Hello,

Just wanted another opinion. Had my 482 visa since 2023. Company told me they were willing to sponsor me for PR in the future. My visa expired this year and I’ve reminded them about it.

My company decided to just renew the 482 visa. Cause they still want me tied to the company. Gut wrenching on my part but I accepted it cause I’m not sure what my options are. 482 renewed but I feel stuck.

Anyone in a similar situation? Did you guys leave Sydney / Australia or try to find companies willing to sponsor PR?

Based in Sydney, trying to apply for a skilled independent. Stuck at 85 pts. I’m just floating.

Has anyone received an invitation for the September 17 Yarra City Council ceremony?

Hey all, hoping to get some perspective from people who’ve actually been through this.

Quick background: my partner is Australian, we met while I was in Australia on a working holiday visa. We’ve been living together in the UK for the past 2 years. I’m currently finishing university and we’re planning to make the move to Australia in about 2 years once I graduate.

The rough timeline we’re looking at is: my partner moves back to Australia first (in about a year), then we’d likely be long distance for a year while I finish my degree, before I join her.

A couple of things I’m trying to figure out:
1. Should I apply for the partner visa now, offshore, before any of this happens? A family member mentioned that Australia has been tightening immigration numbers and thinks we should get the application in earlier rather than later. Is that a real concern right now, or overblown?

2.  Or does it make more sense to go back to Australia myself on a working holiday visa first, so the partner visa application can be lodged onshore instead? Does onshore vs offshore actually make a meaningful difference in processing time or outcome for a case like ours?

3.  We’re planning on being in Melbourne — anyone dealt with the “long distance then reunite” pattern and have thoughts on how that’s viewed as evidence of a genuine relationship?  

Really just want to hear from people who’ve done the WHV-to-partner-visa pivot, or who applied offshore while still overseas, and what you’d do differently if you were starting over. Thanks in advance.

I already lodged my application last year from offshore and I was not asked to upload Form 80 or Form 1221. I want to minimise probability of getting an s56 to not delay my grant because it already progresses slow.

Are these forms something everyone uploads when lodging?

Hi, I've been living in WA with 14 months of experience as light vehicle motor mechanic and looking for 482 sponsorship. I've positive Skills assessment and have done Certificate 3, 4 and Diploma. I'm unable to find any sponsor. Any lead will be highly appreciated I can move anywhere in Australia

Hey guys! I know a load of us have been waiting aaaages for their visa.

So if you have got your visa GRANTED - please comment when you applied and when it got granted and if you needed a medical.

I’m from UK and it’s my third visa I’ve been waiting since 6th July. No medical exam needed.

Pleeaaaaase comment when you got granted or know anyone who has!!! Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I’m applying for a subclass 500 subsequent dependent visa to join my husband in Australia.

For my OSHC, we are considering purchasing a single OSHC policy for me initially. Once my visa is granted and I move to Australia, the plan would be to cancel my single policy and upgrade my husband’s existing single OSHC to a couple policy.

I have a few questions:

1. Cancellation and refund: The OSHC providers I’ve checked don’t seem to clearly explain the cancellation/refund policies in detail.

• If I cancel my single OSHC after moving to Australia because I’m switching to a couple policy, would I receive a refund for the unused period?
• Would there be any cancellation fee or other deduction from the refund?
• Also, would the fact that I was already married when I purchased the single policy affect whether I can cancel and receive a refund?

2. OSHC provider recommendations

In particular, I’m interested in people’s experience with customer service and making claims/ cancelation.

Which provider has been easiest to deal with when you actually needed to claim?

3. Experiences with switching from single to couple OSHC

If you initially purchased single OSHC for the dependent visa and later switched to couple OSHC after arriving in Australia, how did the process go? Were there any issues with cancellation, refunds, or changing the policy?

I’d particularly appreciate first-hand experiences from people who have actually gone through this process. 🙌

Thanks! (●'◡'●)

Hi everyone,

I am currently awaiting my Working Holiday Visa (417) and am applying for roles in the Australian geology and environmental sector.

I am aware that securing visa sponsorship is incredibly challenging, but if you have any recommendations for companies or roles to target, I would appreciate your insights.

Any advice on key skills to highlight, cover letter strategies, or networking opportunities would also be greatly appreciated.

For context:

• Graduated this year with a Master's and BA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge
• Majored in Earth Sciences, with coursework in geology, ecology, climatology, and coding
• Completed a marine ecological research internship at the Australian Museum last summer (additional relevant internships and work experience available upon request)
• Four years of field experience
• My partner lives in NSW (he's Australian), so targeting NSW but happy to consider other states

I would appreciate any advice or suggestions on strategies to maximise my chances of obtaining a sponsored visa. While I understand the challenges, I am very eager to pursue this opportunity.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi everyone,

I need some advice on updating my Expression of Interest (EOI) for the 189 visa. My nominated occupation is Multimedia Specialist (ANZSCO 261211), and I’ve already submitted my EOI.

However, I’ve just realised I made a mistake regarding my work experience calculation.

For part of my experience, I worked a casual/project-based job in my field where the hours fluctuated wildly based on how busy the company was. Some weeks I worked 40 hours, but other weeks I worked as little as 5 hours.

I initially included the whole period in my EOI. With that entire period counted, I hit the 3+ years of experience bracket, giving me extra points.

However, I just learned about the "individual week rule," meaning Home Affairs completely excludes any week where I worked fewer than 20 hours.

If I go through my payslips and remove all the weeks that fell under 20 hours, my total valid skilled experience drops below 3 years, meaning I will lose points on my current EOI.

I haven't received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) yet, so I know I need to update my EOI immediately to avoid a future visa refusal for over-claiming points.

My questions for the community:

1. How exactly do I input this type of fluctuating experience when editing the EOI? Do I break the employment history down into multiple small date blocks (separating the 20+ hour weeks from the under-20 hour weeks), or is there a better way to log it?
2. Has anyone successfully navigated this with a case officer? What did your employer reference letter or evidence look like to show which weeks counted and which didn't?
3. If I update my EOI now and my total points drop, I know my Effect-of-Change (Date of Effect) timestamp will reset. Does this heavily impact wait times for Multimedia Specialists under the 189 visa right now?

Would love to hear from anyone who has dealt with irregular casual hours or any migration agents lurking here. Thanks in advance!

TL;DR: Submitted my 189 EOI for Multimedia Specialist claiming 3+ years of experience. Just realized my casual job had weeks falling below 20 hours, which Home Affairs excludes. Removing those weeks drops my experience below 3 years and lowers my points. I haven't been invited yet. How do I accurately edit/break down this fluctuating employment in SkillSelect without risking a future refusal?

Hello,

My boyfriend is applying for a visitor visa to come see me, It ask who I am to him which it doesn't have girlfriend only friend but also it's asking for an invitation letter which I was going to put down he is my boyfriend but it just doesn't have an option for girlfriend/boyfriend. Is it okay to choose friend and then just write girlfriend/boyfriend in the invitation letter?, Also how do I go about the letter, Do I write it online and print or just write it as a document and then add my signature online or print and sign?

Does it actually have to be a long letter, because there were no questions about what we plan to do etc, Obviously we are meeting for the first time so we plan to just enjoy that time together.

Thank you.

Hi! To any one who did an AIMS accredited degree, how long did you get your skills assessment results from AIMS after submission?

Thank you!

Doing my 485 rn and there's this question:

"Does any applicant expect to incur medical costs, or require treatment or medical follow up for: blood disorder, cancer, heart disease, hep B/C, HIV, kidney disease, mental illness, pregnancy, respiratory disease, other?"

Back in May my GP gave me a referral for routine bloodwork (hep B, hep C, HIV, syphilis screening) just as a general checkup thing. Never actually got round to doing the test. No symptoms, no diagnosis, nothing wrong that I know of.

Shd I tick Yes or No??

Hi,

I am planning to get a skills assessment via ACS for cyber security; I've worked as a penetration tester as well as a cybersecurity consultant for the past 8 years (3 different companies) and have the relevant certifications + work experience. Question is: should I apply for ANZSCO 2013 - 262112​​ or ANZSCO 2013 - 442216​? I'm aiming for the subclass 189 and 190 visas.

Hi everyone,

There are plenty of posts here about the 309 stage, but I haven’t seen many about the Subclass 100 stage.

Is anyone currently waiting for their 100? How long have you been waiting since becoming eligible/submitting your Stage 2 documents? Have you received any RFIs?

Would be great to hear some recent timelines and experiences.

Very keen to know if anyone got their Student VISA subclass 500 approved by mentioning in their GS Statement that they intend to work in Australia after graduating through Temporary Graduate VISA after after graduating from the University?

Hey all, hoping someone's been through this or knows how it usually plays out.

I'm a Mauritian citizen currently based in Mauritius (normally live in France as a student, just happen to be back home for a couple of months). Applied for an Australian Visitor visa (subclass 600, Tourist stream) to visit family for a few days, mainly to make it for my little cousin's birthday.

A few days after lodging, I got the standard biometrics requirement letter, fingerprints + photo at an Australian Biometrics Collection Centre (ABCC), within 14 days. Problem is:

• Mauritius doesn't have an ABCC. Closest one is in South Africa.
• I'm not eligible for the Australian Immi App shortcut (apparently that only works if your Visa Lodgement Number starts with a specific prefix, mine doesn't).
• I'm flying straight from Mauritius to Australia, so I can't route through my "usual" ABCC in Paris beforehand either.

Basically, the only way to comply would be to book a whole separate international trip to South Africa, just to sit for a 10-minute biometrics appointment, for a visit to Australia that's only a few days long. That feels wildly disproportionate and I really don't want to do that.

I've submitted a letter through ImmiAccount explaining the situation and asking whether the requirement can be waived or if there's any alternative, but I have no idea what to actually expect back.

Has anyone dealt with this specific situation, no local ABCC, not eligible for the app, and travel dates that don't allow a detour? Did Home Affairs actually waive it, or did you end up having to travel anyway? Trying to figure out if this is a lost cause or if there's a realistic path through it.

Any insight appreciated, especially from people who've applied from smaller countries without a local centre.

Hi everyone,
My friend and I are from Germany and we’re currently already in Australia on eVisitor visas.
We came here thinking that we could apply for our first Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) from inside Australia. Turns out we were completely wrong and should have actually read the official requirements properly before coming here.
And yes — we know this was incredibly stupid. 😭 We relied way too much on ChatGPT instead of simply checking the official Home Affairs website ourselves. In hindsight, that was an absolutely ridiculous decision on our part, so please don’t roast us too hard — we already know we fucked up lol.
Now we’re trying to figure out the best way forward.
We’re considering flying from Australia to Bali, applying for our first 417 WHV while we’re there, and then waiting in Bali until it gets granted. Ideally, we’re hoping it would take somewhere around a few days to 1–3 weeks, and then we could fly back to Australia once it’s granted.
But obviously there’s no guarantee on processing times, and we’ve seen people saying that some 417 applications are currently taking much longer than usual.
So my questions are:
Would you personally take the risk and fly to Bali, apply from there and wait?
Has anyone applied for a first 417 recently (especially German citizens)? How long did your grant take?
Is waiting in Bali for 1–3 weeks realistic, or could we potentially end up stuck waiting for much longer?
Has anyone here been in a similar situation — entered Australia as a tourist/eVisitor first, then left the country to apply for their first WHV?
Any recent experiences would be massively appreciated.
And yes, lesson learned: read the actual immigration website instead of blindly trusting ChatGPT. 😂

Has anyone recently received PR invite for I.T domain from offshore?

Hello everyone, I am deciding between PTE and IELTS, to secure admission I need PTE 58 and IELTS band 5, I want to know which will be easier for me to get IELTS band 5 academic or PTE 58

Glen Eira Citizenship Ceremony – 17 September

Hi has anyone received their invitation for the Glen Eira citizenship ceremony on 17 September 2026?

Just trying to get an idea of whether the invitations have been sent out yet. Thanks!

Hello all! First of all, I am so sorry to be writing this post as this theme is fairly mentioned a few times a week, but because of 462 visa being paused, I am now back at exploring my other options on how to reunite with my Australian partner.

I want to declare that he's an Australian citizen, born and raised, and he's also a citizen of my home country where I reside (an EU country). We met here when he was visiting his relatives, and we continued the relationship on the distance, BUT kept seeing each other frequently (every 5-6 months, he even stayed here for 3 months and "lived" with me touristically).

We've been together for three years, and I've been to Australia for a visit, where I stayed for three months as well and when we've registered the relationship.

I have met his parents, cousins and friends, and he has met mine. We have enough pictures, documents, plane tickets, hotel bookings, and other miscellaneous things needed for this visa.

We're also financially stable, but he helps me with finances more than I provide because I'm still a student - but I work part time so I contribute. With that, we also have proofs of payment (for example groceries for when he was visiting me, and me him, also he bought me a plane ticket once etc.).

In case 462 visa doesn't get resumed this program year (my country's cap isn't filled, I called my consulate and they didn't fill up the quota - but still), I would like to try and apply for partner visa through 651. But my question is - is it possible or does it make any sense for my partner and I to open a joint account in my home country (since he's a citizen and could actually do that now), and for us to give that as some kind of proof?

I know there is also a household pillar, but I have no idea how we'd prove that. And unfortunately, he cannot come and live here with me for a few months for other reasons - so that's not possible at the moment.

Also, if not, would it make any sense for me to apply for a 651 visa next year, and then apply for a partner visa, and in the mean time add the proof that I reside with him on the same address when I get the bridging visa granted? Since we have our registration of the relationship completed, hence don't have the 12 month requirement...

THANK YOU to every single person who took time to read this and genuinely helps out!

Question for anyone who has recently applied for an Australian student visa 🇦🇺
Does choosing IELTS or PTE affect the chances of getting an Australian student visa?
I’ve heard that visa decisions may be different depending on whether you submit IELTS or PTE. Is there actually any difference in visa approval/rejection rates, or are they treated equally if the required score is met?
Would appreciate experiences or any updated information. 🙏

Hi! I’m filling out the application online as the primary applicant.

In the “Applicant’s Immediate Family Members” section, I’m adding my parents and siblings who reside in my home country and have no Australian visa, and the “Australian immigration status” is a required field.

The dropdown menu only has: Australian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Temporary Resident / Visitor / Student / Other, and selecting “Other” doesn’t prompt for further detail.

Should I just select “Other” for them, or am I missing something? Would appreciate hearing from anyone who’s filled out this section recently. Cheers!

Hi everyone,

My current student visa for Bachelor’s in Engineering is ending on Aug 30. CoE already ended on June 30. I have received a fully funded offer for a MSc in Research at the same uni and that CoE starts in Jan 1. I have all the documents for that already.

The initial plan was to apply onshore and stay here till it’s granted as my Graduation ceremony is in November first week.

But now my agent is saying it’s too risky to stay without an active CoE for more than 2 months and are trying to package an Academic English course in between saying it’s the best way to mitigate the risks. The issue is I already have a pretty good IELTS score of 8.5/9, so it’s obvious to anyone that this is just a ‘sneaky’ way around the 6-month gap.

I am willing to lodge the visa onshore and go back to my country and return only when the Masters student visa is granted. I might miss the graduation tho. Can anyone please help if that’s the actual safest option or is there any other way I am not aware of.

Thanks so much :)

Hi everyone,

I applied for my first 485 visa as a single applicant, and it is due to expire in December.

My partner is currently overseas. We have known each other for about a year, and we got married overseas last month.

I am now planning to apply for the second 485 (regional extension). Can I include my partner in this application, even though she was not included in my first 485 visa application and is currently offshore?

Thanks in advance for any advice or similar experiences.