Highlights of this week’s migration bulletin—
1. Australia–NZ quarantine-free travel bubble confirmed, with talks underway for other countries/regions!
2. NSW issues another round of 190 state nomination invitations, with a minimum raw score of 85 points
3. ACT continues weekly state nomination invitations,with QLD set to reopen applications
4.VIC releases official March state nomination data
5. This week’s roundup of visa grants, invitations, skills assessments and citizenship processing progress
From this week, we’ll be including authoritative news and the latest data on Australia’s vaccine rollout from the past week in our bulletin
1. Australia–NZ quarantine-free travel bubble confirmed, with talks underway for other countries/regions!
As soon as we were back from the Easter long weekend this week,New Zealand’s Prime Minister announced that quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand will officially begin on 19 April 2021. The travel bubble applies to citizens, PR holders and TR holders located in Australia, and New Zealand will resume visa processing for people in Australia.
Holders of Australian temporary visas, such as student, work and partner visas, can apply for a visitor visa within Australia to travel to New Zealand. As the first country to open its border to Australia,Chinese passport holders can also apply for a 5-year multiple-entry visitor visa under New Zealand’s special policy. This visa allows the holder to enter and exit New Zealand multiple times over five years, with each stay capped at 3 months.
To apply for a New Zealand visitor visa, you’ll need to satisfy the following requirements:Genuineness of travel, financial capacity, evidence of close ties overseas, and a travel plan.
One important note:Australia requires a stay of at least 14 days in New Zealand to qualify for a quarantine exemption on re-entry to Australia,so if you’re planning a trip to New Zealand, you’ll need to allow for a longer stay.
Also, if you’re currently in Australia,and have already been invited but had your visa lodgement affected by the Section 48 bar, this Australia–NZ travel bubble may offer a workaround.
For details, see:485/500/491 and Other TR Holders Can Travel Quarantine-Free! How to Apply? ← Australia–NZ Travel Bubble Confirmed! A Turning Point for Migration?!For questions about New Zealand visitor visas or New Zealand migration pathways, contact our consultant below:
With the travel bubble with New Zealand now confirmed,Australia is moving on to its next “target”,with the Prime Minister stating that health officials are watching 3 countries, namely:Singapore, Japan and South Korea. Of these, Singapore is the top priority — Federal Trade Minister Dan Tehan said he would travel to Singapore in the coming months to discuss further details, with students and business travellers the primary focus!
Short-term travellers entering Singapore currently need to apply for an Air Travel Pass (ATP). Mainland China and Taiwan both appear on the list of eligible countries/regions published on the Singapore Tourism Board’s official website.
In short, large-scale border reopening is unlikely this year, but opening the border to specific countries or regions and letting some people in first appears to be something the government is actively pursuing — along with discussions on a more flexible international student pilot scheme.
2. NSW issues another round of 190 state nomination invitations, with a minimum raw score of 85 points
NSW issued another round of 190 state nomination invitations at 6pm this Friday — about a month after the last round on 2 March 2021. Judging by what we’ve seen, this round’s volume was substantial, though invitations were concentrated in a few occupations. Below is data gathered from our clients (unofficial figures — NSW does not publish an official invitation data report):
–Structural Engineer at 85+5 points, DOE 3.5.2019
–Civil Engineer at 90+5 points, DOE 30.9.2020
–Civil Engineer at 90+5 points, DOE 6.7.2020
–261313 at 90+5 points, lodged late February 2021
–261313 at 95+5 points, DOE 29.3.2021
–261313 at 95+5 points, DOE 12.2.2021
–261111 at 95+5 points, DOE 30.9.2020
Note: the invitations above refer to pre-invitations received after lodging an EOI. After receiving a pre-invitation and submitting the full application, the state government will assess it before issuing a formal nomination — only then can you lodge the 190 visa application.
If you’re in another state with a high-scoring engineering or ICT background, we welcome you to have your eligibility for NSW 190 assessed. If you don’t want to miss the latest news on NSW state nomination invitations,add our consultant and note: NSW,to request to join#NSW State Nomination Latest News Sharing Group#
3. ACT continues weekly state nomination invitations, with QLD set to reopen applications
ACT state nominationcontinues to issue matrix invitations — this round, general applicants received 14 matrix invitations for 190 and 39 for 491:
Accountant:Minimum 105 points for 491, 110 points for 190
Civil Engineer:Minimum 60 points for 491, 85 points for 190
Marketing Specialist:Minimum 70 points for 491, 85 points for 190
ICT occupations 2611/2613/2621/2631/2632:Among those invited,the lowest score to receive 491 was 60 points, and the lowest to receive 190 was 85 points
Chef:Minimum 60 points for 491, 90 points for 190
Registered Nurse:Minimum 70 points for 491, 85 points for 190
Accounting/ICT/civil engineering/nursing/QS/graphic design/social work/cost engineering… popular or niche, ACT is inviting them all! To find out the latest requirements or get a detailed assessment of your occupation, contact our consultant below
Earlier,the QLD state governmentsaid it would reopen state nomination invitations in April — this week brought an update:
—QLD 190 will not reopen this financial year due to a shortage of allocations,the next opening will have to wait until the new financial year brings a fresh allocation; applications already lodged will continue to be processed
—QLD 491 work stream is about to reopen, the 491 small business stream remains open, and new rules took effect from 1 April
–Business and investor migration applications lodged before 24 February will also continue to be processed.
If you’d like to discuss QLD 491, especially the small business stream, please contact our consultant below
4.VIC releases official March state nomination data — plenty of allocation left for both 190 and 491
The VIC state government has updated its state nomination data as at 31 March 2021
190 state nomination:
–A total of 5,817 ROI applications received so far
–1,182 formal 190 state nominations issued; this financial year’s allocation is 2,500
–For 190, 75% of applications are processed within 21 days, and 90% within 28 days
491 regional state nomination:
–A total of 872 ROI applications received so far
–262 formal 491 state nominations issued; this financial year’s allocation is 1,043
–For 491, 75% of applications are processed within 13 days, and 90% within 16 days
The main occupations invited are shown in the chart below:
The next round of ROI invitations will be on 23 April 2021. If you’d like to discuss VIC state nomination — medical, social work, ICT, engineering and other occupations — please contact our consultant below
Feifan English’s bonus study material is back again! This time we’re bringing youthe ‘CCL Past Papers Compilation, Version 2.08’!
This update isthe latest upgrade for 2021, covering all 11 CCL exam topics and every frequently-tested past question in full — the most comprehensive version yet! It also includes 88 dialogue recordings, so you can use the audio to simulate real exam conditions while you practise.
In addition, Feifan English has scheduled its courses around the actual annual CCL exam dates — both in-person and online classes are available. Places are limited, so if you need these valuable 5 migration points, get your course plan sorted quickly.
If you’re planning to sit the CCL exam, scan the QR code below to get in touch with a Feifan tutor to arrange it!
5. This week’s roundup of visa grants, invitations, skills assessments and citizenship processing progress
A recent roundup of Newstars visa grants and invitations of all kinds: press and hold below to view —the page is updated continuously,so we strongly recommend yousave and bookmark it!
State nomination invitation / GTI invitation data
ACT state nomination
Lodged 26/03/2021, invited for 190 on 08/04/2021, 233211
Lodged 19/03/2021, invited for 491 on 07/04/2021, 221111
Lodged late March/early April 2021, invited for 190 on 10 April 2021, 261312
Lodged late March/early April 2021, invited for 491 on 10 April 2021, 233213 QS
Lodged late March/early April 2021, invited for 491 on 10 April 2021, 225113 Marketing Specialist
VIC state nomination
None this week
TAS state nomination
None this week
NSW state nomination
None this week
SA state nomination
(Formal nomination) Lodged 8 February 2021, invited for 190 on 8 April 2021, General Accountant, 75+5, with spouse, onshore
(Formal nomination) Lodged 8 February 2021, invited for 491 on 7 April 2021, Management Accountant, 85+15, onshore
(Pre-invitation) Lodged 16 February 2021, invited to apply for 491 state nomination on 7 April 2021, Private Tutors and Teachers nec, 70+15, onshore
QLD state nomination
None this week
WA state nomination
None this week
NT state nomination
None this week
GTI invitations
None this week
This week’s visa grant progress and analysis
189 Skilled Independent migration
Lodged 14 November 2019, granted 6 April 2021 (85 points, Software Engineer, family of three, onshore)
Lodged 21 February 2020, granted 9 April 2021 (95 points, Electronic Engineer, with secondary applicant, onshore)
Lodged 12 February 2020, granted 6 April 2021 (Accountant – 221111, onshore)
190 State Nominated Skilled migration
Lodged 11 March 2021, granted 6 April 2021 (NSW, 95+5, Software Engineer, single applicant, onshore)
Lodged 15/03/2021, granted 07/04/2021, 261111, main and secondary applicants onshore
Lodged 10/03/2021, granted 06/04/2021, 261313, main applicant onshore, no secondary applicant
Lodged 09/03/2021, granted 06/04/2021, 261313, main applicant onshore, no secondary applicant
Lodged 11 March 2021, granted 6 April 2021 (Social Worker – 272511, onshore, with spouse)
Lodged 26 August 2019, granted 7 April 2021 (Motor Mechanic (General) – 321211, onshore, with spouse)
491 (new regional) / 489 (former regional) sponsored visas
None this week
887 Skilled Regional (permanent) visa
None this week
858GTI Program
None this week
Employer sponsorship
Sponsorship application lodged 11 April 2021, approved 7 April 2021
482 lodged 4 October 2019, granted 6 April 2021
600 Visitor visa (onshore)
Lodged 20 July 2020, granted 7 April 2021
500 Student visa
Lodged 25 January 2021, granted 6 April 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 12 February 2021, granted 7 April 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 22 December 2020, granted 7 April 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 12 March 2021, granted 7 April 2021 (offshore)
Lodged 17 February 2021, granted 7 April 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 19 March 2021, granted 7 April 2021 (offshore)
Lodged 3 December 2020, granted 7 April 2021 (onshore)
Lodged 16 March 2021, granted 8 April 2021 (offshore)
Lodged 22 March 2021, granted 6 April 2021 (offshore)
485 Graduate Work visa
Lodged 5 March 2021, granted 6 April 2021
Lodged 23 September 2020, granted 7 April 2021
Lodged 25 September 2020, granted 8 April 2021
Lodged 1 March 2021, granted 9 April 2021
Lodged 25 March 2020, granted 6 April 2021
Lodged 27 August 2020, granted 9 April 2021
Partner migration
820/801 visa application lodged 20 August 2019, 820 granted 6 April 2021
820 visa application lodged 8 September 2019, 820 granted 3 April 2021
820 visa application lodged 13 August 2019, 820 granted 3 April 2021
820 visa application lodged 12 February 2020, 820 granted 6 April 2021
820 visa application lodged 19 July 2019, 820 granted 7 April 2021
820 visa application lodged 11 June 2019, 820 granted 8 April 2021
802 Child visa
None this week
Parent migration/visa
None this week
155 Resident Return visa
Lodged 8 April 2021, granted 8 April 2021
408 visa
Lodged 26 February 2021, granted 6 April 2021 (with secondary applicant)
Travel exemption application
Travel exemption applied for 31 March 2021, exemption received 6 April 2021
Condition 8503/8534 waiver
None this week
This week’s skills assessment processing progress
CA (accounting-related)
None this week
CPA (accounting-related)
Lodged 23 March 2021, completed 7 April 2021
EA (engineering-related)
Lodged 11 February 2021, completed 9 April 2021
VETASSESS
Lodged 31 March 2021, completed 8 April 2021, Fashion Designer (232311), expedited
Lodged 31 March 2021, completed 5 April 2021 (expedited)
AITSL (teaching-related)
None this week
ACS (IT-related)
Lodged 26 March 2021, completed 9 April 2021
Lodged 16 March 2021, completed 9 April 2021
Lodged 26 February 2021, completed 6 April 2021
ANMAC skills assessment (nursing-related)
None this week
NAATI Recertification (translating/interpreting-related)
None this week
AIQS (quantity surveying-related)
None this week
AACA (architecture-related)
None this week
If you can’t find the data category you’re after (i.e. it’s marked “none this week”), you can click through tothe [Migration Weekly Bulletin Collection]at the top of the article to browse past bulletins and find the relevant data.
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At last! From 19 April, some people can travel in and out of Australia quarantine-free, including temporary visa holders in Australia!
Apply for a visa for free, stay in Australia long-term, build up points while waiting for an invitation, and work in some cases! 485/500 student visa/WHV/parent visitor visa can all be used this way!
Accounting/ICT and other occupations have recently been getting approved! Still scrambling for points for 189/190/491? Still waiting anxiously for an invitation? You could switch to this Plan A!
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