We are now more than halfway into 2021 and once again, much of Australia’s population has been plunged into lockdown. At the time of publishing, Greater Sydney, all of Victoria and South Australia and parts of regional NSW are in lockdown due to recent COVID-19 outbreaks. Despite this, several changes impacting visa applications were rolled out on the first day of the new financial year. There were also some other immigration related announcements in July. We will summarise the key changes that have so far taken place this month so that you’re on top of the latest updates. 

Increases to visa application charges

On 1 July 2021, the Department of Home Affairs increased visa application charges for most visa subclasses by 1.75% in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to the nearest $5.00 figure. For example, the Subclass 820 Partner Visa has increased from $7,715 on 30 June 2021 to $7,850 on and after 1 July 2021. Similarly, the Subclass 189 Skilled Independent and Subclass 190 State Nominated visas have risen from $4,045 to $4,115. Most of the visa streams in the Subclass 188 Business, Innovation and Investment program have increased by more than 1.75%, while some other visa subclasses have not changed at all. It’s something to keep in mind when budgeting for your visa application. 

Higher citizenship fees

The Department of Home Affairs also introduced some changes to citizenship application fees to better reflect the cost of processing citizenship applications. From 1 July 2021, Australian citizenship by conferral will cost $490 per standard application. Australian citizenship by descent applications will now cost $315 and requests for evidence of Australian citizenship is now $240. People looking to resume their Australian citizenship will be charged $210. Children who are 15 years or younger applying on the same application as their parents for citizenship by conferral or resumption will not be required to pay any application fees. Although the fees represent a large percentage increase compared to the previous fees, citizenship application fees as a whole remain small compared to most visa application charges. 

New AAT fees

As of 1 July 2021, the new application fee to lodge a review of a non-protection visa decision at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) is $3,000 including sponsorship and nomination decisions. This is a substantial increase from the previous $1,826 fee. 

Updates to the priority occupations list

The Federal Government’s Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) which was first created in September 2020 with 19 occupations has been expanded to 41 occupations. The list consists of critical occupations that need to be filled to continue to create jobs and promote Australia's ongoing recovery from the impact of COVID-19. Anyone who has lodged a skilled visa application or employer sponsored visa application in one of these occupations will have their application prioritised by the Department of Home Affairs. We are ready to help you consider your visa options if you are employed in one of the 41 priority listed occupations. 

Concessions for Working Holiday Makers affected by COVID-19

The month of July also saw the introduction of concessions for people who held Working Holiday Visas (Subclass 417 or 462) and were unable to enter Australia due to travel restrictions or needed to leave Australia early due to COVID-19. If you were one of these cohorts of visa holders and you are currently offshore, you can apply for a replacement Working Holiday Visa without having to pay another Visa Application Charge (VAC) from 1 July 2021. The COVID-19 affected Working Holiday Visa you held will not be counted for any subsequent Working Holiday Visa applications. If you need further details about this, we are happy to provide clarity on what this will mean for you over a consultation. 

Reduction in international arrivals

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in Australia and to relieve pressure on the hotel quarantine program, the National Cabinet in conjunction with the Prime Minister decided to temporarily reduce international arrivals by 50% starting from Wednesday 14 July and remaining in place until 31 August 2021. This decision will not affect the number of repatriation flights organised by the Federal Government to bring Australian citizens and permanent residents back home. This means that anyone who is not booked on a repatriation flight but has their own travel arrangements to return to Australia may be impacted.

Impact of lockdowns on health examinations

The COVID-19 lockdowns in various cities, localities and states within Australia has led to the temporary closure of a number of visa medical clinics. New bookings will not be taken until further notice and anyone who has had an existing appointment will have already received a text message or email from their clinic advising them of a cancellation and a refund of any fees already paid. This may delay the processing of your visa application but the Department of Home Affairs are aware of the closures and will be flexible in giving applicants additional time to complete their health examinations. We recommend keeping an eye on the Bupa visa medical website for any changes to appointment availability. 

Connect with us remotely during lockdown

Our team is abiding by the Public Health Orders and currently working from home, but we are still available to give you the help you need. If you need our advice and assistance with your immigration matter, you can book either a 20 minute express telephone consultation or a 1 hour video consultation with our Registered Migration Agent.

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About Peter Chang

Peter Chang is a registered migration agent based in the Western Sydney hub of Parramatta, Australia. He is the co-founder of Titan Migration, a consultancy specialising in providing Australian immigration advice and visa assistance services.

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