ImmiAccount system outage from 7 pm on 30 June, credit card and PayPal surcharge increases from 1 July 2020

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ImmiAccount system outage from 7 pm on 30 June, credit card and PayPal surcharge increases from 1 July 2020

ImmiAccount and other major online services provided by the Department of Home Affairs will be down for scheduled maintenance from 7 pm (AEST) 30 June 2020 until 9 am (AEST) 1 July 2020. While there has been no news on any changes to visa application charges or other migration- and citizenship-related fees, the surcharge for Visa and Mastercard payments and PayPal will increase, with an important warning for any applicant seeking to avoid surcharges altogether by using BPAY.

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ImmiAccount down 30 June 2019; Subclass 870 – Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa opens 1 July 2019

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ImmiAccount down 30 June 2019; Subclass 870 – Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa opens 1 July 2019

The Department of Home Affairs has announced that the online platform to lodge many Australian visa applications, ImmiAccount, will shut down for system maintenance on the night of 30 June 2019. This will be to not only adjust visa application charges as most will increase from 1 July 2019, but to also add the visa application forms for the Subclass 870 – Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa, which will be the first internet application for parent visas.

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Budget Special: VACs increase 5.4% from 1 July 2019; GSM single applicants to be awarded points, partners may become a disadvantage

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Budget Special: VACs increase 5.4% from 1 July 2019; GSM single applicants to be awarded points, partners may become a disadvantage

The Federal Budget handed down last night announced a 5.4 per cent visa application charge increase from 1 July 2019, and a change to the requirements for partner skills to be awarded for General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas. While the need for a skill assessment for the spouse or de facto partner of a visa applicant will be dropped, it may end up being a disadvantage as prospective visa applicants without partners will be awarded points for simply being single.

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Annual report season: Processing woes; permanent migration places to remain at 190 000

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Annual report season: Processing woes; permanent migration places to remain at 190 000

The Department of Home Affairs and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal released their 2017-18 annual reports. Both provide good insights into their performance over the last year and their shortcomings, namely that processing of certain applications have slowed.

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