Today is Federal Budget Day in Australia.
The Budget papers which have been released include the following commentary (emboldening added):
“The 2014‑15 Migration Programme will have 190,000 places and maintain the composition of 128,550 Skilled Stream places, 60,885 Family Stream places and 565 Special Eligibility Stream places.
The Skilled Stream will continue to focus on Australia’s longer term skills needs, including addressing skills shortages in regional Australia.
The Family Stream will refocus on meeting the increasing demand for close family reunions. The additional partner and child places will be made available as a result of the cessation of new applications from the other family and parent (non‑contributory) places. This cessation will also enable faster processing of existing applications.”
(Source: http://www.budget.gov.au/2014-15/content/bp2/html/bp2_expense-16.htm , scroll down to Migration Programme — allocation of places for 2014‑15)
This indicates that it will not be possible to apply for subclass 103 (Parent) and 804 (Aged Parent) visa options imminently – we anticipate this will be from the end of next month (June 2014).
If you are intending to apply for a subclass 103 or 804 visa we strongly recommend that you lodge an application now. GM Parents can progress such an application quickly – remember that you can lodge a basic application with supporting documentation to follow once a file reference has been issued by the Department of Immigration.
Our fees are fixed in amount, and are payable in stages.
Contact your closest GM Parents office or complete the enquiry form on this page if you would like to discuss your parent visa options with an experienced migration advisor.
