IMMIGRATION
Latest changes on immigration
FIANCÉ AND SPOUSE SPONSORSHIP
ALL application for fiancé (prospective
marriage visa subclass 300) that used to be
filed overseas and the spouse or partner
visa, whether the applicant is in Australia or
overseas must be lodged on-line effective 1
July 2018 using an immi account.
The visa application fee will also increase
to $7,160 from $7,000 starting 1 July 2018.
INVESTOR RETIREMENT VISA CLOSED
The investor retirement visa, which
allowed retirees over the age of 55 years old
with designated investment of $75,000 and
no dependent children, had ceased as of 15
June 2018.
FILING OF VISA CENTRALISED
From 1 July 2018, people who wants to
sponsor a relative on Carer visa because of
long term-need of the sponsor or because
of permanent medical condition and the
Aged Dependent Relative visa for older
people who are financially dependent on
their Australian relative, will have to post
their application to: Child and Other Family
Processing Centre, Department of Home
Affairs, Locked Bag 7, Northbridge Western
Australia 6865.
PASSPORT PHOTOGRAPH
Passport photograph with prescription
08
By ATTY. JESSIE ICAO
Practising Solicitor
glasses for Australian citizenship application
will not be accepted effective 1 July 2018.
According to the Australian government
the new requirement is to strengthen the
integrity of the Australian passport.
MINISTER’S POWER OF
CAPPING AND QUEUING
The Minister for Home Affairs has the
power to limit (or cap) the number of visas
granted to: Carer visa, Remaining Relative
visa and Aged Dependent Relative visa.
After the visa applicant has complied
the criteria for the grant of the visa, the
Minister will also provide a date when the
visa application will be released for final
processing.
INVITATION ON EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Nurses; accountants; engineers and IT
professionals who have pending EOI are
presently concerned that it’s taking a long
time before they are invited to apply for
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) or
under the Skilled Regional Provisional visa.
Without the EOI invitation, the applicant
JULY 2018 | AK NewsMagazine, Vol 8 No 10
will either depart Australia and wait for the
invitation from the Department of Home
Affairs overseas or apply for another visa like
student visa or apply for Skill Shortage Visa
if they will be sponsored by an employer to
maintain their legal status in Australia as EOI
is not a substantive application.
ONE PROCESSING OFFICE FOR
VISITOR (SUBCLASS 600) VISA
Those inviting a relative under the visitor
Sponsored Family stream (paper based),
where the relative in Australia will invite
a relative to Australia and the sponsor is
willing to put a bond, is advised to send the
application sent to: Department of Home
Affairs, On shore Visitor Visa Processing GPO
Box 9984, Australia.
INCREASE IN VISA APPLICATION CHARGE
There will be a small increase in visa
application fee starting 1 July 2018 as
announced by the Department of Home
Affairs in accordance with the 2017-2018
forecast consumer price index (CPI).
For example: the base application fee for
partner and fiancé visas will be $7,160 from
$7,000 while those sponsoring their child
will increase from $2,415 to $2,470.
CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION REFUSALS
Permanent Resident of Australia who
wants to apply as citizen of Australia must
be of good character, which means that they
have no recorded conviction as it can be the
basis for citizensh