Apologies that it has been a while since my last blog post but to be frank there really has been very little news since then. There does however appear to be a silver lining on the horizon given the worldwide vaccine rollout, let’s just hope it progresses positively and quickly.
Until then, and per my previous posts, I think the Department will continue being very selective about which skilled visa invitations are being granted. For the most part, they will generally only grant invitations to applicants who have skills that are on the critical list and that may help Australia in its economic revival – and for the most part already living in Australia. Generally, they are closed to offshore applicants.
I think this will remain the case until the international borders reopen and covid settles down. As you no doubt already know, Australia has taken a very hard line against covid - we have very few cases (see this link regarding Australia’s covid management success https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-resilience-ranking/ and they are not likely to risk that by allowing too many foreigners in for now. Especially to South Africans given the new more contagious strand.
As things stand, there really is very little prospective immigrants can do but hope and pray that things improve soon – hopefully, that will happen with the vaccine rollout.
In the meantime, I would guard against reading too much into what is being said online in Facebook groups and the like, particularly with regard to supposed ways of acquiring invitations or visa grants.
As I have said many times before, a lot of what you read online is pure misinformation posted by agents who are trying to get potential clients to buy into their services so as to make a quick buck while things are so quiet. Or by laypeople who have no idea about the nuances of the process.
I think for now it is just a matter of remaining patient for things to improve and for the federal and state governments to reopen to offshore applicants – as I have mentioned in my posts the general consensus is that there is going to be a big push for skilled migrants in time to come, so there should be a lot of opportunities going forward.
Rest assured, we will keep you posted on any developments, but in the meantime please stay safe and healthy.
