The Victorian government has stopped accepting new applications for nominations for skilled visas in order to “manage current demands”.
In a statement, the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources of the state government said there was a “very high volume” of applications for visa nominations for skilled migration.
“To help us manage this demand, and meet our service commitments to you, we are not accepting any new Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) or Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) nomination applications at this time.”
The department said it was only a temporary closure as it is currently assessing applications received until May 15 this year. However, it says there may be delays in deciding these applications as well.
However, business and investor visa nomination applications are not affected due to this temporary closure.
The department hasn’t indicated any timeframe to lift the temporary closure of visa nomination applications. It is advising prospective applicants to check its website in the coming weeks for information on when applications reopen.
The Queensland Government has also temporarily suspended issuing new invitations for skilled applications until July 2018 due to a backlog of applications. Business & Skilled Migration Queensland says applicants will have to lodge a new Expression of Interest (EOI) in July for skilled state nomination.
States and territories in Australia run their own migration programs to meet their skills and labour requirements, which enable them to sponsor applicants for different visa programs, including skilled visas. A visa nomination from a state carries additional points towards an applicant’s eligibility for points-based migration.
