South Australia’s state nomination is arguably the most reliable in the country, offering a wide range of pathways suitable for almost every type of applicant.
As the May federal election draws closer, polls are multiplying — SMH and The Age have released another one, focusing on what voters care about most heading into this election.
This week, 2022 postgraduate entrance exam results have begun to roll in, dominating headlines across major media. This contest drew 4.57 million candidates — a record high, up approximately 800,000 from last year. But the competition is far from over: further rounds, including the re-examination, await, and candidates need to prepare carefully.
On the morning of 21 February, as the first international flight touched down in Sydney, Australia’s borders officially reopened to the world. More than 50 international flights arrived in Australia that day, with 27 landing in Sydney — the country’s largest city. After 704 days, Australia was finally open to visitors again!
At last, the Department of Home Affairs has updated the general waiting times for applicants who received grants in December 2021 and January (January was not updated). In this update, they have again provided data at the 25% and 50% benchmarks.
As many of our followers know, the Subclass 143 grant queue has been stuck at the May/June 2016 lodgement mark for quite some time. We keep receiving questions such as: Aren’t there grants being issued? Why is processing still at this rate? Has something gone wrong? Has the information not been updated?
2022 was a landmark year. After nearly two years of COVID-related border closures, Australia’s Prime Minister announced that from 21 February 2022 the country would reopen to the world — anyone with two doses of an Australian Government-approved vaccine and a valid visa could purchase a flight and enter Australia immediately, with no entry exemption required. And for overseas migration applicants, 2022 also marked a positive new beginning for migration to Australia.
South Australia’s state nomination programme today, 16 February 2022, opened an additional 259 occupations to overseas applicants. Combined with the 130 previously available, the total now stands at 389 — the greatest number of occupations available in any state nomination programme currently open to overseas applicants! This wide-scale opening is not only in line with Australia’s full border reopening; it also signals that onshore applicants in South Australia cannot meet local market demand, and that overseas talent is needed to fill the labour shortage. This is a very positive signal!
Professor Brian Schmidt, Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU), stated in his 2022 State of the University address that Australian universities face an existential threat from political interference by both major political parties.
Australia’s visa processing, especially for skilled migration visas like Subclass 189/190/491, takes so long that it is increasingly common for applicants to be single at the time of lodgement, only to meet someone during the waiting period — raising the question: “Can I add a spouse to my application after lodging?”
