1. the application was lodged before 24 March 2021;

2. the applicant was in Australia on 24 March 2021;

3. the visa is granted after 23 March 2021;

4. the application was lodged before the end of the CP;

5. the applicant is in Australia.

Parent applicants who meet all of the above criteria may be granted their visa onshore; otherwise, an offshore grant is required.

Under normal circumstances, the Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa can only be lodged and granted offshore once the sponsorship has been approved.

Currently, however, the application may be lodged onshore as soon as approval is obtained(see figure below)

— although note that if lodging onshore, the application must be submitted within 60 days.

The concession allowing Subclass 500 visa holders to work without restriction was introduced to address Australia’s labour shortage.

This was clearly articulated in the post-Employment Summit report.This concession has been extended to 30 June next year. The COVID-associated Subclass 408 stream may follow a similar pattern.

If Australia’s employment situation has not improved by then, there is the possibility of a further extension.

In addition, after Australia’s employment participation rate reached a new high last month, it edged down 0.1% this month — making it difficult to forecast next year’s situation from the data. At the very least, those of you with work for now can comfortably apply for the Subclass 408 through to the end of this year and into early next year.

Previously, the primary applicant for a Subclass 485 visa was required to be onshore in Australia to both lodge and be granted the visa.

Over the past two years, requirements have been relaxed to allow offshore applicants to lodge, without the requirement to have held a student visa for the preceding six months.Furthermore, the relevant legislation contains no CP restriction, meaning these changes are long-term.

The following applicants may apply (provided they meet the other requirements including ASR and language):

1. there is no requirement for the applicant to be onshore in Australia when lodging — whether you are in Australia or overseas, you can apply directly;

2. there is no requirement for the applicant to be onshore in Australia when the visa is granted — applicants both in Australia and overseas may be granted the visa;

The Subclass 887 has three concessions in effect over the past two years:

1. Previously, the Subclass 887 required onshore lodgement —Regulation 887.2 now permits offshore lodgement;

2. For the grant, it is now the case regardless of whether the CP is still in effect — the visa can be granted whether the applicant is onshore or offshore.

3. Additionally,onshore applicants affected by the special circumstances have a reduced work requirement of just 9 months full-time;applicants who spent time offshore and therefore lost some qualifying time may also be eligible for a reduction in their residency requirement.

Of course, what most Subclass 887 applicants are really waiting for is faster processing times — not simply relaxed lodgement requirements 🙁

35,000 more PR allocations — Victoria lowers Subclass 190 requirements again!Tap‘Original link’ — migration weekly bulletin, video edition