I'm on the CSL, but should I apply for State Sponsorship to get my application processed faster?
One of the questions that many applicants are pondering as a result of the 23 September processing priority changes is "I'm on the CSL, but should I apply for State Sponsorship to get my application processed faster?".
For people who are considering that option, below are some facts which I hope will be of interest.
For clarification, please be aware that the comments below do not represent advice on Australian migration law and should not be taken as such. People seeking professional advice on their specific case should contact a MARA registered migration agent to obtain same.
As it stands now, existing State and Territory sponsored applications with CSL occupations are currently being assessed at the Adelaide Processing Centre within 10 days of the application being received, or receiving advice of the sponsorship. The Centre is also processing standard CSL applications, but not as quickly. However, it has set itself a goal of processing these applications within 10 days by March next year.
If an applicant were to apply for state sponsorship now, depending on the state, it could take anywhere from six weeks to 6 months to have their sponsorship application prepared, lodged and assessed.
If they chose a state that assessed applications quickly, their state sponsored visa application could be processed before the MODL Review introduces further changes, so they would benefit from the current processing priority list.
But if the state of choice was one that had a longer timeframe to process applications, the MODL review recommendations would have been released and possibly implemented by DIAC by the time their state sponsorship results came through.
And as noted above, by that time, the ASPC should be processing Category 4 applications in 10 days in any event, unless the MODL Review causes it to change its priorities once more.
So it’s essentially a matter of timing.
As things will change again when the MODL Review recommendations are implemented, having a State Sponsorsed application under consideration at that time, could very well be a strategic benefit to an applicant. It depends entirely upon which priorities the Govt introduces at that time
Regards
Susan
For people who are considering that option, below are some facts which I hope will be of interest.
For clarification, please be aware that the comments below do not represent advice on Australian migration law and should not be taken as such. People seeking professional advice on their specific case should contact a MARA registered migration agent to obtain same.
As it stands now, existing State and Territory sponsored applications with CSL occupations are currently being assessed at the Adelaide Processing Centre within 10 days of the application being received, or receiving advice of the sponsorship. The Centre is also processing standard CSL applications, but not as quickly. However, it has set itself a goal of processing these applications within 10 days by March next year.
If an applicant were to apply for state sponsorship now, depending on the state, it could take anywhere from six weeks to 6 months to have their sponsorship application prepared, lodged and assessed.
If they chose a state that assessed applications quickly, their state sponsored visa application could be processed before the MODL Review introduces further changes, so they would benefit from the current processing priority list.
But if the state of choice was one that had a longer timeframe to process applications, the MODL review recommendations would have been released and possibly implemented by DIAC by the time their state sponsorship results came through.
And as noted above, by that time, the ASPC should be processing Category 4 applications in 10 days in any event, unless the MODL Review causes it to change its priorities once more.
So it’s essentially a matter of timing.
As things will change again when the MODL Review recommendations are implemented, having a State Sponsorsed application under consideration at that time, could very well be a strategic benefit to an applicant. It depends entirely upon which priorities the Govt introduces at that time
Regards
Susan
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Add a Comment
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Comment by pedy on October 5, 2009 at 10:01 -
Dear Susan,
Many many thanks for your reply.
I do appreciate you. All I can give you is my gratitude.
Cheers,
Pedy
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Comment by Susan Wareham McGrath on October 4, 2009 at 13:28 -
Hi Pedy
For professional reasons, without knowing your exact circumstances, I'm not able to give advice. But here's some background that might be of assistance in your decision making process:
DIAC advised last week that if you have applied for an onshore or offshore GSM visa and your nominated occupation is on the CSL, it is estimated that your application will be finalised within 12 months from your lodgement date.
If DIAC meets its processing timeframes, you could expect to have your subclass 175 application finalised in a month or so, as it was lodged almost a year ago; and you would then be free to live and work anywhere in Australia.
Here's the URL to the Ministerial Direction on DIAC's website - Q10 refers: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/faq-priority-processing.pdf .
If you're not familiar with the content of the Direction, I suggest you have a quick read of it as it has a lot of information about processing priorities and timelines that might be helpful to you.
If you became a subclass 176 applicant, you could expect your application to be finalised in approximately ten days from DIAC's receipt of the formal sponsorship advice. Under those circumstances, you would need to commit to live and work in WA for two years.
Re employment opportunities, there are 223 WA civil engineering jobs currently advertised on www.seek.com.au, around 15% of the total figure of 1539 advertised for the whole of Australia. Of course, there would be jobs advertised elsewhere that don't appear on Seek. Maybe it would be helpful if you looked at other job boards like www.careerone.com and Engineers Australia's jobsearch facility, to assist you in making an informed decision.
The only other visa related issue I can think of that you might consider is whether you will be better off having a subclass 176 state sponsored CSL application, or a subclass 175 CSL visa application under consideration, if DIAC doesn't meet the service standards quoted in the Ministerial Direction; and the MODL Review recommendations are brought down while your application is still being assessed.
I'm not suggesting this worst-case scenario will happen, as the MODL review recommendations aren’t even scheduled to go to the Minister until December this year; I’m just considering your situation from all angles.
I hope the above comments are of some assistance in your decision making process.
Best regards
Susan
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Comment by pedy on September 29, 2009 at 13:56
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Dear Susan,
Thanks for your post.
I just received my sponsorship from Western Australia, however I am not sure to change my visa from 175 to 176. Some people, currently on CSL such as me, say that new processing priorities will give relatively the same timeline to both sponsored and non-sponsored application. They claim that there is just a few apllication on CSL sponsored by state or family, therefore CSL application will being processed soon. They also advise that on 176 visa I will limit my settelment which will impact my job opportunities. I am in a some sort of dilemma now.
I applied 11 months ago and I am a civil engineer 2124-11.
I am quite sure that it is not an easy job to give me a piece of advice, but would you please let me know your idea if you were me?
Many thanks
Regards,
Pedy
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