Visas & Advice Detail
Key to a successful application
When applying to emigrate to Australia, the key to success is to fully research the visa category under which you intend to apply
Firstly, applicants should check the Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) website on a frequent basis to look for legislation changes which may affect their own application. Having had your skills assessed by the relevant Australian assessing authority, done a final check on your eligibility and completed any specific requirements for the class of visa which you are applying for, you need to be satisfied that you have all the necessary supportive paperwork. If so, you are now ready to lodge your visa application with DIMIA.
The DIMIA website states that, to have your General Skilled Migration visa application considered by the department, you must first make a 'valid application'. To make a valid paper based application you must do all of the following:
* Indicate the class of visa that you are applying for;
* Use the correct form;
* Provide your residential address;
* Where applicable pay the required visa application charge, in Oz dollars;
* Sign the declaration and acknowledgement parts of the application;
* Satisfy any other requirements;
* Mail or courier your application to the Adelaide Skilled Processing Centre (ASPC).
You must also complete the form in English, and answer all questions truthfully – if you provide incorrect information or false documents, a visa may not be granted to you. In addition, you should provide certified copies of any required documents unless the ASPC advises otherwise.
The DIMIA website also confirms that you must ensure you can meet all of these requirements at the time you lodge your application as any application that does not meet all of the above requirements cannot be considered by a departmental officer and, under migration law, you are not taken to have made an application. If this happens, your papers and any payments you have made will be returned to you.
Before joining Australian migration specialists, The Emigration Group, Sarah Bowyer spent six years with the Australian Department of Immigration and remembers well how many applications would be submitted with incomplete documentation. "Checking and re-checking is the key before lodging your visa application," she says. "For example, check that you have not moved into the next age bracket for the purposes of age point allocation." She continues "When lodging your application it is very important that you carefully read and answer all of the questions on the application form and that you utilise the document checklist to ensure that you include all the necessary documents to enable DIMIA to assess your application. So as well as enclosing your vital skills assessment result, you should also send in all the documents provided to the assessing body with your application for assessment. "You should also make sure that your present employment reference is up to date in order for you to satisfy the work experience requirements. Providing all of the requested documentation will help the case officer responsible for the assessment of your application," Bowyer adds.
The following are tips from Sarah that, if followed in order, should allow an application to run smoothly:
* Payment of the application fee – ensure that you pay your fee by an acceptable payment method (see the DIMIA website for more details on how to pay and the current application fees). If paying by credit card, make sure that you give the correct card details, that the card is valid and also that you have notified your credit card provider in case of any security problems with a dollar transaction.
* Certified documents – generally all documents that you submit to DIMIA
are required to be certified copies of the original documents. 'Certified copies' means copies authorised or stamped as being true copies of the originals by an authorised person. * In the UK, solicitors, magistrates, notary public or justices of the peace (JP) can certify your documents.
* Passports – applicants who do not hold passports or need to extend or renew their passports should do so before lodging an application so that certified copies of the relevant pages can be sent with your application. Please note that all children included on the application should have their own individual passports.
* Do not lodge your application in any kind of file or folder.
* Documents in languages other than English must be accompanied by an English translation from an authorised translator.
After lodgement you should keep DIMIA informed of any changes to your contact details. Also, as you can now state on your application form that you agree to let DIMIA send you correspondence by email, so you should make sure you check your emails frequently.
Additional information – if you are requested to provide some additional documentation you will be given a date by which to forward the information to DIMIA and you should follow any instruction given carefully. For example, for medical examinations you will be required to be examined by a doctor included on the authorised panel doctor list.
Please ensure that you quote any file reference number given to you as per the request letter when returning documents to Adelaide.
If any of your circumstances change, you must inform the ASPC in writing as soon as possible.
For any applicants daunted by the whole scenario, relax as help is at hand. Professional immigration consultants, such as The Emigration Group, can remove the stress and hassle from you. Offering various levels of assistance a consultancy can thoroughly check your application once you have prepared it, or some can even prepare your application from the outset, using their greater knowledge and experience.
For further information:
DIMIA
The Emigration Group
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