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491 visa grant for offshore non-essential workers


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6 hours ago, Sparks21 said:

200,000 skilled migrants and students sounds like they will start processing very soon. Fingers crossed for you and everyone else waiting in line 

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7 minutes ago, skyeman said:

200,000 skilled migrants and students sounds like they will start processing very soon. Fingers crossed for you and everyone else waiting in line 

This was my interpretation too! It would be amazing to hear something before Christmas but I’m not getting my hopes up… but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. We have been patient so hopefully we are nearly there… 

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7 hours ago, Sparks21 said:

This was my interpretation too! It would be amazing to hear something before Christmas but I’m not getting my hopes up… but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. We have been patient so hopefully we are nearly there… 

Be one heck of an Xmas pressie haha even though we have paid for it and waiting longer than a year haha I think they have an idea of what post covid Australia looks like and have identified huge shortages in workers, so I think that will give them confidence granting offshore visas knowing they aren't taking Australian jobs. Plus think of the further boom we would cause, 200,000 flying l, buying cars, furniture, appliances, houses, food etc. It's a quick cash injection to keep pushings forward 

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  • 3 months later...
7 minutes ago, Sparks21 said:

Just checking in... Any light at the end of the tunnel for off-shore non-critical 491 applicants? I keep telling myself 'any day now', it will be a fantastic day when we are finally assigned a CO.

not a peep for me. updated my police certificate as I know they will want an in date one, I'm at 23 months now. Job offer didn't help, MP's and Senators chasing them didn't help

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2 hours ago, skyeman said:

not a peep for me. updated my police certificate as I know they will want an in date one, I'm at 23 months now. Job offer didn't help, MP's and Senators chasing them didn't help

I'm not surprised that the MP/Senator chasing yielded nothing, I'm actually more surprised the MP/Sens got involved. 

I am surprised though that a job offer didn't smooth the passage through

 

Here's hoping the wheels start to move for you in the near future

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3 hours ago, skyeman said:

not a peep for me. updated my police certificate as I know they will want an in date one, I'm at 23 months now. Job offer didn't help, MP's and Senators chasing them didn't help

Well it is fair to say you have certainly done all you can. I am currently sitting at 22 months. If my understanding is correct many CO's which were assigned to handle the wave of travel exceptions are slowly being assigned back to handling other cases, so hopefully they will start to manage the back log of offshore applicants shortly. I also think it is accurate to say that most states are experiencing a shortage of tradies too, so when they decide to address this hopefully we will have our turn. I am confident we will hear something soon! 

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44 minutes ago, Sparks21 said:

Well it is fair to say you have certainly done all you can. I am currently sitting at 22 months. If my understanding is correct many CO's which were assigned to handle the wave of travel exceptions are slowly being assigned back to handling other cases, so hopefully they will start to manage the back log of offshore applicants shortly. I also think it is accurate to say that most states are experiencing a shortage of tradies too, so when they decide to address this hopefully we will have our turn. I am confident we will hear something soon! 

That sounds quite possible. Seen a few granted recently that were just over the 2 year mark and one fella I know is now at 26 months for an off-shore 190 as an electrician.

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7 minutes ago, skyeman said:

That sounds quite possible. Seen a few granted recently that were just over the 2 year mark and one fella I know is now at 26 months for an off-shore 190 as an electrician.

Exciting! I haven't seen any... Do you know which state the 190 electrician is applying for? Got any more information on the others granted offshore ie profession? 491/190? etc. I believe they are leaning more towards 190 as is a permanent visa. 

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I’m an electrician, offshore 190 NSW, applied back in 2019, on 27 months today!

1 hour ago, skyeman said:

That sounds quite possible. Seen a few granted recently that were just over the 2 year mark and one fella I know is now at 26 months for an off-shore 190 as an electrician.

 

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11 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

I'm not surprised that the MP/Senator chasing yielded nothing, I'm actually more surprised the MP/Sens got involved. 

I am surprised though that a job offer didn't smooth the passage through

The problem is that during Covid, the employer was required to show a "critical" need.  May just be that the employer didn't make a strong enough case. 

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On 16/03/2022 at 13:48, Sparks21 said:

Exciting! I haven't seen any... Do you know which state the 190 electrician is applying for? Got any more information on the others granted offshore ie profession? 491/190? etc. I believe they are leaning more towards 190 as is a permanent visa. 

offshore 491 granted today to someone on PIO. Mechanic submitted mid-2021 I think but his wife is a midwife so maybe that helped it get through? also seen 2 x 190's one from October 2019 and one from 2020. Both offshore and both in non-critical sector job, something to do with networks or IT

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 24/03/2022 at 08:26, Sparks21 said:

Fantastic news! When I hear a few tradies getting grants I will really start to get excited… but is great to hear off shore people getting grants. Thank you for the update. 

EOI submitted March 2020 and I was finally invited March 2022 for NSW 190 with 75 points only to find out the link did not work and now having to wait For another invitation with a new EOI!! 

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53 minutes ago, Sparkybaz said:

EOI submitted March 2020 and I was finally invited March 2022 for NSW 190 with 75 points only to find out the link did not work and now having to wait For another invitation with a new EOI!! 

Congratulations! When you apply please keep us updated. I would be interested to hear the progression of a 190 submitted now for an electrician… 

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On 06/04/2022 at 13:18, Sparks21 said:

Congratulations! When you apply please keep us updated. I would be interested to hear the progression of a 190 submitted now for an electrician… 

Also got an invitation for a 190 SA today, will keep you posted 👍

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  • 2 weeks later...
1 hour ago, Phil1712 said:

Has anyone on or offshore, received a 491 grant within the last 3 months? Seems to me that it has been abandoned, I hope I'm proved wrong.

There was 2 offshore 491's granted last week and one 190 that i seen, non PMSOL and both for the NT

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I have heard of offshore 491 grants in the last 3 months but mainly for occupations on the critical skills list, or skills closely related to the critical skills list. In my opinion, the 491 programme certainly hasn't been abandoned, but for occupations that are not on the critical skills list and are offshore, then these are not being processed, or so few are being processed that it is negligible. After the announcement in the budget regarding skilled migration I was expecting a wave of ecstatic offshore applicants who form the backlog (us) to be announcing that they have been assigned case officers. Alas, I have heard of none this month. I can only assume that this is because the department have not yet given the nod to officially start prioritising us, but I am sure it is coming very soon. I have been told by a reliable source that there is skills shortages for tradies in many states and the housing market/rental market is struggling because of this. Fingers crossed they prioritise us soon. 

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typo
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1 hour ago, Sparks21 said:

This is fantastic news!!!! Do you know which occupations? 

Those 3 were Mechanics but admittedly they are just the ones that stood out as it's my occupation. I think I also spotted a Gas fitter and an electrician but I can't remember the details. I try not to obsess over them and screenshot them because as you know yourself it doesn't mean ours is on its way. Like you, I have been told by many reliable sources ( employers, senators etc ) that there is a huge shortage of tradies across most states. I was surprised when borders opened and they announced they needed 200,000 skilled workers that we didn't see a surge of grants. Pre-covid 491 was a high priority and many of us went for it instead of the 190 because of the priority processing and quick state sponsorships. 

I have a job offer, I have saved money to support us moving, we have good points at 95 and we front-loaded the medicals and police certificates, we thought we were in a really good position. Just hit the 24 months mark since submitted 😞

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