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Immigration Daily News Significant system outages expected due to overload of applications rushing in to beat the 1 July 2015 fee hikes
Significant system outages expected due to overload of applications rushing in to beat the 1 July 2015 fee hikes
Lodge your applications now or face higher Visa charges and more trouble in loading it up over the next few weeks. DIBP has issued a statement warning of a number of significant system outages in the next few weeks.
It has warned there will be more system outages not only because of the system upgrades but also due to the expected overload in online applications.
“It is your responsibility to manage the completion of online lodgments, with the outage timeframes and potential system delays in mind. The department will take no responsibility for any negative consequences as a result of the outages” noted a statement from the DIBP.
With paper applications, the DIBP statement warns further that “It is your responsibility to ensure that you give yourself enough time for paper applications to be received by the department before 1 July 2015. Paper applications received post 1 July 2015 will incur the new VACs.”
As announced in the budget, the government will raise AU$440 million in revenue by increasing visa and citizenship charges on the argument that applicants should meet the full cost of the service.
Details of the imminent price hikes were recently provided by the DIBP include the following:
· A price increase in line with inflation (2.3 per cent) to specific visas within the Permanent Migration Skill Stream, Skilled Graduate, Temporary Long Stay Business (Subclass 457), Visitor and Student visa streams.
· A 5 per cent price increase to specific visas within the Temporary Resident Short Term Business and Entertainment visas, Working Holiday visas, Resident Return and Retirement Investor visas, and Contributory Parent visa streams.
· A 10 per cent price increase on specific visas within the Other Family (Remaining Relative, Carer and Aged Dependent Relative) visas, and (non-contributory) Parent visa streams where the underlying demand is not expected to be impacted by the price increase.
· A 50 per cent increase to the Significant Investor Visa (SIV) stream in the permanent migration skill stream category where the VAC is a very small component of the minimum $5 million of investments required under the visa regulation.
· An alignment of VAC prices where a differential currently exists for lodging an onshore and offshore application for specific visa subclasses.
Electronic Travel Authorities (ETA), eVisitor and Refugee and Humanitarian visas will not be affected.
A detailed summary of all the price changes are available on the department’s website at: http://www.immi.gov.au/pub-res/Documents/budget/VAC-increases-fact-sheet.pdf
DIBP’s statement indicates that the departmental systems will automatically calculate any new visa application charge as an application is receipted.
Further information on these outages will be made available on the Departments website at: http://www.immi.gov.au/Services/Pages/planned-system-maintenance-technical-issues.aspx
Enquiries may be directed to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Immigration blog
Here we go, 3.5 weeks before the change.
Jerry, the link to the price hikes doesn't work, I suspect text formatting added a 'full stop' to the end of the sentence with the hyperlink, so try it without it:
http://www.immi.gov.au/pub-res/Documents/budget/VAC-increases-fact-sheet.pdf
This is an opportunity to reach out to existing clients and their potential contacts about the change as a way of informing and advising about the changes.
Also, since there's at least 2 outages with the online system closer to the date, I think we shoudln't forget that some applications MAY be faxed or sent electronically to the Department if all else fails (provided that a faxed or emailed application is not excluded in Schedule 1 of the Regs or exempt under the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Act No. 162 of 1999 as ammended) AND there is a fax number or email contact that is likely to reach the intended destination and 'noticed' by the Department at the time of the Doc's arrival.
This last bit is a tad complicated since it's dependent on the Department having a central fax number or email address for these purposes (which it would argue it DOESN'T have for THIS purpose) so whilst it may be an emergency consideration, such an application's validity may have to vigorously argued on a case by case basis (happy to be corrected if my interpretation is wrong and have the right one posted...)
Has anyone had to do last -minute emergency faxed/emailed applications (as may be 'allowed' by Schedule 1 and the ET Act 1999) and if so, have there been any issues with them?
Good Luck all.