Premium

It is common sense that visa applicants must notify the Department as soon as practicable of changes of circumstances that occur before visa grant. But does the obligation to notify apply to changes that occur after grant? If not, are there good reasons to notify the Department of changes of address or email address anyway?

The explanatory statement to the legislative instrument that created visa subclass 870 states that the new visa "is not intended to be a pathway to any other parent category visa". However, with respect, the legislation has not achieved that purpose. For instance, we explain how it is possible to apply for an 870 visa and then, while that application is pending, apply for a 143 visa, and vice-versa.

The instrument specifies a new event for the purpose of paragraph cl 408.229(b) of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth)

"The purpose of the instrument is to remove the reference to special purpose visas (SPVs) granted to a person on the grounds that they are a crew member, or a spouse, de-facto partner or dependant of a crew member, of a non-military ship. These grounds have no longer been available for the granting of SPVs since 1 January 2008. The reference is therefore redundant".

Among other VAC changes, the new regulations "reduce the VAC payable for an application for a Subclass 500 (Student) and Subclass 590 (Student Guardian) visa for applicants seeking to satisfy the primary criteria in Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations for the grant of the visa and who are holders of a valid passport issued by a specified country in..."

According to the explanatory memorandum to the Bill introduced on 19 September 2019, "a person who is a national or citizen of a country other than Australia ceases to be an Australian citizen if the person acts inconsistently with their allegiance to Australia by" engaging in certain type of conduct. Is this Bill a further erosion of the "sacred" concept of citizenship? Could it become a "slippery slope" towards citizenship cancellation on less serious, more subjective grounds?

The revoked instrument "specified, for paragraphs 408.229(b) and (c) of Schedule 2 to the Regulations, the event known as Supporting Innovation in South Australia as an ‘Australian Government endorsed event’ (AGEE) and classes of persons in relation to the event who may be eligible for a Subclass 408 (Temporary Activity) visa"

6 occupations moved from STSOL to MLTSSL; 16 moved from STSOL to ROL; 5 removed from STSOL; 2 occupations added to ROL

New VACs from 1 July 2022 ... The new Migration Amendment (Visa Application Charges) Regulations 2022 commences on 1 July 2022 and its explanatory statement includes...

The new instrument amends the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) "to facilitate applications for permanent residence by persons evacuated to Australia for temporary safe haven following the crisis in Afghanistan in August 2021"