Marisawright

Unfortunately, you were wrongly informed about the waiting time in 2018. It was not 36 months. Go back and check forum threads for 2018 and you'll find everyone was well aware that it was much longer. It's very annoying that the Home Affairs website gives misleading information. The trouble is that the government website always shows the waiting time for people who are currently having their visas processed, not the waiting time for someone who applies that day. So when you looked at the site and it said "3 years", it meant they were starting to process applications from 2015. In 2016 and again in 2017, there were massive spikes in applications received - but the number of parent visas was not increased to cater for the increased demand. So the queue just got longer - much longer. People who applied in early 2016 have been waiting for 4 years. Parents who apply today are likely to be waiting for 8 years (not 58 months). I'm not sure how long your wait will be - somewhere in between, obviously.

Fair point.

As I understand it, this update is specifically about new applications. There are other reports besides the SBS one, which make that clearer. People on existing temp visas are currently affected by the existing travel bans, that's a different thing AFAIK

I believe you are, but the best way to find out is to apply for it.

I wasn't suggesting you should. Any reputable migration agent will give you a free consultation to give you an idea of your chances. If your chances are slim to none, they'll tell you that, and you'll save yourself a lot of research. If they say you could possibly apply for a particular visa (e.g. in a particular state or in regional areas) then you'll know where you need to direct your research. If your partner is younger and has an occupation on the skilled list, with the required qualifications and experience, then that may well be a much better pathway. Only one of you needs to apply as the main applicant. The problem with a 482 visa is that it's just a temporary contract. After a few years you can apply for a permanent visa (the 186), but you still need the same qualifications, experience, points etc - and as you still need to be under 45. You can get an idea of how long-winded, uncertain and stressful the 186 process is by reading the threads about it on these forums.

Why would you wait? Or are you not sure it will be approved? If you appy offshore then you must wait offshore until it’s granted, although you can visit Australia in the meantime on a tourist visa

Which agency are you filling out the assessment form for? I hope they are offering to give you a free assessment - if they're going to charge you, go somewhere else. The good agents offer a free first consultation. If you are over 45 then you cannot be the primary applicant, so your husband will need to be the one who gets the visa. If he applies for a permanent visa (the 189 or the 190) or a provisional visa (the 491), there is usually no need for a job offer. He just needs to have an occupation that is on the Skilled List. We are still waiting for that list to be confirmed for 2020/21. If his occupation is on the list, he also needs to have the qualifications and experience specified. Finally, he will need to score enough points to be invited. Nowadays, the process is highly competitive and only applicants with the highest points get invited (he rest just lose their money). In the last round before the Covid shutdown, only people with over 95 points were chosen for the 189 visa. Points are less important for the 190 and 491 visas - they are offered by the individual states, and they each have their own criteria. The problem for your husband is that I doubt his occupation is on the list. There are business visas for people who want to open a business in Australia, but I believe the investment required is substantial.

Just to note that this update refers only to NEW applications. Essentially, the Federal Government hasn't confirmed the skilled list changes for this financial year, and neither they nor the States can open for new applications until they do.

As VeryStormy says, you should also be aware that employer-sponsored visas are usually only temporary, NOT a path to permanent migration. They used to be an option but now they are so risky as not to be worth it.

@Wannabeaussieguyandgal, right now is a good time to start decluttering, even though you're right at the start of your journey. It's much easier to do that tedious stuff early, while you're excited. Once you've made the application and you're waiting, waiting, waiting, you can start to feel bogged down and it's harder to find the energy. And decluttering always takes months longer than you expect. Look at it this way - even if you don't get to Australia for whatever reason, a decluttered house means you're ready for whatever other adventure you choose.

I wonder why you would go for a 482 visa. It's only a temporary visa with the possibility that you might, if your employer is willing and if the rules haven't changed, be able to apply for the possibility of gaining a permanent visa. Its predecessor, the 457, used to be popular as a pathway to permanent residence years ago, but even then there was a high failure right - now, I would not recommend you try it, especially as a teacher. There's a good chance that by the time you were eligible to apply for a permanent visa, teachers wouldn't even be on the list of eligible occupations.

Scott Morrison has said very clearly that travel bans will be in place till at least June next year. There has been some suggestion that temporary skilled visa holders will be allowed in, and international students. There is absolutely no suggestion that tourists or other temp visa holders will be allowed in. Your parents would have to arrive on a tourist visa so that's not going to help you.

Since the waiting time for a UK partner visa is 12-18 months and you won't be able to activate your visa till mid-June 2021 anyway, I'd recommend applying now from the UK and just being patient. With so many other visas on hold, the partner visa processing times appear to be getting faster. As Quoll says, in the meantime you could arrange your husband's citizenship if he doesn't have it already. If he leaves the UK without it, he may struggle to get back in if you decide to return at some point - if he has Indefinite Leave to Remain, that will lapse. It's far, far more difficult to get an Australian partner into the UK than it is to get a UK partner into Australia. I suspect that will be important, as the fact that you've delayed the move for so long suggests you have pull factors in the UK as well as Australia.

As Quoll says, it’s a shame you didn’t apply for your visa a while ago then you’d be sitting pretty. There's no advantage in applying onshore - processing times are much longer and if you want to work, you'll find it hard to get a job while on the bridging visa (you'll be able to work but employers are hesitant because they don't understand the visa). Your big problem right now is that if you apply onshore, you'll have to pop over to NZ and return to validate the visa - and with Covid, you may not be able to. We have a few members in that situation right now, stuck on their bridging visa because no one is getting permission to make a short trip like that. The Prime Mnister has made it clear the travel restrictions won't ease until at least June next year.

Currently, temporary visa holders can’t enter the country and that is likely to be the case until mid 2021. Public schools do not sponsor 482. You would have to target private schools directly but as I said, no point until it’s possible to enter the country

That's how they set it up in Australia too, at first, but they found that far too many people were cheating and going out shopping etc. So those idiots spoiled it for everyone else.

That might get you a few extra points but you still need an occupation that’s on the skilled list

As Ausvisitor says, the best plan is talk to an agent. The good ones will give you a free initial consultation. Try SunCoast Migration or Go Matilda. Your biggest problem is that the visa process is highly competitive. Only applicants with the highest points are invited, and the rest just lose their money. You only need 65 points to be allowed to apply for a visa - but accountants need to score at least 95 points to stand any chance. https://www.iscah.com/will-get-189-invitation-january-2020-estimates/ Note too, that was before Covid. The government has held back on confirming the occupation list or quotas for 2020/21 (they're usually announced by now). There is talk that they may not be issued until October. They have been talking about removing Accountants from the list for a couple of years now, because there has been an over-supply - so you can only wait and see.

Not if their visa is temporary or provisional. Apparently there are hundreds of temporary visa holders stranded outside Australia. Their home is in Australia because that's where they've been working, but as temp visa holders they have no right of entry - and they're being refused exemptions too.

You're right, the 491 is sold as a pathway to PR. The whole idea of the visa is to attract migrants who will settle and stay in rural and regional areas. I was gobsmacked when I discovered they were being lumped in with other temporary visas. Legally speaking, the 491 is temporary, which is why it's got caught in the trap. The shutdown is very hard on 482 visa holders, too, but I can at least see the logic of not allowing employer-sponsored visas - there's going to be high unemployment from now on, so local candidates should be easier to get, and besides many of those employers will be cutting staff or closing down altogether.

I doubt very much a basal cell carcinoma would be a problem. More to the point, though, what profession is he in? Temporary visa holders are not being allowed into the country at present, and that's likely to be the case until June next year, unless his employer can make a special case.

What information did you give them? Remember, they're not going to just take your word for things. To play devil's advocate, I can see how they might poke holes in your request. The funeral has taken place so there is no urgency to bury the ashes. If your MIL is still residing in their joint home, then there is no urgency to clear his belongings. If your MIL isn't able to take care of herself, then how is she managing now? And how will she manage when you return in November? Let's say your MIL wants to downsize or move into aged care, but is too frail to manage the house clearance and move. That sounds far more convincing but I think you'd need get a letter from her doctor to support your case. Many people in their 70's would be well able to manage all that on their own. You'd also need to show that you've got no other family members able to do the work. You could apply under "urgent personal business" rather than compassionate reasons, whichmakes it clearer that you're travelling because you're genuinely needed at home, not because you want to be near family. The "urgent personal business" category is also how you apply if you're leaving permanently. You need to provide proof that you're winding up your life in Australia - things like acknowledgments of your notice from your employer, a sale agreement with a real estate agent to put your house on the market, a quote from a removals firm to ship your belongings.

Sadly, there is no point in emailing immigration because the rules are very clear. You are only allowed to have one Working Holiday Visa, even if you didn't stay for the whole time on your first one. And you didn't work in a regional area, so you are not eligible to apply for the second year working visa, either. The only other option is one of the Skilled visas, either temporary (employer-sponsored) or permanent. To be eligible, you must have qualifications and experience in an occupation that is on the Skilled list. If not, you can't work in Australia, end of story - unless you are willing to go back to college or university and retrain.

Do you have a visa?

That's true. My situation was not unlike yours - I think I had about 12 years already paid and topped up 6 (the maximum allowed) and it was worth it. My own feeling is that it is probably worth it for anyone who has already paid 10 or 15 years NI contributions, especially if there's any chance they might want to go back to the UK at some point. The annual contribution is surprisingly small and unless you're counting every penny, you're not likely to miss it - whereas once you retire, you value every penny of income you can get!