Is Australia opening its borders in 2021? There are several credible sources that have given answer to this question time and again and all immigration changes currently suggest that the borders shall open sometime this year, perhaps by mid of the year or at least by the third quarter of this year.
A lot of changes are expected to happen with regards to Australian immigration in the coming months. 
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke who was appointed in his current position in Dec 2020 has stated that Immigration will continue to play a vital part in boosting Australian economic recovery and expects the net overseas migration to return to positive levels in the next year or two.Requirements For Visa Applicants

Are Australian Borders Open To Some Countries?

In the latter part of February 2021, mass Covid vaccination program was rolled out in Australia and this will speed up the opening of Australian international borders.

International flights have already been operating between New Zealand and Australia for several months now and Australia is currently in works to form a new travel bubble with Singapore, which may become operational as soon as June or July 2021. This and many other travel bubbles are expected to be formed in the coming months as Covid vaccination drives around the world speed up.

Are Australian Visas Still Being Processed?

Australian visa processing has not stopped since the onset of Covid-19, in-fact Australian authorities have been processing and granting all different types of visas including Work Visas, Visitor Visas, Permanent and Regional Skilled Visas as well as various types of Family Visas, as long as the applying candidates meet the relevant application requirements.

For some of the success visa stories of Permanent Visa grant and Regional Work Visa grants during Covid-19 please refer to our Facebook page.

Migrants Applying For DAMA Visa Program

DAMA or designated area migration agreement has been becoming increasingly popular for candidates who otherwise might not be able to meet regular Work or Permanent Visa requirements.
This program was introduced in the third quarter of 2019 and is now a go to visa for applicants who are over 45 years old or do not meet regular English language requirements for Work Visa or Permanent Visas.
It has been so successful in Western Australia that the region of Goldfields (Kalgoorlie) has now made 125 occupations eligible for employer sponsorship and areas such as Ravensthorpe, Dundas and Esperance are now listed under Goldfields DAMA program.

The age limit for attaining permanent residency under this program has now been extend to 54 years of age for certain occupations. Some of the occupations which are given such concessions include but are not limited to the following:

– Meat Boner and Slicer
–  Child Care Worker
–  Family Day Care Educator
–   Aged or Disabled Carer
–   Personal Care Assistant
–   Nursing Support Worker

Another positive aspect of the DAMA program in Western Australia – Goldfields region is that it provides pathway to permanent residency which are not even listed under ANZSCO classification such as:

– Sound and Light Technician
– Rope Access Technician
–  Asphalt Technician
–  Process Technician

For further details on DAMA visa program, please have a read of our article “What Is The Australian DAMA Immigration Program”

What You Should Do?
Australian migration program is dynamic and quite complex and there is no doubt that Covid-19 has had a major impact on it.

Unprecedented immigration changes happen time to time and it is best to have a plan of action and to keep oneself focused on it.

We advise all candidates to not make the mistake of waiting to start the entire process after the Covid-19 pandemic. There is no guarantee in today’s world that Covid-19 pandemic will suddenly disappear and it is imperative that people do not stop their life processes because of this.

Do your Skills Assessment Now

We recommend that all applicants undertake a Skills Assessment first and as soon as possible. It is worth noting that the new financial year in Australia is fast approaching and will start in Jul 2021, this is when all states are expected to carry out intake of new applicants.

We anticipate that there will be a huge rush and volume of applicants at this time of the year, so much so that Australian authorities may get inundated and only accept that applications that they receive in the first few days or weeks.

To get ahead and be selected for this intake, applicants have to stay one step ahead and starting, undertaking and successfully passing Skills Assessment before Jul 2021 will ensure that one could get a chance to be invited for relevant visa application by Australian authorities.

This initial step is the most important one because if an applicant doesn’t pass the Skills Assessment then, they are ineligible to proceed any further, let alone applying for a visa in future.

We also recommend that applicants undertake an English language test at the
same time as they are doing the Skills Assessment to minimise the time it takes
to reach up to the stage when they can lodge their visa application.

For those applicants who have completed Skills Assessment and meet
the English language requirements, we recommend that they proceed with the
lodgement of Expression of Interest as it is also an important step in the
migration process.

For further tips on preparing a visa application please refer to our article on this topic.

How we can assist you?

We are fully aware of the intricate requirements of the Australian immigration process and can assist you in assessing your eligibility and can also lodge your Skills Assessment and relevant visa on your behalf.
We also recommend that you attend our next online webinar on 11th April 2021 (Sunday). You may reserve a spot for yourself for this webinar by registering your interest through this link. Contact us or book a consultation today with our Registered Migration Consultant Sunny Soni.