's not just a case of commandeering more hotels, it's a case of finding ones that are suitable, or spending a fortune to upgrade them, and then trying to find the large amount of people needed to staff them.  

In hindsight, they should've spent the money to set up big quarantine facilities near the airports, but I think everyone thought it would all be over before they were ready (the same optimistic thinking that led to a minister saying, "Oh there's no point setting up local manufacturing for other vaccines, it would take a year"").

Yea, they gov and it's cabinet are all scared of their own shadows. I understand their concerns as politicians, so they'll excercise their will as they see fit. If they want to hide in a hermetically sealed envelope forever, that's their prerogative. Common sense tells me covid is/has become endemic and governments the world over are still having a blast throwing their iron fists around. We're all in for a ride that's for sure, but I still maintain that we've already passed the hump and that we'll be there by year end. The lasting ripple effect of the pandemic will certainly still linger over the next 5 years.

[Domo]

From the Iscah FB page:

 

From the Australian newspaper - 

 

International students should be able to work unlimited hours and foreign backpackers continue with the same boss for more than six months under a temporary easing of visa restrictions being sought by employers to address COVID-driven labour shortages until overseas travel resumes.

 

National business groups urged the Morrison government to temporarily remove the cap on international students working more than 40 hours a fortnight and allow unrestricted hours in targeted regions and industries including hospitality, accommodation, cafes and restaurants that are facing shortages.

Employers also called on the government to expand the priority migration skilled occupation list to include chefs, veterinarians, cafe and restaurant managers and seafarers.

 

While supporting prioritisation of Australians returning home, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said action was needed to facilitate the arrival of more international students and working holiday-makers from low-COVID-risk countries who have been fully vaccinated.

 

Acting ACCI chief executive Jenny Lambert said skills and labour shortages across Australia were severely impacting business recovery from the pandemic.

 

“It is a matter of survival for businesses in the accommodation, hospitality, cafes and restaurants sectors to access skilled migration,” she said. “But there is also a critical need for more professionals such as structural and civil engineers, surveyors and veterinarians in order for businesses to grow.

 

“Regional communities are intensively feeling the loss of migrants, not just for skilled workers, but for people to fill seasonal jobs in agriculture and hospitality where working holiday-makers traditionally filled the gaps.

 

“Farmers are letting fresh produce rot, and local businesses are either not opening some days, or closing off rooms as they simply do not have the staff to service customers.”

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said he would “strongly urge the government to take a fresh look at the working rights of all current on-shore visa holders” to help the many businesses struggling to find labour. “Given that we are unlikely to see significant migration — either permanent or temporary — for the next year at least, it is important that Australia makes best use of all our assets we already have here,” he told The Australian.

 

“Visa holders are more flexible in where they are willing to travel for work and pockets of shortages persist across the country, despite current unemployment levels.

 

“Visa holders are a large pool of COVID-safe workers but many have restrictions ... Given many businesses are crying out for workers, visa holders should not be limited by visa work conditions.”

Employers want the government to expand the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List, which currently identifies 18 occupations that fill critical skills needs to support Australia’s economic recovery from COVID-19.

 

Ms Lambert backed a Senate inquiry recommendation that the Department of Home Affairs consider adding a range of occupations, including civil engineers, electrical engineers, motor mechanics, cooks, carpenters, electricians and other roles in the hospitality, health, trades, agriculture and manufacturing sectors.

The Electrical Trades Union has slammed the inquiry proposals, accusing the government of wanting to destroy Australian jobs by using COVID-19 as a cover to open the floodgates on skilled migration.

 

ETU national secretary Allen Hicks said thousands of Australians were still stranded overseas, but the government was “considering putting them at the end of the queue behind foreign workers who can be easily exploited”. “This is an attack on Australian values. It is a disgrace,” he said.

 

A student visa currently allows the holder to work up to 40 hours per fortnight once their program is in session, and unrestricted hours when the program is not in session.

Under the ACCI proposal, the cap would be removed temporarily, allowing the visa holder to work unrestricted hours when in session, targeted to specific regions/industries such as cafes, restaurants, hospitality and accommodation that are currently facing shortages

In its Senate submission, the ACCI identified skills shortages across a number of sectors including an extreme shortage of skilled motor mechanics.

 

Reasons cited included the growing number of vehicles on the road; a sharp decline in the supply of local apprentice motor mechanics; rapidly emerging new technologies in electric and hybrid vehicles leaving a major skills gap for suitably trained motor mechanics, and a massive uptake of second-hand vehicles by consumers during the pandemic that required repairs and maintenance.httpsed repairs and maintenance.

[ali]

On 11/04/2021 at 09:06, Toots said:

Well let's hope there are jobs waiting for all those imported people.  Things aren't that great here you know - no matter what some people will try to tell you.  Just be prepared for that.

 I'm sure our members if they've read the forum will have some insight that jobs may not be easy to come by.  But it's their journey and if they've done their research then it's up to them.

[Southlander]

At least we are seeing discussions being had now, not specifically to our cause but there are rumblings. Whilst we wait we are closer to our vaccination here so that may prove useful for flying. 

Going forward, who actually processes our submitted 190 visa application, post successful state nomination? I used to think it was in a single department within the DHA but now I'm not so certain anymore? Does it differ from state to state and the visa category? Can some be processed by the state etc, or are all done by DHA. I also note on some other forums posters seem to suggest that their states are issuing grants, so can it be selective state determined, influenced by border closures. 

For arguments sake BMSQ said recently they are not accepting nor processing further 190 visa nominations until next year as they have used up their allotted quota. Therefore they will be concentrating on processing the backlog of already submitted 190 visa applications. 

If anyone knows how it actually works??? 

Best

Edited April 13, 2021 by Southlander

[CapitalS]

It’s not my understanding. My understanding is the actual visa process goes through soho and it’s pot luck - there doesn’t seem to be a pattern of date lodged, occupation or which state has nominated you. They seem to jump back and forth from visas lodged in 18,19,20 and ‘21 and same with occupations and states- everything seems really random. 
the only pattern I can see is they work on onshore priority groups first and then seem to do a cluster of offshore priority groups and then the occasional stray offshore from ages ago...

[Domo]

48 minutes ago, CapitalS said:

It’s not my understanding. My understanding is the actual visa process goes through soho and it’s pot luck - there doesn’t seem to be a pattern of date lodged, occupation or which state has nominated you. They seem to jump back and forth from visas lodged in 18,19,20 and ‘21 and same with occupations and states- everything seems really random. 
the only pattern I can see is they work on onshore priority groups first and then seem to do a cluster of offshore priority groups and then the occasional stray offshore from ages ago...

There has been a published list on how they grant visas. Priority is given to onshore than offshore visas, where non critical occupations are at the bottom of the selection barrel. I imagine that the backlogged cases would have priority over the newer applications, because it only seems fair.

[Southlander]

@CapitalS I agree with the way things are being picked up, there seems to be no specific set of rules they apply. Who are soho (or did you mean the doha), are they a centralised processing office based in a single state? 

@Domo even though they seem to be applying this publicised directive, they still seem to be sidelining us when there is a chance to grant the visa. 189s should not be given offshore before us. Also the poor 491s given visas as they know they can't get in off the bat. 

If we don't get our grants before July that means we would have missed out on jul19-jun20, jul20-Jun21 and thrown in with the next visa cohort of Jul21-jun22 applicants... And as we are in the 10% it's easy to make the processing times look plum for good reading. 

[Domo]

3 hours ago, Southlander said:

@CapitalS I agree with the way things are being picked up, there seems to be no specific set of rules they apply. Who are soho (or did you mean the doha), are they a centralised processing office based in a single state? 

@Domo even though they seem to be applying this publicised directive, they still seem to be sidelining us when there is a chance to grant the visa. 189s should not be given offshore before us. Also the poor 491s given visas as they know they can't get in off the bat. 

If we don't get our grants before July that means we would have missed out on jul19-jun20, jul20-Jun21 and thrown in with the next visa cohort of Jul21-jun22 applicants... And as we are in the 10% it's easy to make the processing times look plum for good reading. 

Yea, the 491s are getting screwed. They recieve a visa grant but can't travel and are on the clock. Something has to give, most of us will be vaccinated before they grant us our visas.

[Marisawright]

5 hours ago, Domo said:

Yea, the 491s are getting screwed. They recieve a visa grant but can't travel and are on the clock. Something has to give, most of us will be vaccinated before they grant us our visas.

I've seen 491's being granted but I thought they were only priority occupations?  Priority occupations get a travel exemption if they have a job to come to.

[Domo]

17 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

I've seen 491's being granted but I thought they were only priority occupations?  Priority occupations get a travel exemption if they have a job to come to.

No, sadly many non priority occupations have been receiving grants (most 491 grants from my agencies Facebook page have been non critical). I think DHA is securing regional skilled workers for the future that way, but who knows. 

Edited April 13, 2021 by Domo

[CapitalS]

Doha sorry!! Typo!  
well I’m not sure if I’m honest, looking at immitracker brisbane and Adelaide get a mention several times but I’m well aware that that’s just a small portion and do some people not update their details or fill them out correctly. We just have to keep on waiting and hoping

[Southlander]

12 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I've seen 491's being granted but I thought they were only priority occupations?  Priority occupations get a travel exemption if they have a job to come to.

I've seen this too, offshore grants given to non-critical 491's, so limited chance of an exemption and can remain offshore. 

There are also 190's onshore in critical occupations who have not yet received grants, +12 months. I think they prefer processing visas that may trip you out leading up to PR. I.e employment sponsored, provisional and temp visas.

[Marisawright]

16 minutes ago, Southlander said:

I've seen this too, offshore grants given to non-critical 491's, so limited chance of an exemption and can remain offshore. 

Can you see what the partner's occupation is?   I know at least one 491 grantee whose wife is in a critical occupation and I assume that's why they got their grant.

[Domo]

2 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Can you see what the partner's occupation is?   I know at least one 491 grantee whose wife is in a critical occupation and I assume that's why they got their grant.

They were hairdressers, tradies, most skill level 3, they're spouses had nothing to do with it. although 1 non critical managed to recieve a grant exemption because their husband managed to secure a job in a critical field, even though he was secondary applicant and not on a PMSOL occupation.

[Joe/Rose]

https://iscah.com/190-visa-processing/

[Domo]

5 hours ago, Joe/Rose said:

https://iscah.com/190-visa-processing/

I saw this today as well

[Southlander]

So ISCAH have concluded that case officers are scattered all around Australia, working at different speeds

It seems they have invited a lot of people since lockdown has started and when they open the floodgates again July, the number of unprocessed cases will be huge! Cannot see how they will be able to clear they new cohort, with old in one year unless they start to clear the current backlog. The whole cycle then starts again, old and new in the revised 10% and so forth. 

Numbers suggest 3,600 visas grants left this year only if they are willing to fill their 11,200 quota, but over 8,000 applicants waiting... My gut feeling is +16 months will be the new miminum norm before any chance of a grant as the bottleneck will only get larger. 🥴

On a plus note, seems borders may start relaxing come October so may be good news for us offshore longtimers. ‍🦳

Let's hope the case officers have the go ahead to finalise us now.

[DukeNinja]

It must be really hard not knowing when one's visa is likely to be granted, but the way to look at it is; as long as you've been invited, submitted all the relevant docs, and you meet the requirements, then its just a waiting game.

Unfortunately there's nothing one can do, but prepare oneself for when the grant happens. 

I know that my comment may not add much to the conversation, but being focussed on the delay in processing times will only make on frustrated.

I do hope you guys get your grants soon. 

[Domo]

5 hours ago, DukeNinja said:

It must be really hard not knowing when one's visa is likely to be granted, but the way to look at it is; as long as you've been invited, submitted all the relevant docs, and you meet the requirements, then its just a waiting game.

Unfortunately there's nothing one can do, but prepare oneself for when the grant happens. 

I know that my comment may not add much to the conversation, but being focussed on the delay in processing times will only make on frustrated.

I do hope you guys get your grants soon. 

Let's keep the hope alive

[Southlander]

@DukeNinja you hit the nail on the head. Agree with all you say. But really good to hear people are routing for us

On a side note, India recorded 200k new covid cases in a single day, population of over a billion. Common sense suggests it will be a long time before anyone would want them to fly into your country, regardless of visa type. Hopefully they are not delaying our visas based on the global outlook. The UK on the other hand are averaging 75 new cases a day. So coupled with vaccines we should be firmly on the radar