Have you been wondering about the status of your visa, or whether the time is right to apply for a visa?
Covid-19 has bought a lot of aspects of life to a halt especially when it comes to immigration. No doubt the closing of borders and the pause in visa processing sent panic waves through anyone currently applying for a visa.
So, what happens if you or someone you know was planning to migrate to Australia when it was announced that the borders would be closing?
While immigration may be on hold at the moment, its important to remember that at some point immigration will open up again and visa processing will re-commence. If you were in the process of applying for a visa, continue to do so. There are many aspects of your visa application that you can prepare while you wait for processing to start up again. Waiting for immigration to open before you continue with your visa application may mean getting caught in the mad rush and consequently being stuck in the backlog of visa applications. With hundreds of thousands of visa applications received each year, it could be a pretty long wait!
In most cases, your visa application will require you to submit documentation that may need to be certified or verified; get all the verification done now so when processing does start up again your application wont be at the bottom of the pile!
While immigration is at a stand-still, there may be instances where you may need to travel to or from Australia. In this case, you may be granted permission to travel based on compassionate circumstances.
Compassionate circumstances include:
– Visiting or caring for a close relative who is seriously ill or dying
– Attending the funeral of a close relative
– Attending the birth of your child
Close relatives are:
– Your spouse or de-facto partner
– Your child or step-child
– Your parents
– Your brother, sister, step-brother or step-sister
Applications for compassionate circumstances can still be made to the Department of Home Affairs.
Visa processing will resume at some stage, so you shouldn’t be worried about the status of your application. Plenty of people are in the same boat.
Immigration plays an important economic and social role in Australia. It’s inevitable that the migration numbers in Australia this year will be substantially lower than previous years. By looking ahead and planning for the re-opening of our borders and immigration, visa applicants will not only save themselves time and stress by applying early, but help bring Australia’s migrant numbers up.
If you would like assistance with your visa application, or would like to learn more about travel based on compassionate circumstances, contact the team at Visa Solutions Australia on 1800 828 008.
