Australian Immigration Daily News

Message in from the DIBP today:

Dear Registered Migration Agent

I am writing to you in my capacity of Director Program Delivery, Temporary Business Entry. In this role I have responsibility for the subclass 457 processing network.

Further to the intent of the programme, to enable eligible employers to address short-to-medium-term skill shortages that cannot be filled from the local labour market, we seek to assess and finalise all applications as quickly as possible.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS

As we work to bring down the time we take to finalise applications, the major obstacle that processing staff are reporting as delaying the finalisation of cases, is that they are lodged incomplete. The network recently ran a snapshot analysis of cases and found that incomplete applications in the Registered Migration Agent lodged caseload was running at around 60% across all three elements of a subclass 457 application.

As a first step toward seeking to address this issue we have updated the document checklists available on the DIBP website. The checklist has been updated to reflect the specific documentation that the processing network seeks in evidence that individual application requirements are met.

It is highly recommended that you use these checklists to guide you in the attachments you provide when lodging an application, to ensure your client’s application is processed as quickly as possible.

The checklists are available via the following link  http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/checklists/457-landing.aspx.

ATTACHMENTS

A further major issue impacting the processing of 457 applications is how attachments are being sent to the network.

All supporting documentation should be uploaded to the department’s visa online service, which you access via your ImmiAccount. This will ensure the documents are linked immediately to the relevant application. It also allows you to view the attachments, thereby providing you with the reassurance that they are available to the decision maker. The ImmiAccount system is constantly being improved so if you experience difficulty in uploading documents, please try again.

For more information on uploading attachments, see: http://www.immi.gov.au/Services/Pages/attach-documents-online-application.aspx.

Should you have any feedback on the issue of assessment ready applications, please direct them to the Performance Analysis and Network Initiatives mailbox at performance.management.&This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. using the subject line ‘Migration Agent Feedback’.
Regards

XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [name removed for privacy reasons]

Director, Programme Delivery Temporary Business Entry
Department of Immigration and Border Protection