Category 5 News

[Guest Justin JIANG]

It means they just need to cover their as... because if meds were officially requested it might have much greater law implications for them. So DIAC want to escape some of these implications.

But all others who made meds on their own risk just got another lottery ticked instead. I'm not surprised though.

 

 

Great point if it's true. And I wanna say that if it happens, it might be another self-suicided bomb threat to Australia for this issue. Hope it will not happen though.

[CharmedP3]

Not got time to read this and many other threads thoroughly at the moment Gill as my laptop is dead and I only have 5 minutes on here at work.... but I've gathered enough to see you had a fruitful day yesterday and I would just like to say a massive THANKYOU for all your efforts and I will endeavour to get caught up on what exactly has been happening as soon as I can!!!

[McKlaut]

'The Hollies' are a cat5 with meds and PCC's met and got their visa today

They previously had a CO like us.

I know that and I realy happy for her.

But the point is that it's not what we were told during the meeting in London. In reality DIAC is going to process only those who were officially requested meds. That's all. With no regard whether there are some other decision ready applications with meds finalised or whether people have been waiting for more than a year.

[Guest shawgorbys]

HI GUYS reading this post has really cheered my cold and frosty first day of december and readng it seams there alot of happy peeps and makes me think that maybe our dreams could still come true good luck and take care everyone :hug::biggrin:

[Mylady]

This just in from the Department to the MIA. I think it presents a relatively disappointing perspective that there are not large numbers of Category 5 visa grants anticipated in the current program year (to 30 June) but that those most likely to be granted are those where health and character tests have been requested by a case officer:

 

Processing of some State sponsored non-CSL GSM applications

There have recently been reports and speculation about the processing of some State sponsored non- Critical Skills List (CSL) General Skilled Migration (GSM) applications.

These are the Tier (or Category) 5 applications: that is, applications from people who are nominated by a State/Territory government and whose nominated occupation is not listed on the (CSL).

In order to provide realistic expectations for your clients, the MIA has been discussing the matter with DIAC to obtain an accurate statement of what is happening.

DIAC has today provided the MIA with the following statement:

“The Department is processing applications according to Ministerial Direction No. 42 - Order of consideration - certain Skilled Migration visas. The Department anticipates that a small number of State sponsored non-CSL applications will be finalised this program year. Finalisations will focus on applications where health and character checks have been requested by the case officer.”

 

Cheers,

 

George Lombard

Hi

 

Thanks to GILL and the famous five for all the help and for having the guts to go out there and make a stand for all of us.We really appreciate it.:notworthy:

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO US WHERE THE CO REQUESTED MEDS AND POLICE CLEARANCES BUT BEFORE OUR MEDS APPOINTMENT WE WERE ASKED TO CANCEL THE MEDS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. WE ALREADY UPLOADED PCC`S.WILL WE BE LEFT BEHIND, AND THOSE WHO ALREADY HAVE DONE THEIR PCC AND MEDS BE GRANTED THEIR VISA

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE.

[Guest skipling]

Thank you all! Feels a bit like an early Christmas present of good news for us!

At the moment I'm way back in Cat 6 but applied for State Sponsorship - keeping my fingers crossed.

[Guest floater]

Hi McKlaut

What David told us was that they would be processing in order of date of lodgement, where information was needed it would requested and the case officer would move on to the next case. Andrew who was with us at the meeting had worked as a case officer and stated that officers have on average 300 cases in process at any one time.

Obviously this means that when they reach a case where everything is done a decision can be made there and then.

Will they actually do this? Who knows? As a august 2008 applicant with 2 sets of meds done I hope so, but we will all have to wait and see.

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi All

 

The Hollies visa has been granted during the night in the UK. Mr Wilden said he thought they would start processing the Cat 5s "soon." The Hollies are the proof that Mr Wilden knows what he is talking about.

 

There was no discussion about the order of processing except that the dates of lodgement of the applications would be the decider. That makes sense. For example an application for a subclass 175 visa is automatically an application for a subclass 176 visa instead because they are both in Class VE and an application for one is an application for one or the other.

 

Between Andrew (now from Immigration2Oz but formerly from the ASPC) and Jane Sansom, the Principal Migration Officer for the UK and Ireland, we discovered that a CO can be responsible for anything up to 300 applications at any given time. They are each expected to finalise about 30 applications a week and 30 new applications are added to their baskets each week. So said the man who has actually worked at the ASPC.

 

Jane Sansom said that overloading the COs in this way is not ideal but DIAC staff have to deliver what the Government of the day wants. She stressed that this "conveyor belt" approach would not work for the visa subclasses which are dealt with in London. (I thought about that when she said it because it would not work with Parents either.)

 

Mrs Sansom said that the ASPC have much more of a "tick box" approach in order to handle the maximum number of applications in the minimum possible time. Andrew said that each CO (fairly senior) has a support worker and the support staff do most of the communicating with the visa applicants. The COs are under so much pressure that it is not a problem for the CO to instruct his or her supporter to contact Mr Bloggs [the applicant] and ask him to do his meds and PCCs but what they do not like is an application which is a visible mess, so that it is not clear what Mr Bloggs' occupation actually is or half of his supporting documents are missing. Mrs Sansom said that because the Government expects maximum throughput, a file which is plainly a mess and will require a lot of coaching from the CO personally to get it into proper shape will probably be left until a quieter moment.

 

Subliminal Message: It is no use howling that you have done and submitted your meds if your actual occupation is not immediately apparent from a glance at the remaining documents. The ASPC want applications which are "decision ready." When the MIA were in charge of the MARA they hammered this point into the skull of every sentient Registered Migration Agent and punished the ones like Ashley McEwen who imagined that the CO would guide him through the process of completing a GSM visa application on behalf of a client of his.

 

To get the maximum help for the Cat 5s from DIAC, please, please ensure that your applications are decision ready by the time your CO picks up your file. The consensus from the DIAC team yesterday was DO NOT spend money on your meds without a request but do, please, ensure that your supportng documents are in order and that they present a very clear "picture" about who the main applicant is and what s/he does for a living.

 

This "quiet period" whilst DIAC are not snowed under with higher priority applications is a golden chance to try to help them to get through as many of the Category 5 applications as possible. Mr Wilden promised to get us the figures to enable us to have a reasonable stab at guessing how many Cat 5 visa grants are likely to be possible before 30th June 2010. As soon as we have the figures, the Famous Five will pass them on via Poms in Oz.

 

The Minister cannot moan at DIAC for processing Cat 5s whilst they have the capacity to do so. He set the pecking order and if DIAC are more efficient than the miitant Trades Unions in Oz would like them to be, that is just too blinking bad. We need to work with DIAC, please, not against them because DIAC are genuinely busting a gut to help all of us and to help the State Governments as well.

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[MouseBear]

This sounds positive and good news for a lot Bit sad for us though as when we first applied (May 2008) under my profession as a teacher we had to resubmit and pay for a whole new application to put my OH (BRICKLAYER) as the main applicant with a SS in Sept 2009 so they won't take our first lodgement date (we are using a migration agent). Think we may be waiting a while? But at least they're moving YEY!!

[scottntina]

Hi Gill,

 

THANKYOU SO SO MUCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART !!!!!

YOU AND THE FAMOUS FIVE ARE AMAZING!!!!

Its my birthday today, and youve just given me the best present ever,

Oh yeah..... Did i say thankyou !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Tina and Scott

[Guest skipling]

Happy Birthday Tina!

[cartertucker]

Huge Thankyou to Gill & the Famous 5......:notworthy:

 

We have an older son (17 in a few weeks) So this news is great

 

Thankyou all, so very much.....:notworthy:

[Guest Sam&G]

Many many thanks to Gill and the Famous Five. You have done an amazing job.

Thank you so much for all your efforts, much appreciated. :hug:

 

Hopefully this is just the start of something very good.

 

Sam :v_SPIN:

[Guest sabink]

My agent reports he has 22 non csl cat 5's waiting, and we are last in the queue! Doesnt mean all are decision ready tho , which I believe ours is................fingers crossed

[Guest ScottishSteve]

Like most CAT5's I have been waiting for any glimmer of hope to come out but have seen nothing up till now. Hopefully the ball has started rolling and it's not as bad as many predicted

[Guest Sebbers]

I'm hoping we have the news we want sometime soon, all our docs are 'met' so we are decision ready too. Our agent is still waiting for a response from our co on this one, Friday would be nice it's my birthday

[Guest sabink]

Amen to that Sebbers

[Guest TwNx]

Hi All

 

 

Mr Wilden said as follows:

 

• Roughly 3,500 is the number of actual visa applications, not the number of people involved. (I checked this with him specifically and he was definite about it.)

• They will start to process the Cat 5s according to the dates when the visa applications were lodged and they will deal with the oldest applications first.

• They will make no distinctions between the different visa subclasses - first come, first served means what it implies in a situation where the occupation is not on the CSL but the applicant does have State sponsorship.

• There is no foundation to the rumour that tradies may be excluded from Cat 5 processing - the tradies are to be treated identically to people whose occupations are in ASCO Groups 1-3.

 

 

Cheers

 

Gill

 

Thank you very much Gill for this very wonderful news and to all the famous five...THANK YOU VERY MUCH...you are all angels with no wings......we may never repay you with all the good things you do to us but I know the Lord will be the one who will bless you for all the goodness you share to all the people, the people that you do not even know...from the bottom of our hearts....THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH :biggrin::biggrin:

[Guest johnsonclan]

Hi, we have had phone call this am from agent to say we should have our visa between now and May 2010 as they have had confirmation from OZ that all people SS NON CSL that are finalised are to be processed now. We are a tradie too !!! We were finalised on 15/9/09 if that helps anyone with working out where they are. Trying not to get to excited but its harddddddddd !!!

[Guest Siavash]

Here is a confimration of this very good news casted by Gill, Cat 5 is being looked at... a Cat 5 visa is granted today.... http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/61412-wa-state-sponser-update-where-you-now.html

 

Name: TheHollies

Occupation: Motor Mechanic

Online SS application submitted: 15/04/09

SS received: Approved on 04/08/09

Visa Granted: 01/12/09

[Guest Siavash]

Hi, we have had phone call this am from agent to say we should have our visa between now and May 2010 as they have had confirmation from OZ that all people SS NON CSL that are finalised are to be processed now. We are a tradie too !!! We were finalised on 15/9/09 if that helps anyone with working out where they are. Trying not to get to excited but its harddddddddd !!!

 

Could you please let us know your time lines?

 

Thanks,

siAvAsh :wubclub:

[Guest johnsonclan]

Could you please let us know your time lines?

 

Thanks,

siAvAsh :wubclub:

 

Hi, applied for visa 7/8/08, 176 Tradie (OH is cabinetmaker), put on CSL in January taken off in March. Applied for State Sponsorship and got it in July 2009 !! All meds and PCC met and finalised 15/9/09.

 

Hope this ok ?

 

Tracy

[Taz2008]

For those of you who are interested in this thread, please find a list of Cat 5 peeps waiting on page 1 on an older thread which is still running... http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/70633-176-ss-non-csl-where-you-now.html

 

I have now highlighted people who have already frontloaded their meds and PC's to make it clearer.

Please add your details if you haven't already:wubclub:

[Guest jains005]

Great job Gill and other famous fab 5... thank you sooooooooo much.......

The worst thing with the 23/9 changes was the uncertainity. i feel i again started to get the sense of direction...

Thank you for your willingness to spend your time and energy for so many who you even do not know....

[Guest Midlanders]

There was no discussion about the order of processing except that the dates of lodgement of the applications would be the decider. That makes sense. For example an application for a subclass 175 visa is automatically an application for a subclass 176 visa instead because they are both in Class VE and an application for one is an application for one or the other.

 

To get the maximum help for the Cat 5s from DIAC, please, please ensure that your applications are decision ready by the time your CO picks up your file. The consensus from the DIAC team yesterday was DO NOT spend money on your meds without a request but do, please, ensure that your supportng documents are in order and that they present a very clear "picture" about who the main applicant is and what s/he does for a living.

 

Hi Gill

 

Does your first paragraph above ........deff include 175's as we have lodged our visa in June 09 and then applied for SS with WA in July, but still awaiting that outcome before we can then get our visa rechange to 176?

 

Can you also re-confirm if the lodgment date of that visa (in our case june) will be maintained as the actual date and not then moved down to the bottom of the pile from the date of when then ss is approved

 

I think you all have done a fantastic job in arranging this meeting and taking all the time to attend......and at least you have got the head of the UK diac to have good dustdown, clarify some facts and data that we all want to see and finally get them to focus on all our recent concerns.........:notworthy:

 

BRAVO ALL................

 

Judy & Darren