Processing of Priority Group 5 General Skilled Migration Applications

Nov 26, 2011

According to DIAC (verbatim):

"Each week around 1000 priority affected cases are allocated to case officers. These allocations are currently made up of all available applications from Priority Group 1 and 3, with the balance being Priority Group 4 cases. There are no GSM visa subclasses in Priority Group 2.

As of 18 November 2011 there are around 751 applications lodged in Australia and 5544 applications lodged from outside Australia Priority Group 4 cases awaiting allocation. Since 1 July 2011, approximately 1481 applications lodged in Australia and 2702 applications lodged from outside Australia Priority Group 4 cases have been received, with some of the applications from in Australia having been allocated to case officers.

Based on the number of applications on hand and anticipated application rates for Priority Groups 1 and 3, the department expects to commence allocating some Priority Group 5 applications this program year. There are currently approximately 27 347 applications lodged from in Australia and 15 284 applications lodged from outside Australia Priority Group 5 cases awaiting allocation". 

The Department advises this will occur in the following process "Processing of Priority Group 5 applications lodged in Australia will begin with the remaining applications in the visa subclasses in effect prior to September 2007, the oldest of which was lodged on 28 July 2005. There are approximately 756 cases in this group.

Processing of Priority Group 5 applications lodged outside Australia will begin with applications in visa subclasses 495 and 496, which were lodged prior to 1 September 2007, the oldest of which was lodged on 10 July 2006. Unlike other GSM visa applications lodged from outside Australia, prior to 1 September 2007, these applications were not effected by the Minister's Cap and Cease arrangements. There are approximately 594 cases in this group.

The number of Priority Group 5 applications processed this program year will ultimately depend on the number of higher priority applications received, and other factors including any change in the size of the Migration Program or variation of the Processing Direction. Many Priority Group 5 applicants still face a considerable wait until their application is allocated to a case officer for processing and may want to consider other options available"

GSM visas affected

The following GSM visas are affected by priority processing:

• Skilled - Independent subclass 175
• Skilled - Sponsored subclass 176
• Skilled - Regional Sponsored subclass 475
• Skilled - Regional Sponsored subclass 487
• Skilled - Independent Regional subclass 495
• Skilled - Designated Area-sponsored (Provisional) subclass 496
• Graduate - Skilled subclass 497
• Skilled - Onshore Independent New Zealand Citizen subclass 861
• Skilled - Onshore Australian-sponsored New Zealand Citizen subclass 862
• Skilled - Onshore Designated Area-sponsored New Zealand Citizen subclass 863
• Skilled - Independent Overseas Student subclass 880
• Skilled - Australian-sponsored subclass 881
• Skilled - Designated Area-sponsored Overseas Student subclass 882
• Skilled - Independent subclass 885
• Skilled - Sponsored subclass 886
• Skilled - Regional subclass 887
  

GSM visas exempt

The following visa subclasses are exempt from priority processing and will be processed in the order in which they are received:

• Skilled - Recognised Graduate subclass 476
• Skilled - Graduate subclass 485
• Skilled - Designated Area - Sponsored (Residence) subclass 883

The following situations are also exempt from priority processing and will be processed in the order in which they are received:

• applications that are remitted to the department by the Migration Review Tribunal (MRT)
• applications where it is readily apparent that the criteria for grant of a visa would not be satisfied
• applications from subsequent entrants.

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