News

News June 16, 2022 newstarsec

Immigration Minister Reaffirms Government’s Commitment to Urgent Visa Processing — Regional Employers Demand 491 Resources Now!

The last long weekend of the first half of 2022 has passed. Beyond Christmas at the end of the year, public holidays become relatively sparse in the second half. Sydney and Melbourne airports both experienced the usual peak-travel delays over the Queen's Birthday long weekend, with domestic travel largely back to normal — but what about international arrivals and departures?

News June 15, 2022 newstarsec

Record Gaokao Enrolments: Why Study in Australia Instead

According to China's Ministry of Education, 11.93 million students registered for the 2022 national Gaokao — an increase of 1.15 million on the previous year. And that doesn't even count mature-age and private candidates.

News June 10, 2022 newstarsec

At Last! Subclass 143 Parent Migration Processing Moves to July 2016 — More Visa Options for Parents to Reunite in Australia

The Department of Home Affairs website has updated Subclass 143 contributory parent migration processing progress: as at 30 April 2022, processing has finally reached applications lodged in July 2016. The queue had remained at June 2016 for a very long time — the Department has now officially confirmed the move to July 2016.

News June 9, 2022 newstarsec

What Changes Must You Report to the Department While Awaiting Visa Grant? 190/491 Applicants May Face Review of Work Experience — Even If You Didn’t Claim Points for It!

Yesterday we published a post noting that the Immigration Minister had directed his department to prioritise the backlog of visa applications (read: It's Finally Here! Immigration Minister Acknowledges: Directed Priority Processing of Visa Backlog, to Shorten Wait Times — Especially for Skilled Migration!).

News June 8, 2022 newstarsec

Finally! Immigration Minister Acknowledges: Priority Processing of Visa Application Backlog Ordered, Processing Times to Be Reduced — Especially for Skilled Migration!

After years of community frustration over visa processing delays, Australia’s new Minister for Immigration has made a direct public statement: resolving the visa backlog is now the Government’s priority, particularly for skilled migration.

News June 7, 2022 newstarsec

Eight Out of Ten Skilled Migration Applicants Ask: “Can My Work Experience Count? Which Periods Apply? What Are the Rules?” — The Complete Guide to Work Experience Recognition in VET Skills Assessments

Today we break down one of the most important elements of a VET skills assessment — work experience recognition. We cover the assessing authority overview, how to confirm your occupation's requirements, how working time deductions are calculated, and the key challenges you're likely to face.

News June 6, 2022 newstarsec

NSW 190 June First Round Invitations — Engineering/Construction and More! South Australia Closing Applications Soon! ‘Grant PR, Help You Settle’ — Federal Minister to Discuss Attracting Migrants with Immigration Minister

NSW issued a new round of Subclass 190 invitations today, 6 June. As the financial year draws to a close, NSW 190 has continued to release invitations at a reasonably steady pace this year — commendably so. That said, the occupations in this round hold few surprises, continuing the trend of recent rounds.

News June 3, 2022 newstarsec

Skilled migration visas taking too long — NSW and Victorian Premiers are losing patience! Both pledge to work with the federal government to speed up approvals! ‘Migration must be the priority now’ — calls from across multiple industries.

This Wednesday, the Labor government's new cabinet was sworn in. Everyone is eager to see positive change as quickly as possible. Many of you have been asking: Will the new government increase quotas? Speed up processing? Change the occupation lists? The truth is, we're not the only ones anxious about this.

News June 2, 2022 newstarsec

489 to 887 — Still Waiting on Your Grant? The Data Shows: Offshore Applicants Can Go Straight to a Subclass 190 PR in One Step, and That May Be the Smarter Play!

Recently, as the last batch of 2019 Subclass 489 visa holders reached their two-year mark and began lodging Subclass 887 PR visa applications, the question we hear most often is: is the 887 really slow right now? I heard my friend waited two years… and so on. Indeed, the slow processing of the Subclass 887 has long been an unsolved mystery — many people wonder whether there were really that many 489 holders back then. Today, we use fresh FOI data obtained through a migration request to give you the answer: yes, there were!

News June 2, 2022 newstarsec

Can Labor End the Australia–China Trade War? Business and Migration Agents Watch Closely

In late 2020, China imposed so-called 'anti-dumping' tariffs of up to 218% on Australian wine. Mr Tian said this forced many wine importers like himself to pivot their business and find alternative wine suppliers, such as those in Chile and the United States.