The team at Work Visa Lawyers is always happy to help deserving applicants in successfully obtaining an Australian visa. More often than we hoped for, we come across many applicants who tried to submit an application themselves and face complications thereafter, or a refusal.

Here is a recently approved client, Wenru Pan describing her experience applying for a state sponsorship by herself, and later on with Work Visa Lawyers:

Dear Work Visa Lawyers,

I would like to say a big thank to your guys and I am really appreciate how the support has been for last four months working on my 190 state sponsored permanent visa.

My situation is really tricky and I have been rejected by the state nomination when I first tried to apply by myself. Then I decided to look for help from Chris who was highly recommended by one of my friends. Luckily, my state nomination was successfully approved after Chris’ magic.

Once the trust is built, I decided to let Chris to deal with my 190 visa submission as well. We submit the documents around early November (2016) and I was granted the permanent residency on 17th December, 2016. In other words, the whole process takes less than two months. I almost break the records among who I heard has been granted the permanent residency visa!!!!

I would highly recommend Work Visa Lawyers to all of you who are intending to live/ work in Australia for a long term purposes!

Thank you all the team members from Work Visa Lawyers

Best wishes,

Wenru Pan

The state of Victoria has announced a few updates to their state nomination occupation list and business visa nomination requirements. Here is a summary of the updates.

ICT Occupations no longer available for state nomination

The following ICT occupations are no longer accepted for state nomination from Victoria:

• 135112   ICT Project Manager
• 261111   ICT Business Analyst
• 261112   Systems Analyst
• 261311   Analyst Programmer
• 261312   Developer Programmer
• 261313   Software Engineer
• 261314   Software Tester
• 261399   Software and Applications Programmers nec
• 262111   Database Administrator
• 262112   ICT Security Specialist
• 263111   Computer Network and Systems Engineer

The temporary suspension of sponsorship for the ICT occupations above will last until 6 March 2017.

Occupations removed from Victoria state nomination occupation list

The following occupations are no longer eligible for sponsorship from the state of Victoria:

• 234411 Geologist
• 234412 Geophysicist

Updates to the Business Innovation and Investment visas for Victoria

The Victorian Government has announced the following changes to the business innovation and investment visas nominated by the state government of Victoria.

• Approval from Victorian Government no longer required for change in complying investments
• A new application form for the subclass 888 Significant Investor Visa will be available in early 2017
• Significant investor visa holders nominated by Victoria are reminded to notify the state government when they arrive in Victoria
• The application form for the recently launched subclass 188 Entrepreneur Visa is now available on the LiveInVictoria website
• The factsheet about the Entrepreneur Visa for Victoria is available here
• A new application form for the subclass 888 Investor Visa stream will be available in early 2017

Additionally the Victoria Skilled and Business Migration Programme Department will be closed on the following dates:

• Boxing Day public holiday: Monday 26 December 2016
• Christmas Day public holiday: Tuesday 27 December 2016
• New Year’s Day public holiday: Monday 2 January 2017

Sources:

http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/about-us/news#.WEX_m_l9670

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

As 2016 comes to a close State and Territory departments may start looking at planning numbers and introduce a temporary suspension of nomination for certain occupations, or announce higher requirements for occupations which have a high number of applications. Visa applicants are advised to obtain state nomination from the relevant State/Territory as soon as possible before changes are introduced.

This information is accurate on 6 December 2016

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Immigration SA has released the new State Nomination Occupation List (SNOL) for 2016-17. You can look at the occupations available for nomination here.

A quick glance at the new occupation list shows the following:

- Finance Managers, Accountants (on Supplementary Skilled List) showing high availability for now

- ICT occupations require 70 points to be eligible for state nomination

- Café or Restaurant Manager is only suitable for subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored visa sponsorship

- Customer Service Manager also only available for subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored visa sponsorship

- Registered Nurse shows high availability

- Enrolled Nurse only eligible for subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa sponsorship

- Baker, Pastry Chef, Chef and Cook only eligible for subclass 489 Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa sponsorship

- Marketing Specialist and other generic business professionals listed as High Availability on the Supplementary Skilled List

Work Visa Lawyers will be providing further analysis on the SNOL on a later date.

Sources:

1. http://www.migration.sa.gov.au/skilled-migrants/lists-of-state-nominated-occupations

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

This list will be a big shock for cooks and hairdressers that were looking to apply straight for PR through the subclass 190.

Immigration SA may only accept a limited number of applicants for each occupation. You are advised to secure your nomination as soon as possible while there is still high availability.

However please be aware of all visa application requirements before submitting your application, and seek help from a Registered Migration Agent if in doubt.

This information is accurate on 4 July 2016

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Immigration SA has announced that there will be changes for its State Nominated Occupation List (SNOL) effective from 4 July 2016. As part of the changes the online application system will be closed and unavailable during the following times:

30 June 2016 – 9 a.m. onwards until 4 July 2016 after 12 p.m.

All online applications that are saved but not submitted with payment will be deleted after 9 a.m. on 30 June 2016. You will need to prepare a new application thereafter.

From 4 July 2016 onwards the new SNOL may indicate some occupations to be suitable only for a subclass 489 nomination. Some occupations may also have new requirements in relation to English and work experience.

Increase in requirements for offshore ICT visa applicants seeking SA state nomination

Starting from 4 July 2016 all offshore applicants with an ICT occupation will be required to meet 70 points under the Skill Select points test (including State Nomination points – 5 points for subclass 190; 10 points for subclass 489). You will be required to meet all other state nomination criteria as well. Immigration SA may adjust this requirement according to the number of applications received after the change is implemented.

The higher points requirement will not apply if you are:

• applying as an international graduate of South Australia
• currently working in South Australia in a skilled occupation

There are more requirements in relation to applications with an ICT occupation here. Please ensure you meet all requirements before submitting an application.

Sources:

1. http://www.migration.sa.gov.au/news-events/news-releases/revised-south-australian-state-nominated-occupation-list-from-4-july-2016
2. http://www.migration.sa.gov.au/upload/publications/Skilled-Migrants/Instructions-for-state-nomination-applications-for-ICT-occupations.pdf

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

It is helpful that Immigration SA has announced the incoming changes early. Applicants should take note that while the online system will be closed on 30 June 2016, the system may experience a heavy load of users from now until then. This may cause the online system to be slow or prone to loading errors. You are advised to complete the online applications and make payment as early as possible to avoid any potential interruptions and delays.

It may also be worth considering that changes by one Australian state or territory are often followed by others. As such ICT professionals may now find state/territory sponsorship opportunities limited. Please seek advice and plan ahead for your visa applications as we near the end of the financial year for 2015-16.

This information is accurate on 10 June 2016

Do you need help with an Australian visa application?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants in all matters relating to Australian visa applications. Our areas of expertise include Skilled Migration visas, Business Skills Migration visas, Employer Sponsored Work Visas, Partner and other Family Migration visas as well as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Review, Judicial Review and Ministerial Intervention.

If you require further information regarding your Australia visa options you can contact us through:

(08) 8351 9956 or +61 8 8351 9956

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The New South Wales (NSW) Trade and Investment Department will be implementing an invitation-only selection for its Skilled Nominated 190 state sponsorship programme starting February 2015. Here are the key points:

Candidates will be selected based on:

• highest points claimed in Expression of Interest (EOI) submitted to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP); followed by
• level of English competency (based on acceptable English exams); followed by
• skilled employment
  If all criteria are equal, candidates will be selected based on date of submission of EOI
• Candidates must indicate interest for NSW state sponsorship in their EOI application
• Upon receiving an invitation from NSW candidates must submit an online application within 14 days
• Once state sponsorship is approved after 12 weeks, candidates lodge their visa application with DIBP as per current procedures

The NSW Trade and Investment Department will decide how many candidates to invite at an ongoing basis. The Occupation List for NSW will be published in February 2015. There are no other changes announced for the Skilled Regional (Provisional) and Business Skills visas nomination criteria at the moment.

Comments by Chris Johnston – Principal Lawyer and Registered Migration Agent at Work Visa Lawyers

It is advisable to lodge your EOI soonest as there may be many candidates tied with the same criteria being considered for the NSW state sponsorship, especially in the 65 to 70 points group.

This new process will probably be an improvement of the previous system. The previous system was very frustrating and wastes a huge amount of time. The NSW application would open for only a few hours before being filled. The time pressure and large number of applicants would overwhelm the system, adding more confusion.

While the new process would be smoother, the underlying problem will remain. NSW only has a small number of state nomination positions for the entire programme year (4,000 places for 2014-15). NSW is the most populous state in Australia with a population of over 7,439,000 people so demand will be greater than supply. I would estimate that over 15000 or more candidates will be competing for the positions. It will still be very difficult to get NSW nomination for many.

As such visa applicants are urged to consider all other alternatives available for them to proceed with a visa application. You can read about possible alternatives here. The state of South Australia has unique and interesting options for state sponsorship as well that are worth considering.

Source:

NSW Trade and Investment website

http://www.trade.nsw.gov.au/live-and-work-in-nsw/visas-and-immigration/skilled-nominated-migration-190/nsw-nomination-process-in-2015

This information is accurate on the 3 February 2015. State sponsorship requirements and DIBP visa application criteria can change and all current requirements must be established prior to lodging an application.

Do You Need Help?

At Work Visa Lawyers we are experienced in assisting applicants with visa applications for Skilled Migration including Independent and State Sponsored visas, state sponsorship applications as well as employer-sponsored visas.

If you require further information regarding a review or your appeal options you can contact us through:

 (08) 7225 5091 or +61 8 7225 5091

or   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.