Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Alliance members received a number of alerts concerning legislative changes in lead up to 1 July.  To assist all of our members during this busy period, below is one stop summary of key changes anticipated to take place this Saturday:

1)      Planned (and unplanned System Outages)

We are mere 5 days away from 1 July and the changes to immigration requirements are becoming clearer.  Here is a summary update in relation to some of the changes announced recently:

Bill concerning changes to the Australian Citizenship Act has been released.   Below is a summary of the proposed changes which are currently debated at second reading in parliament.

Section 2A

Provides examples of where it is appropriate for the minister to revoke citizenship

Historically speaking, changes to Australian immigration requirements often results in increased number of refusals of applications.  There are reasons for increased refusals.  These reasons include stricter enforcement of regulations, increased scrutiny by case officers or unfair and harsh interpretation of the policy.

Where your application is refused, it is important to consider the next step in your immigration strategy.  It is also important to remember that time is something which is critical and each subsequent step needs will have consequences for your chances to remain in Australia. For example, it may be appropriate to re-submit the application and address areas of concerns raised at the original application.  However, there are instances where it is appropriate to appeal a decision.

Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) – what you need to know: 

July 1 is important date in Australian immigration.  This is due to the fact that a number of legislative requirements (new or previously announced) come into effect.  As we are just weeks away from this significant date, below is a number of useful hints and tips to assist you to be as ready and prepared to lodge as visa application as you can be.

1. Do you know your visa expiry date?

July 1 generally creates traffic in all aspects when it comes to applying for an Australian visa.  For example, it may be more difficult to secure an appointment to complete health checks or undertake the English language exam.  Historically the number of applications lodged with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection is at its highest in June and December.  Accordingly, it is important to be prepared and not leave anything till the last day to avoid being stuck in an unfavourable situation.  Check the expiry of your visa and aim to submit your application (or instruct your agent to do so) well before expiry of your current visa.  Keep in mind that frequent system outages are to be expected.

2. Time of application Criteria

Many Australian visas have “time of application” criteria which may include age, English or skills requirement.  It is important to be fully across time of application requirements applicable to the visa subclass you are making an application for.  If the time of application criteria is not met, your application may be refused which in turn can create restrictions on the types of subsequent visas you may be able to apply for whilst in Australia.