Migration Update : 02 September 2022
1. Government Taking Action to Process Visas Faster
Processing the backlog of visa applications is an urgent priority for the Albanese Government, and the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs has directed the Department of Home Affairs to devote more staff to addressing the current visa backlog.
The Department is prioritising processing of key offshore caseloads – temporary skilled, student and visitor – so more people can travel to Australia, contribute to economic growth, and assist with labour shortages.
Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles has tasked the Department with dealing with the backlog as quickly as possible. Minister Giles is assessing all options available to address the backlog.
Already, officers previously focused on travel exemptions have been redirected to visa processing, with nearly 140 new staff in visa processing roles since May 2022. Further, a surge capacity to work overtime, drawn from across the Department and the Australian Border Force, has been established.
2. South Australia 2022-23 Skilled & Business Migration programs now open
The 2022-23 program will have expanded eligibility criteria across both skilled migration visa subclasses 190 and 491 and will be open to offshore applications.
The 2022-23 General Skilled Migration (GSM) program is now open, and the South Australian Government has published a revised skilled occupation list, outlining the skills it seeks to fill through overseas talent as well as migrants already living and working in South Australia.
The list is one of the nation’s most expansive, with skilled migrants, including our highly talented international graduates, able to seek state nomination from over 500 occupations.
The number of occupations open to overseas migrants has returned to pre-COVID pandemic levels with over 470 occupations this year, up from 380 in 2021-22.
The 2022-23 Skilled Migration Program will prioritise nominations for skilled migrants:
- with backgrounds in in-demand industries, such as Health, ICT, Education, Engineering, Agribusiness and Trades, or who can bring their skills to growing sectors such as Hi-Tech / Digital, Health and Life Sciences, Green Energy, Defence, Space and Cyber Security.
3. Online-only lodgement of Bridging A, B and C visa applications from 1 August 2022
The following information has been provided by the Department of Home Affairs to Migration Alliance:
We are pleased to advise that from 1 August 2022, applicants will be able to lodge Bridging A, B and C visa applications via an online webform. This webform should be used by applicants who are unable to lodge a Bridging visa application through ImmiAccount, and would otherwise have submitted their application via a paper based application by mail or in person.
From 1 August 2022, all applicants applying for a Bridging A, B or C visa in Australia must lodge their application online either through ImmiAccount or the webform on the Department’s website. Paper applications will no longer be accepted as a valid method of lodgement from this date.
Website and application form updates will be deployed as of 1 August 2022 to support these changes.
The webform will be available through the Department’s website at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/departmental-forms/online-forms
It will also be accessible through the step by step instructions on the following pages:
- Bridging visa A – BVA – (subclass 010)
- Bridging visa B – BVB – (subclass 020)
- Bridging visa C – BVC – (subclass 030)