Biometrics collection Singapore

Biometrics collection will commence in Singapore from 24 April 2015. All applicants irrespective of their nationality who are physically in Singapore will be required to provide biometrics, unless excluded or exempt under policy.

Visa applicants residing in Singapore and who attend the Australian Visa Application Centre (AVAC) in Singapore to lodge their applications, will be asked to provide their biometrics at the same time.

Where applications are posted to the Australian High Commission or the AVAC in Singapore, a letter will be sent to applicants requiring them to attend the AVAC, in person, to provide their biometrics.

Biometrics will be collected from visa applicants who are in Singapore at the time of making a visa application to enter Australia, unless they are excluded or exempted from doing so under Australian Government policy.

Visa applicants residing in Singapore who lodge their application at the Australian Visa Application Centre (AVAC) in Singapore will be asked to provide their biometrics at the same time.

Visa applicants who send their applications by post to the Australian High Commission in Singapore or to the AVAC, will be sent a letter requiring them to attend the AVAC, in person, to provide their biometrics.

Some applicants lodging their visas online might be sent a letter informing them that they need to attend the AVAC in person to provide their biometrics.​​​​​

Applicants will need to contact the Australian Visa Application Centre to make an appointment and have their biometrics collected.

Biometrics data will be collected by the Australian Government's service provider VFS Global through a quick, discreet and a non-intrusive process that captures a facial image and a 10-digit fingerprint scan.

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Migration scam warning

SCAMWatch reports the ACCC and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) have been getting reports of scammers claiming to be government officials. The scammers call migrants and temporary visa holders and threaten them with deportation supposedly because of problems with their immigration paperwork or visa status.

Scammers are demanding up-front fees of around $1,000 to resubmit forms. These scam phone calls appear to be targeting people from India and Pakistan. The ACCC has received 150 reports of this scam since February with more than $35,000 reported lost.

Scammers may try to pressure you by calling repeatedly and harassing you, even threatening to send the police to your house – but if you give your money to a scammer you will never see it again. The DIBP has confirmed that it does not ask for any payment of fines or penalties by telephone.

If you receive a telephone call from someone threatening you with deportation and asking you to pay a fee, hang up and do not respond. If in doubt, do not use any contact details provided by the caller - look up the government department or organisation yourself in the phone book or online and phone or email them.

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New visa arrangements for people working in Australia’s offshore oil and gas industry

From 31 March 2015, new visa arrangements came into effect for non-citizens other than permanent residents intending to work in Australia's offshore oil and gas industry.

People intending to work on resources installations should hold either a Subclass 457 Temporary Work (Skilled) visa or a Subclass 400 Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) visa.

People who are participating in, or supporting, an offshore resources activity from a vessel will be granted the Special Purpose Visa (SPV) by operation of law.

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485 visa and 476 visa - changes to English language requirements

From 18 April 2015, minimum English language test scores for the Skilled – Recognised Graduate (subclass 476) and Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visas changed.

If you lodge an application for either of these visas on or after 18 April, you must provide evidence of having achieved one of the following in a test taken in the three years immediately prior to lodging your visa application: 

• an overall score of at least 6, with nothing below 5 in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) in an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test
• a score of at least 'B' in each of the four test components (speaking, reading, listening and writing) of an Occupational English Test (OET)
• a total score of at least 64, with nothing below 4 for listening, 4 for reading, 14 for writing and 14 for speaking, in a Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT)
• an overall score of at least 50 with nothing below 36 in each of the four test components (listening, reading, writing and speaking) in a Pearson Test of English Academic
• an overall score of at least 169 with nothing below 154 in each of the four test components (listening, reading, writing and speaking) in a Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test taken on or after 1 January 2015.

This change means the ‘competent English’ requirement no longer applies to subclasses 476 and 485.

Only minimum English test scores will change. Applicants will still meet the English requirement if they hold a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland.

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457 visa - changes to English language requirements

As of 17 April 2015 the following language tests are acceptable evidence for 457 visa applications:

(a)                International English Language Testing System (IELTS test);

(b)                Occupational English Test (OET);

(c)                Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT);

(d)               Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE);

(e)                Cambridge English: Advanced test (CAE), where the test was completed on, or after 1 January 2015.

The minimum score for each IELTS component is now 4.5 but the overall band score needs to be at least 5.

The following scores apply to the remainder of the tests:

English test	Minimum band score	Minimum scores for English test components
		Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
IELTS test	Overall band score 5.0	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5
OET	-	B	B	B	B
TOEFL iBT	Total band score 36	3	3	12	12
PTE	Overall band score 36	30	30	30	30
CAE	Overall band score 154	147	147	147	147

 

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SA Supplementary Skilled List adds CSOL occupations and replaces the South Australian Graduate List

The South Australian Graduate List for state nomination has been replaced by the Supplementary Skilled List. This new list offers all the occupations on the DIBP Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List (CSOL) that are NOT on the SA State Occupation List.

The State Occupation List contains 171 occupations and the Supplementary Skilled List the remaining 480 occupations. 

This now give the opportunity for skilled workers in one of the three following categories to meet the criteria for state sponsorship:  

• International graduate of South Australia.


• Worked in a skilled occupation in South Australia for the last 12 months.


• Immediate family member permanently residing in South Australia for 12 months or more.

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Chinese Travellers visitor visa extended to three years with multiple entries

Minister Andrew Robb has announced that approved Chinese travellers will now be able to apply for online visitor visas with three-year validity and multiple entries. This extension follows the introduction of three year, multiple entry Chinese business visas in 2014.

This follows the success for the online visitor visa pilot for Chinese visitors

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