How long did your 457 take?

[cyclelab]

Hi

We are due to move to Melbourne in January 2018, but waiting for final contract with the company to come through. Will it take 90 days to get the visa or can they fasttrack t?

 

[Tntaglia]

47 minutes ago, Robsy17 said:

Our agent said that the RFI was to be submitted by 8th Feb 2018, do you guys think our case officer will only look at our application again on that date!?

Living in limbo here!!!

 

Welcome to the forum! Please remember to go to the foyer subforum and introduce yourself, we'd love to get to know you better.
 

Unfortunately I suspect you go back into the queue when they have to ask you for more information. So it could take quite a while.

I learned in the last few days that if you send an email to 457@border.gov.au you get an automated email back with a whole lot of information on 457 visas. I did that yesterday and it said the following:

 

As at 24 January they were busy with first-time assessment of 457 visas lodged before 29 September 2017. If these applications are decision-ready, they are approved as part of this process. For visas where they had to ask for more information, they are busy with applications lodged in March 2017.

 

This is part of what looks like a pretty punitive process where "incomplete" applications are not receiving much attention so that they can get through the decision-ready applications more quickly. So unfortunately I think your agent's forgetfulness may put your application back quite a bit.

[Robsy17]

5 hours ago, Tntaglia said:

 

Welcome to the forum! Please remember to go to the foyer subforum and introduce yourself, we'd love to get to know you better.
 

Unfortunately I suspect you go back into the queue when they have to ask you for more information. So it could take quite a while.

I learned in the last few days that if you send an email to 457@border.gov.au you get an automated email back with a whole lot of information on 457 visas. I did that yesterday and it said the following:

 

As at 24 January they were busy with first-time assessment of 457 visas lodged before 29 September 2017. If these applications are decision-ready, they are approved as part of this process. For visas where they had to ask for more information, they are busy with applications lodged in March 2017.

 

This is part of what looks like a pretty punitive process where "incomplete" applications are not receiving much attention so that they can get through the decision-ready applications more quickly. So unfortunately I think your agent's forgetfulness may put your application back quite a bit.

 

This is devastating!!!!!!

 

We would have gotten approval on the 11th Jan if our agent had uploaded our health insurance...which commenced on Fri 12th Jan!

I'm lost for words!!!

[Tntaglia]

17 hours ago, Robsy17 said:

 

This is devastating!!!!!!

 

We would have gotten approval on the 11th Jan if our agent had uploaded our health insurance...which commenced on Fri 12th Jan!

I'm lost for words!!!

 

What does your agent say? There are mechanisms to get feedback from the department and hopefully you can get better info than our internet guessing. 

[Robsy17]

1 hour ago, Tntaglia said:

 

What does your agent say? There are mechanisms to get feedback from the department and hopefully you can get better info than our internet guessing. 

 

Yes I have emailed them, just waiting for a reply still.

Will keep you updated to what their feedback is!

[Aneldari]

Hi all, bit confused here about medicals...

 

Can you book and attend medicals before you lodge your 457 visa application (sponsorship and nomination have already been approved)?

Or must you first lodge your own visa application and wait for the Dept to send you HAP-ID's to be able to book medicals?

 

Thanks!

[Aneldari]

Oh also...

 

In regards to the private health insurance...

How does payment works? Do you pay 1 month upfront when you apply for the insurance and then you get a letter? When will your next payment be, only after you arrive in Aus? Usually when is the 1st payment due when you arrive in Aus?

 

Thanks!

Edited January 29, 2018 by Aneldari

[CTtoAus]

I don't know much about this, but I did my medicals before lodging my 457 application. You just need to create an ImmiAccount, complete the Health Declarations and you will then get the HAP IDs. 

[Tntaglia]

@Aneldari I strongly suggest that you do medicals and PCCs before applying. At the moment the dept of immigration is prioritising "decision-ready" applications which means they don't have to ask for more info. I just sent another email to 457@border.gov.au and will copy the auto-response into my next mail, but as of 29 Jan they are processing decision-ready applications from 2 October, and applications where they had to ask for more info from March 2017.

 

In terms of health insurance, you no longer need to arrange your insurance before you lodge the visa, it's only a visa condition that you have insurance once you go to Australia. So no need to pay now for insurance that you can't use before the visa comes through. This changed I think in late September last year.

[Tntaglia]

Temporary Work (Skilled) 457 Economic and Skilled Visa

This is an automated response

No response will be provided to the enquiries in relation to the status updates, processing timeframes, pre-lodgement or non-457 related matters.

 

Processing status update:

 

First time assessment/Initial assessment (Please note: These applications will be finalised, if they are complete)	applications lodged from 2 October 2017
Subsequent assessment (incomplete applications that were found to be requiring further information)	applications lodgement dates in March 2017

 

IMPORTANT: Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Some individual circumstances may cause applications to fall outside the published processing times. As a network we seek to ensure all cases outside service standard are only undecided because they are the subject of appropriate and necessary ongoing processing. For more information on global processing times, please see:

 

https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about/access-accountability/service-standards/global-visa-citizenship-processing-times

 

Processing of the incomplete applications:

 

The subclass 457 processing network is implementing a revised approach regarding managing incomplete applications to reduce processing times for complete applications. These new arrangements involve refusing applications assessed as not meeting a legislative requirement at the initial assessment stage (other than 'genuineness'), due to a lack of required supporting evidence. Please refer to the following links for more information:

 

https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/work/newsletters/january-2018

 

Recent legislative changes:

 

On 17 January 2018 changes have been made to the Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) program. Please refer to the following links for more information:

 

Media releases:

·         Media release 18 April 2017

·         Media release 16 January 2018

Departmental website:

·          List of eligible skilled occupations

·          Caveats on 457 occupations

·          Subclass 457 Visa Legislative Instruments

·         17 January 2018 changes to the lists of eligible skilled occupations

·         1 July 2017 changes to skilled visa program

 

 

Request for priority allocation:

 

Please review your business case or circumstance. It must fall in the following guidelines:

 

• Claims of large-scale contracts/projects with imminent deadlines – evidence must be provided

• Applications from sponsors/positions in a remote location

• Nominations where the nominee is already a subclass 457 visa holder (i.e. change of employer nominations) – These applications are auto-allocated after 2 calendar days from lodgement.

If it falls within the guideline, email the 457 mailbox 457@homeaffairs.gov.au using the key words ‘Priority processing request’ in the subject line.

Updating address, contact or passport details:

 

You can update your details via ImmiAccount or https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login

(By updating your details through your ImmiAccount, the changes will be immediate).

 

Or download Form 929 Change of address and/or passport details at http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Forms/Documents/929.pdf and email the completed form to 929@homeaffairs.gov.au

 

 

Need to provide supporting documents:

 

For a faster decision, scan and attach your supporting documents via ImmiAccount.

For instructions on how to attach documents refer to:

http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-text/online-account/Documents/attach_documents.pdf

 

 

All supporting documents should be clear colour scanned copies of original documents.

Please do not email your attachments to us as this may cause delay in processing your applications.

 

Bridging visas:

 

Bridging visa (BV) forms can be lodged online. Using this new functionality will speed up the processing of your BV application.

 

Bridging visa applications submitted via email/uploaded as pdf into ImmiAccount are deemed invalid.

 

Form information on bridging visas please see:

Bridging Visa A: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa-1/010-

Bridging Visa B: http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/020-

Bridging Visa C: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa-1/030-

 

Imminent travel: If you intend to travel in the next 7 days, please either apply online, or lodge in person at any Visa and Citizenship Office of the department in Australia and provide reasons why your application is urgent.

 

Change of Conditions Request - Bridging Visa A or C

If you currently hold a Bridging Visa related to 457 visa application that has not yet been decided and want to apply to have the conditions on this Bridging Visa changed, please utilise the functionality within ImmiAccount or complete the paper Form 1005 and mail it to the 457 Team at:

 

Department of Home Affairs

GPO Box 9984

SYDNEY NSW 2001

 

The character requirement:

 

As per the Department’s website (Character and Police certificate requirements), some countries require a letter from the Department first in order to provide a penal check (‘penal check letter’). If you wish to ‘front end load’ the penal check process to reduce processing delays you may wish to obtain a penal check letter before you lodged your visa application or prior to receiving a request for further information from the Department.

 

For such requests you can email the bio-data page of your passport to 457@homeaffairs.gov.au and include the words “Front end load - Penal Check Letter” in the subject line of your email.

 

 

 

 

Related information:

 

 

Subject	Useful links/contact details
Condition 8547 waiver requests	Completed form (1445 Form) should be emailed to457@homeaffairs.gov.au   Include in subject line ‘8547 waiver’
Withdrawing a visa application	Please see: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/lega/Lega/Form/Immi-FAQs/can-i-withdraw-my-visa-application   Completed form 1446 Form should be emailed to 457@homeaffairs.gov.au   Include in subject line  ‘Withdrawal of Visa’
Withdrawing a sponsorship or nomination application	Email 457@homeaffairs.gov.au Include in subject line ‘Withdrawal of Sponsorship’ or‘Withdrawal of Nomination’
Children born in Australia to 457 visa holders	Email 457@homeaffairs.gov.au and attach parent’s passports and baby’s passports and standard Australian birth certificate   Include in subject line  ‘Baby born onshore’
Children born during the processing of your 457 visa application – both offshore/onshore	Completed form (1022 Form) should be emailed to457@homeaffairs.gov.au
Relationship breakdowns	Email vic.general.cancellations@border.gov.au
Technical support with lodging an application	Please see Technical Support Form
Sponsor’s obligations of notifying the department when certain events occur (e.g. cessation of employment, a change to duties/location of work of the visa holder, a change to sponsor’s address or contact details, etc.)	Please see : https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/work/empl/sponorship-obligations-monitoring-and-sanctions   Email sponsor.notifications@border.gov.au
New passport or change of address (929 Form)	Email 929@homeaffairs.gov.au
Health assessments and declarations	Please see Electronic health processing
Superannuation and voluntary visa cancellation	Email super.hobart@homeaffairs.gov.au

 

[Tntaglia]

From the Jan 2018 visa e-news, it looks like your health & character requirements won't cause you to go back to the queue:

 

Reminder regarding new approach to incomplete applications

Registered Migration Agents (RMAs) are reminded that as per advice emailed to them on 22 December 2017, the subclass 457 processing network is implementing a revised approach regarding managing incomplete applications to reduce processing times for complete applications. These new arrangements will commence on 15 January 2018 and will involve refusing applications assessed as not meeting a legislative requirement at the initial assessment stage (other than 'genuineness'), due to a lack of required supporting evidence, where:

• no natural justice obligations apply and
• more than two calendar days have passed since the application was lodged.

It will not include certain cases, for example where:

• health and character documentation is still pending
• a related application that must be finalised first remains pending (e.g. it is a nomination application and there is a pending sponsorship application)
• a reasonable and satisfactory explanation is attached to the application in ImmiAccount outlining reasons for incompleteness by an applicant (or agent on their behalf), who does not have a history of lodging incomplete applications.

 

 

That comes from here: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/work/newsletters/january-2018

 

[Aneldari]

@Tntaglia and @CTtoAus thank you so much for your information.  It helps a lot, I truly appreciate it!

[Aneldari]

Hi all

 

Do anyone have an answer to the following:

 

Would your application be still seen as decision-ready, if you lodge but you are still waiting for a doc, such as an unabridged marriage cert, you receive and upload it before your initial assessment (so during those 4 months before you hear anything)?

 

Or must everything be uploaded by the time you lodge?

 

Thank you!

[Tntaglia]

15 hours ago, Aneldari said:

Hi all

 

Do anyone have an answer to the following:

 

Would your application be still seen as decision-ready, if you lodge but you are still waiting for a doc, such as an unabridged marriage cert, you receive and upload it before your initial assessment (so during those 4 months before you hear anything)?

 

Or must everything be uploaded by the time you lodge?

 

Thank you!

I'm absolutely sure it's decision-ready when the case officer first looks at it. They don't care when the docs were uploaded as long as they are there when you reach the front of the queue. We didn't have our PCCs when we lodged, and updated the application with them 2 weeks later - the visa lawyers said it would be an issue if we got a CO assigned before we uploaded but then once we had them all was good.

[Aneldari]

@Tntaglia thank you so much! That is good news!!

[grootliam]

@cyclelabOur 457 took 90 days.

@Aneldariwith Bupa we had to pay one month medical insurance ahead. This is non refundable, so if you dont get a Visa then the money is gone. The good part is you get the proof letter within minutes of paying (credit card) and if you are delayed with ariving in Aus you can just shift the start date on to the next month. We shifted the start date of the insurance several times already and you dont get penelized as long as you shift it before the stating date on the letter. They also issue a new letter each time.

[SassySami]

Hi all

 

So I have been offered a position within the same company and received my offer on 08 December 2017 with start date 26 February. I have  subsequently moved this to 12 March.

They have a division dedicated to the visa application . I submitted all medicals documents,etc and it was lodged on 07 February 2018. I have been advised that the expected processing time 1-2 weeks. My employer is one of the Big 4...or in current SA terms one of the Big 3

 

The minimum turnaround time for us to request feedback on this application is 2 weeks....so fingers crossed in the interim. I will keep you all posted.

 

 

[Aneldari]

Thanks @grootliam!