Stellar Migration in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Lawyer & law firm

Stellar Migration

Locality: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 403 665 878

Address: 530 Little Collins Street 3000 Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.stellarmigration.com

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25.01.2022 Yet another article about people paying dodgy characters to get a job and a visa. Seems like the Indians love this pathway, but we keep advising them it's dodgy as anything and should be avoided. If you want a job and a visa, then find a job yourself, or you only have yourself to blame when you get scammed. http://www.smh.com.au//anatomy-of-a-milliondollar-visa-sca

25.01.2022 The news has been coming thick and fast. We are working with our clients to try to keep everyone safe, prevent visa cancellations, and so on. For those outside Australia, the Prime Minister has just announced that a travel ban will be imposed on all non resident and non Australian citizens coming into Australia from 9.00pm tomorrow (the 20th of March 2020). We don't have anything further to add right now, stay safe, and if you are worried, just remember Newt, she survived survived with no weapons and no training.

23.01.2022 State Sponsorship & other info. We note the state sponsorship remains suspended/closed, or more eloquently put by our industry body MIA: "The State and Territories nomination program will remain temporarily CLOSED until the Commonwealth Government allocates state nomination places for 2020-21. State & Territory governments therefore have no ability to nominate applicants in visa subclass 190 & visa subclass 491." ... So, until the government allocates them places, there will be no nominations by the states for either the 190 or 491 visa. Our clients are asking when it will reopen, it's the million dollar questions, and the reality is there's no answers, but as soon as we hear something we will post it. One clue may be the postponed federal budget which has been deferred until 4 October 2020. Meanwhile SA says they may reopen for invitations in August, so that's another watch & see, maybe they know something everyone else doesn't! Right now your guess is as good as anyone's!

23.01.2022 An interesting read if you have been waiting for a decision on your permanent visa for a while, and if not then it's still interesting! In short, the cap to visa categories means they don't have enough visas to meet the demand from valid applications, and this affects both applications and appeals. You can take various things from this, one of which is comfort if your process is taking a while. Another is, get it done right, because my guess is they are just itching to find a... reason to refuse you and free up some space for someone else, and the appeals process is now taking longer than ever, leaving you at even greater risk. https://independentaustralia.net//keneally-exposes-visa-sy

23.01.2022 We don't like to share rumours, but this looks promising for some temporary visa holders in trouble due to losing work. https://www.theaustralian.com.au//5697ef9768c61255afa9330a

22.01.2022 A pile of changes to the occupation lists, and I am delighted to see my favourite "Goat Farmer" is back. http://www.stellarmigration.com//changes-to-occupation-li/

21.01.2022 Points for Skilled Migration will increase from 60 to 65 from July 1st. For more info, you can check out our website. https://wp.me/p7gNM6-5G

21.01.2022 Migration is getting tougher, all the more reason to use a professional to get you the outcome you want: "The Australian has confirmed that the integrity measures resulted in a 46 per cent increase in visas being refused and a further 17 per cent rise in applications being withdrawn due to the greater scrutiny. The number of applications processed remained at similar levels." It also stated that skilled migration invitations are down (which we all knew, but nice to hear fro...m them) "The numbers show a drop of about 12,468 in the skilled migrant stream to 111,099 this year." https://www.theaustralian.com.au//a0510c51e8be5411e421f179

20.01.2022 Some lovely news to share, I got my license today, so I am now no longer just a business development manager, I am a Registered Migration Agent! :)

18.01.2022 Finally, the 457 replacement, the TSS, is coming into effect on the 18th of March, and it's now called a 482 visa. We are going to read the 58 pages of legislation (law) relevant to this, and post a further update once we have more information. Probably the most significant change is the need for 2 years of relevant work experience. Unfortunately the law is badly written, so it doesn't specify if the work is before or after graduation, although verbally the department confirm...ed it should be at the "right skill level" which usually means either after graduation, or after the relevant amount of experience for the occupation (e.g. Diploma/3 years for a Chef). The other change is to the fee: $1,150 for the 2 year visa, and $2,400 for the 4 year visa. We will be waiting for the laws to kick in on Monday to actually go through it with a fine tooth comb to see what more we can share. If you want a laugh, the new rules are "tougher" as per Mr. Turbulls "politikspeak", so an example is: under old rules you needed IELTS 5 with no score lower than 4.5. Under the new "supertough" regulations you need all scores of 5 for he long term visa, but the same level of English as for the 45 for the short term visa...

17.01.2022 We are back from our holiday. Thanks for the patience for all those who awaited our return. I am not sure who needs more attention, our clients, or the two cats who need constant reassurance that we are really back! On the plus side, we had some really good visa grants while we were away, and were able to help some people while overseas, living proof a migration agent is never really truly off work! :)

17.01.2022 Just a small update regarding the new requirements for work experience for the TSS(457)/186/187. Unfortunately we still don't have enough information from Home Affairs to be sure, but this is their latest info (specifically for the TSS, but probably also applies to 186/187): Work experience requirements for the TSS visa As per the Governments 18 April 2017 announcement, TSS visa applicants will be required to have worked in the nominated occupation, or a related field, for a...t least two years. Work experience related caveats that apply at the nomination stage for the subclass 457 visa will not apply to TSS nominations. Policy settings will be outlined in the TSS visa Procedural Instructions that will be published on the implementation date. Interim guidance for agents is provided below: Work experience will be considered flexibly in the context of the nominated occupation and industry practices The work experience should have been undertaken in the last five years and would need to be calculated in terms of full time work. Part time work experience may be considered Experience gained as part of the research components of a Masters and/or PhD may be considered as work experience for relevant occupations, such as medical and research occupations Experience gained through clinical placements and internships may be considered as work experience for medical practitioners, including Resident Medical Officers (RMOs) The internship component of the Professional Year Program may be considered as work experience for relevant occupations Performance experience gained while studying may be considered for applicants with a performing arts occupation.

17.01.2022 Some of the states are opening for limited state sponsorship, but the rules & competition looks pretty tough. For example, South Australia are "preferring" applicants with 90 points. Used to be the case that those with 90 points wouldn't even consider using state sponsorship, but it's getting more & more competitive. For now we remain of the opinion that it's a passive long shot, which shouldn't be relied upon as the sole pathway, unless you are an exceptional candidate, or prepared to move to one of the regions for what may be a long time.

17.01.2022 It was a good week for our clients last week, we got two of our clients their Permanent Residence in Australia, and we got one of our clients their Citizenship after a much delayed wait for their ceremony (they had one of the new funky online ceremonies)! :)

16.01.2022 2 years of work experience required for a 482 visa...which means what? While the law itself is pretty simple, "The applicant has worked in the nominated occupation or a related field for at least 2 years.", the interpretation is "harsh". The two years of work should ideally be in the last 5 years, and at the right skill level. ... So, you can't study to be a Chef for 2 years in Australia, then apply as a Chef based on 2 years of work while studying. Unless you had prior qualifications that allow you to apply you would need 2 years of work after graduation to be "at the right skill level". Given a 485 visa for a Chef is an 18 month visa, it will be tough for graduates to qualify. Further to that, work is classed as being 38 hours a week, and while they are accepting something like 32 hours a week as good enough, they won't accept 20 hours per week as a student. It's not clear whether 2 years at 20 hours would class as one year equivalent of full time or not, but it doesn't look like it. This also means for a recent graduate, getting another student visa to allow them to get the work experience may not work. To be clear, this is policy, not law, so it may be challenged by tribunals and courts at a later date, but for now it looks tough on those that study in Australia and then want to apply for employer sponsorship.

14.01.2022 For those awaiting Citizenship ceremonies which have been cancelled, there's a little hope... https://minister.homeaffairs.gov.au//statement-on-australi

14.01.2022 Goodbye sweet Perth. Perth will no longer classed as a regional area for the purposes of the 187 visa, effective 17th November 2017. Postcodes for areas where the 187 remains possible in WA are:... 6041 to 6044 6083 to 6084 6121 to 6126 6200 to 6799 See more

13.01.2022 We finally have answers for temporary visa holders. https://minister.homeaffairs.gov.au//Coronavirus-and-Tempo

12.01.2022 Wishing you all a lovely weekend from Melbourne.

12.01.2022 Not good news for those wanting the 189 (independent skilled migration). A Freedom of Information request from an agent to the department has revealed a shocking drop in the numbers of people who applied (which means, the number of people who were invited, and then applied), going from 30,000 last year, to just under 3,000 this year. And no, it's nothing to do with corona virus, and everything to do with politics.... It's all the more interesting when you consider that the points required for this visa was 60 2 years ago, 65 1 year ago, but apparently now due to "demand" you need 95-105 points. Seems like it has less to do with the number of applicants in the queue, and more to do with the lack of invitations. In theory it marks the shift from the 189 as the visa of choice, to the state sponsored visas (190, 491), in part so federal government can blame state government for any perceived unhappiness with the numbers of migrants. It's shifting the responsibility and blame to them. We have long argued that if you want PR in Australia, while skilled migration should be pursued if you qualify for it, it's a largely passive approach which should be combined with other strategies, if you want PR you need to be more pro-active. Thanks to Peter Bollard and D Lee for requesting and sharing the data with everyone.

11.01.2022 417 Working Holiday age limit extended for Canadians and Irish, you can now apply between the ages of 18 and 35. Enjoy. :)

11.01.2022 The joy of mixed messages. While skilled migration is becoming harder, as is employer sponsored migration, the NT is looking at paying cash to attract migrants. FYI I don't think this is in place yet, so don't get too excited by the offer to be paid to live with the crocodiles! https://www.sbs.com.au//15000-offer-families-willing-move-

10.01.2022 Not the best, and it's not clear what's exactly on offer, or who qualifies, but it is some help for temporary visa holders. https://www.redcross.org.au//help-for-migrants-in-transiti

09.01.2022 Will be heading along to IP to give another summary of our latest insights into how to navigate through the minefield of migration!

06.01.2022 Ouch, Immigration SA has made a fairly substantial charge to their "high points" pathway, which was already pretty tough. That said, don't get confused with this and their other pathways... "As of 26 July 2019, applications submitted under the High Points category are required to have 85 points.... We would like to advise prospective applicants and migration agents that once we are close to reaching the high points category quota, the minimum points requirement will be automatically increased to 90 points."

05.01.2022 For the time being we have decided to suspend face to face meetings. Hopefully it will turn out to have been an over-reaction, but we'd rather that than the opposite. From our perspective we work remotely with most of our clients, so the only issue is missing out on the initial meetings. We strongly believe in face to face being important part of the process, so this is not a decision we wanted to make, but in the circumstances we think our clients will understand. To be clea...r, we are still taking new cases, and we are still working on existing cases, the only effect is on face to face meetings. All the best, stay healthy, stay frosty...

04.01.2022 Some relevant visa fee increases (rounded, and including visa surcharges): Graduate 485 Visa from $1,555 to $1,671 Partner Visa from $7,250 to $7,816 Temporary Employer Sponsored 482 Visa (STSOL) from $1,190 to $1,281 Temporary Employer Sponsored 482 Visa (MLTSSL) from $2,487 to $2,679... Permanent Employer Sponsored Visa from $3,804 to $4,089 Australia thanks you for your cash contributions! ;) See more

04.01.2022 A big thank you to Alex Bode for giving us a lovely gift for helping him to get his visa for Australia. It was our pleasure to help, and it will be our pleasure to drink to his health! :)

02.01.2022 Our wee two person team took Monday off after a long year which was capped off by lodging 4 applications last week to beat the price changes. For those that lodged partner visas be happy that you only paid $7,250 as it's now $7,817 to lodge one! :) We will follow up with some of the other news shortly.

02.01.2022 Back from holidays, hard at it, and then Chris gets his obligatory man flu...challenge accepted!