Doing a partner visa? Chances are you feel like you are drowning in paperwork.
You are not alone.
Thousands of partner visa applications are lodged each and every week.
Congratulations! Your visa has been granted. What now?
It is always reason for celebration when a visa is granted. What now?
No further stay condition
Does your visa have a ‘no further stay’ condition on it?
The effect of this condition is that you cannot make an application for another visa from within Australia. It will be invalid and returned back to you as if you never made the application.
You can apply to have this condition waived.
Have you ever had a visa cancelled or a visa application refused? What are the consequences?
If you have had a visa cancelled or a visa application refused and you want to apply for another visa, you may be affected by what’s known as a ‘section 48 bar’.
Regional Certification
One of the requirements of the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme, subclass 187 visa is that the position needs to be certified by a Regional Certification Body (RCB).
Each area has a different RCB. Each RCB has a different set of rules that can be changed without notice.
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187)
The 187 visa program is permanent residency for skilled workers nominated by a qualifying employer in regional Australia.
This visa was introduced on 01 07 2012. Despite the word “sponsored” it is not sponsorship as the employer (nominator) has no residual obligations to the employee (nominee) after visa grant – as opposed to the 457 where employers maintain ongoing obligations during the life of the visa.
A very BIG Australia
In the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) most recent liveable cities poll, Australia boasted 4 out of the top 10 cities. Factors taken into consideration in the poll include widespread availability of goods and services, safety and effective infrastructure.
Interestingly, Melbourne was voted number 1, with Adelaide coming in at number 5, Sydney at number 7 and Perth at number 9.
Wondering what an IELTS test result looks like?
Scooby. We’re here to solve a mystery: Aggregation of IELTS scores.
If you have ever tried to apply for a visa in Australia, then it is likely that you have heard of IELTS.
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is a test to show how well a person speaks, reads and writes English.
IELTS is one of the few English tests recognized by the Department of Immigration for the purposes of migration (more on this testing monopoly later).
Online lodgement for Partner Visas
I like technology. The invention of the iPhone has meant that I can stay connected wherever I am and whatever I am doing. This has come in handy when travelling in remote regions (for example, when my motorbike broke down half-way up a mountain in remote Bali). Less handy when trying to sneak off for a surf during ‘work from home’ Mondays.
So, you would be forgiven for thinking that I would be excited about the Department of Immigration’s recent announcement about the introduction of online lodgement for Partner visas in December 2013.
