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News August 8, 2022 newstarsec

Many PR holders start collecting documents for their parents the very next day — taking these steps for a faster family reunion!

Last Friday, 5 August, one of our Subclass 143 client couples received their visa grant — both parents. One parent was lodged in late July 2016, and the other was added as a secondary applicant in 2021, with no impact on the queue position. The application reached the additional information (further documents) stage in late June 2022, and the visa was granted on 5 August after the Contributory Parent payment was made!

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News August 5, 2022 newstarsec

Watch Out — Visa Pitfalls Ahead! One of the Most Commonly Refused Visas for International Students, and How It Can Affect Your Work and PR Plans

Graduation season is here, and students with a solid plan will be familiar with the Subclass 485 Graduate Work visa. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the Department of Home Affairs has made many adjustments to the Subclass 485 requirements, so it is still important to proceed carefully and avoid common mistakes when applying.

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News August 4, 2022 newstarsec

Visa Decision Timelines: Why Some Take Six Months and Others Three Years — Plus the Two-Stage Requirements Every Application Must Meet

Great news keeps coming from the Newstars professional team — AAT appeal wins are rolling in! Yes, a DIY student visa refusal was overturned with only written submissions, thanks to our lawyers, with no hearing required.

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News August 3, 2022 newstarsec

One month into the new financial year — more opportunities for offshore migrants to Australia! Invitations issued, applications open, occupations expanded: six states have officially announced offshore channels! GTI to focus on purely offshore applicants!

Australia's borders are fully open, the overall skilled migration quota has increased, and Australia is experiencing a historically rare labour shortage. Against this backdrop, the new financial year should be one that offshore migration applicants — especially skilled applicants — can look forward to.

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News August 2, 2022 newstarsec

485 Grants Pouring In — A Golden Window for Graduate Work Visa Holders: How to Plan Your Migration Over the Next 2–5 Years

Last week, the Minister for Home Affairs released a media statement highlighting the Department's visa processing performance since taking office. The statement noted that the Department had been prioritising the processing of offshore temporary skilled visas, student visas, and visitor visas. Since June this year, 745,000 applications have been processed, with approximately 86.5% involving applicants overseas.

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News August 1, 2022 newstarsec

Why You Should Lodge a Subclass 103 Parent Visa Queue Application as Soon as You Get Your PR

• Many people consider applying for a parent visa once they receive their PR — especially only children, who hope to care for their parents in Australia in the future. However, quite a few delay because their parents haven't retired yet. This is a serious mistake. • Regardless of your situation, you should lodge at least a Subclass 103 queue application as early as possible. This article explains why in detail.

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News July 28, 2022 newstarsec

Don’t Have the Grades for Go8 Masters? Graduate Certificates and Diplomas Can Get You There — No Extra Time or Fees! Finance, IT, Engineering, Education and More Available

When it comes to studying in Australia, the Group of Eight universities always attract the most attention. Because most Go8 postgraduate programmes require an Australian undergraduate GPA of at least 65%, this hard requirement shuts some students out. Don't worry though — many Australian universities also offer Graduate Certificate (GC) and Graduate Diploma (GD) programmes, which are ideal for students whose academic background doesn't directly meet master's entry requirements!

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News July 27, 2022 newstarsec

Queensland Opens This Financial Year’s State Nomination! Three Major Updates: Relaxed Local Graduate Requirements, Offshore Stream Reopens, 188E Restarts! State Government Expects Quota by August!

The Queensland Migration department (referred to below as MQ) is focusing this financial year's state nomination on three streams: the small business owner stream, the local graduate stream, and the offshore applicant stream.

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News July 26, 2022 newstarsec

Great news may be on the way for offshore applicants — invitations issued just today, with waits under three months! Here’s how GTI has changed this financial year…

Last week, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil told media that the incoming Labor government has committed to prioritising approximately 60,000 offshore skilled migration applications to address labour shortages across Australian industries. She also noted genuine doubt over whether the previous government's newly created GTI Global Talent visa was actually attracting talent from around the world — given that 77% of grants in the last financial year went to applicants already in Australia. To demonstrate a genuinely global focus, this financial year GTI will prioritise offshore applicants.

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News July 25, 2022 newstarsec

Australian Graduates — Onshore or Offshore — Any Nominated Occupation, 65 Points to Unlock a Subclass 190 Permanent Visa! Newstars Brisbane Gives You Direct Access to the MINT Graduate Pathway!

For applicants in states where the study-abroad-to-migration pathway has traditionally been difficult — such as Queensland — the Queensland Subclass 491 small-business stream was once a rare alternative route. However, that pathway has its own characteristics and limitations: it is restricted to the Subclass 491 visa only, and it carries a minimum self-employment threshold that not everyone can meet.

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