Sudden downtrend in visa grants

[DannyReed32]

Hi everyone.

 

This is probably one of the most irritating questions at the moment but I have to ask it anyways.

 

Does anyone know or maybe have an explanation for the current downtrend in visa grants. There were at least 3 or 4 grants a week on this forum alone and on Myimmitracker as well (even though it's not that accurate). But ever since the announcement was made about the abolishment of the 457 everything seemed to come to a grinding halt. Then there was the budget speech that said 245 staff members would be cut out of visa immigration offices which will see longer processing times but that hasn't happened yet, and still the grants are dead slow.

 

 

[Queque]

Speculation on other forums from agents and experienced persons is that they have a quota or target total grants number for the financial year ending June. May and June they slow down to get on that number.

 

Best info I could find from another forum:

Quote

Originally Posted by kaju 

As the financial year draws to a close, most of the year's allocation of permanent visas has been granted. 

DIBP has to grant the exact number of visas that they are allowed to grant - the number that they were authorised to grant by Parliament for the current financial year, as stated in the approved Migration Programme figures for the year. They can't go over this limit, so at this time of year, they have to become very precise, and there will be very few visas places left available to grant.

So grants flow freely for most of the financial year, but at this time of year they slow to a trickle, and by June there really is very few at all. 

During this time however, processing of cases continues as normal, as requirements are met and clearances are obtained - cases that are ready to grant are effectively kept aside, most to be granted within the first few weeks of July. 

It's possible that, as in previous years, DIBP may advise applicants that would otherwise be grant-ready, that their grants may be delayed until the new financial year commences - normally it may go something like this:

I am writing to you regarding your application for an Australian skilled visa (subclass XXX).

The visa for which you have applied is part of the Skilled Nominated category. The Migration Programme determines the maximum number of visas that can be granted in each visa category. Applications for this visa are processed in line with Migration Programme planning levels. These planning levels have precedence over indicative client service standard timeframes.

The Migration Programme planning level for the Skilled Nominated category now has limited number of places left for the 20XX-XX program year. This means processing times will be longer and that once the remaining places are used, the Department cannot grant further visas in this category during this programme year.

As planning levels affect all applications, including those in the final stages of processing, I cannot give you an indication as to the likely timeframe for finalisation of your application.

These emails normally start in May, at the same time as the level of grants dramatically reduces, although I suppose they don't actually have to send them, and policies can change. Towards the end of June there are normally very few grants indeed - it's a real balancing act by then as they want to grant the exact number of visas. 

It can often take a little time after the new financial year starts for the flow of grants to get back up to speed - anything up to a few weeks into July before there may be a good number of grants.

There is no problem with anyone's applications, no changes to the Migration Programme, DIBP have not stopped issuing visas per se - they just need to slow down as they reach their allotted number of grants, and the granting of visas at a greatly increased rate will resume in the new financial year.

In the meantime, staff are normally fully engaged processing existing cases that are not yet ready to be granted. 

 

 

[monsta]

Hey,

 

Since nobody else has answered... the media here paints a picture that the number of migrants is tied to how well the economy is doing. If there is a mining boom, then the migrants are quick to follow. I think the government even said they are expecting fewer migrants and so those staff cuts won't make a huge difference.

 

I know Indians, South Africans, etc.. will keep arriving regardless of the state of the economy. But the biggest source of migrants is China and the UK. Neither of those countries are places where large groups of the population are desperate to get out.

 

 

[Hanneke12345]

It looks much better today on Immitracker  8 Visas have been granted.

[TakeItOnTheChin]

I can remember it being similar last year, it was very slow in May and June, and then when July came along there was a flurry of Grants and we received ours in the first week of July.