Covid Concessions For Multiple Subclasses

PARTNERS, CONTRIBUTORY PARENT AND CHILD VISAS – ONSHORE GRANTS ANNOUNCED

We have been recently notified from the Migration Institute of Australia who has received information on the 14/2/2021 of the dates when the onshore grant of those subclasses usually granted offshore will commence.

The following list of visa subclasses usually require that the applicants be out of Australia at the time the visa is granted. However, from 27 February 2021 (inclusive) the following visas will be able to be granted while the applicant is in Australia due to the temporary concessions made available because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

• Partner (subclass 309) visa
• Prospective Marriage (subclass 300) visa
• Child (subclass 101) visa
• Adoption (subclass 102) visa
• Dependent Child (subclass 445) visa

The same concession will come into effect on the 24 March 2021 for the following eligible parent visa applicants:

Contributory Parent (subclass 173) visa

• Contributory Parent (subclass 143) visa
• Parent (subclass 103) visa

Current processing timeframes for Parent visa applications would not be impacted by these amendments.

SUBCLASS 485 – TEMPORARY GRADUATE – OFFSHORE LODGEMENT AND GRANT PERMITTED

Concessions have been granted to all SC 485 streams, the Graduate Work, the Post Study Work, and the Second Post Study Work streams, to allow eligible visa applicants to lodge and be granted their visa while they are outside Australia, if impacted by COVID travel restrictions during the concession period that commenced on 1 February 2020. Subsequent entrants may also be onshore or offshore for lodgement and grant.

SUBCLASS 790 – SAFE HAVEN ENTERPRISE VISAS – PATHWAY CONCESSIONS

The MIA welcomes the Department extending COVID concessions to SHEV holders who will now be able to meet the pathway requirements, even where they have:

• accessed Special Benefit payments or
• were are unemployed, or
• worked outside a SHEV regional area in an essential service

SUBCLASS 888 – BUSINESS INNOVATION VISA – RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for Subclass 888 visas must usually have been physically present in Australia for a least 1 year in the 2 years immediately before they apply.

During the COVID concession period which commenced on 1 February 2020, time spent overseas may be counted as being time spent in Australia if the applicant held one of the following visas:

• Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) Business Innovation stream
• Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) Business Innovation Extension stream

The first visa in the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) in the Business Innovation

SUBCLASS 887 – SKILLED REGIONAL VISAS – ONSHORE /OFFSHORE CONCESSIONS

Applicants outside Australia

Eligible applicants make their visa application outside Australia and be granted the visa while outside Australia during the COVID concession period, commencing 1 February 2020.

These applicants will also be given access to the following shorter employment requirements and shorter residency requirements during the concession period:

• 9 months full-time work in a specified regional area.A concession of 3 months off the usual 12-month period (or, if the Minister specifies a shorter period in a legislative instrument, that shorter period), and
• 18 months residence in a specified regional area.A concession of 6 months off the usual 2-year period (or, if the Minister specifies a shorter period in a legislative instrument, that shorter period).

Applicants inside Australia

Eligible applicants applying onshore will still be required to meet the 2 years of residence in a specified regional. They will also receive the 3-month employment concession of:

• 9 months full-time work in a specified regional area(or, if the Minister specifies a shorter period in a legislative instrument, that shorter period).

Further information is available on the Department’s website