The recent changes brought out by the Australian High Commission that were announced in September involved no priority processing. This is especially for all those Australian state sponsored visas. This would have a drastic effect even to those whose applications are in the final stages of processing. With this, the applicants have been asked to wait till 2012 to get a final word on their visas. And the worst part being that no money would be refunded back to the candidates.

These changes have created a lot of rage amongst the applicants who have invested so much of their time, money and resources only for the process to be prolonged further. The Department of Immigration and Australian Citizenship brought out a notice instead of issuing a statement to the press. The statement includes the following –

• The requirements set forth by the Australian employers are to be met. This is being catered to by the employer – sponsored skilled migrants and the critical demand occupations.
• The demand and the number of applications usually go beyond the required numbers.
• In times of recession, it is mandatory to take such actions to ensure that the country does not recruit beyond its capacity. The economic condition of the country determines the number of immigrants taken in per year.
• The country still welcomes immigrants but now it has a much focused approach.
• To ensure that immigration caters to the recession, a critical skills list has been brought out based on which the candidates would be given a permit.
• This list focuses on the demands posed by the various industries in the country which leads to a lot of variation in the skills needed.
• The key body referred to in this regard has been the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace relations (DEEWR).
• The above mentioned Critical Skills List (CSL) is constantly under review with close contacts with the state and the territorial governments, industries and other unions. This is to make sure that the relevant measures are being taken with the economic situation.
• The current applicants selected for priority processing includes those with skills mentioned in the CSL.
• For a General Skilled Migrant visa, the processing time would be around 12 months (with skills mentioned in the CSL). Immigrants who were students in Australia are permitted to live and work till they get a final approval/decision on their visas.

With changes being made constantly, it is best to get an expert opinion first before actually applying for immigration. Avoiding problems is always better than doing damage control. Thus, contact an Immigration and Visa expert to know more on the same.