WHO CAN HELP WITH AN AUSTRALIAN VISA APPLICATION?

Australia is home to one of the most culturally diverse and open places on Earth, accepting over 160,000 migrants in the 2021-22 period.
Australia is home to almost 26 million people, and is well regarded as one of the most culturally diverse and open places on Earth. In the 2021-22 period, Australia will have welcomed over 160,000 migrants. Migrants coming to Australia do so for a number of reasons including for study, work, and to be united with their partner and/or family.
This is a short guide to assist you in finding your best options when looking for assistance with your visa application.

What Is The Best Way To Apply For An Australian Visa?

Each visa has different requirements to be met. A visa that is suitable for one person, may not be suitable for another.
You may want to visit Australia as a tourist, a student, a backpacker, or as an entrepreneur.
You may even want to move and settle in Australia permanently. In all cases, you have to make a definitive choice as to how you plan on legally staying in Australia.
Therefore, before moving to Australia and achieving your goals it is highly recommended that you get immigration advice and assistance from an immigration law or migration agent.

Who Can I Talk To About Australian Visas?

In Australia, only a qualified migration agent or solicitor can provide immigration advice and assistance.
A migration agent is an individual who holds a Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and is registered with the Australian Government’s Migration Agents Registration Authority.
An immigration solicitor on the other hand is a lawyer that holds a Bachelor of Law degree and is admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of NSW. A migration lawyer has legal education in all areas of law and holds a Legal Practitioners Number from the Department of Home Affairs.

What Is Immigration Assistance?

An immigration lawyer is able to provide the same services as those provided for by a migration agent in Australia, namely processing your visa application and facilitating any requests made by the Department of Home Affairs in regard to your application.
In addition to these services an immigration lawyer can assist you with court appeals and more complex migration issues including visa cancellations and character issues. A migration agent is able to assist you should you need to appeal before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) but he/she cannot go beyond this point for an appeal. If you wish to appeal your matter before a court, you will need a migration solicitor to do so.
Migration law is ever changing and complex in nature.
If you are interested in moving to Australia, the immigration lawyers at Alan Rigas Solicitors are qualified and experienced Immigration Lawyers and visa consultants. The team at Alan Rigas are experts in the field, holding specialised Immigration Accreditation from the Law Society of NSW and will provide you with comprehensive legal advice on your migration matter, as well as on a range of matters related to the migration process.

Exceptions to the Rule

If you are not an immigration agent or solicitor, you are not allowed to provide immigration assistance unless you are an exempt person. The Department of Home Affairs lists the following as exempt persons:● A nominator or sponsor to a visa application● A close family member● A parliamentarian● A member of a diplomatic mission● A member of a consular post● A member of an international organisation

How Can I Help Someone Get A Visa?

If you would like to help someone to get a visa, particularly if they are offshore and cannot get visa help in Australia, it is recommended that you refer them to a qualified migration agent or solicitor.
In addition to this, you are able to help an individual get a visa by applying to be their sponsor. The requirements for sponsoring an individual will differ depending on your relationship with the sponsor and the type of visa they wish to apply for.

Examples of different visas you can sponsor an applicant for include:● Global Special Humanitarian (subclass 202) visa: This visa will allow you to sponsor an applicant if they are subject to substantial discrimination or human rights abuses and you the applicant is able to stay with you.● Employer-Sponsored visa: This visa category will allow you as an employer to sponsor an applicant to work with you onshore in Australia. ● Partner (subclass 820 and 801) visa: This visa will allow you, an Australian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor your partner to come to Australia granted that you are in a genuine and ongoing relationship.● Parent (subclass 103) visa: This visa will allow you, an Australia citizen or permanent resident to sponsor a parent(s) to move to Australia as a permanent resident.

How Do I Contact The Department Of Home Affairs In Australia?

The Department of Home Affairs can be contacted a number of different ways:● By Phone: 131 881● In Person: A list of Department of Home Affairs offices can be found here.● Online: This is the primary method of contacting the department and can be done here.

How Do I Contact An Immigration Officer?

To get in touch with an immigration officer regarding your visa application, you can use the Department of Home Affairs website link above. Using this link you will be able to do a number of things such as:● Update your contact details● Provide the Department with proof of identity documents● Update the Department with any changes to your situation such as the death of a sponsor or a change in relationship status

How Long Do Case Officers Take To Decide?

Depending on the type of visa you apply for, processing times can differ greatly.
A list of processing times for your visa can be found on the Department of Home Affairs website here.

The length of time your visa takes to process can depend on a number of factors and your visa can be delayed greatly in some of the following circumstances:● You have not answered all application prompts correctly or at all● You have not provided the Department all necessary documents● You have not responded to the Department’s request for further information or more documents
For the above reasons, it is highly recommended you get professional advice when lodging a visa application to ensure that your visa is processed in a quick and timely manner.

Final words

The material included in this article is designed and intended to provide general information in summary on various Migration topics in Australia, which is current at the time of publication, for general informational purposes only.
The contents do not constitute legal advice and are not intended to be a substitute for legal advice and should not be relied upon as such.Migrating to Australia can be overwhelming for some. A solicitor can assist and guide you to meet the legal requirements of migrating to Australia.
Contact our office to speak with one of our lawyers who can help guide you through the process and assist you with Migrating to Australia and help you maximise the prospects of your application being successful.