Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship OCCUPATIONAL TRAINEE VISA Frequently Asked Questions for Visa applicants I am outside Australia, how can I pay my visa application charge? Acceptable payment methods for applications lodged with the Adelaide Occupational Trainee Processing Centre (AOTPC) are: Credit card - VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club or JCB - Must be specified in AUD$ - Due to credit card restrictions, you may need to notify your bank regarding your intended overseas transaction. Australia Post money order - Made payable to Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) Bank cheque - Payable through an Australian bank or an international bank which has an office in Australia. - Must be specified in AUD$ - Made payable to 'DIAC'. International money order - Payable through an Australian bank or an international bank which has an office in Australia. - Must be specified in AUD$ - Made payable to 'DIAC'. Note: 1. Some countries do not issue international money orders. If this is the case, you will need to use another method of payment. 2. Personal cheques are not accepted 3. Travellers' cheques are not accepted Cash If you cannot pay via any of the above payment methods you may be able to pay for the visa application charge in cash at your nearest DIAC Office. The DIAC Office will provide you with a receipt which you can then attach to you 442 visa application and send to the AOTPC. Please contact the relevant DIAC office before attending in person as they have different processes on how to pay for applications i.e. you may have to make an appointment. Level 3 55 Currie Street Adelaide SA 5000 GPO Box 2399 ADELAIDE SA 5001 Telephone: 13 18 81 Fax: 08 8237 6699 www.immi.gov.au
- 2 - Please refer to the following link on the various methods of payment at each overseas DIAC office: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/990i/methods-of-payment.htm Pay to an overseas bank account of an Australian Embassy Some Australian Embassies require applicants to pay the visa application charge directly to their bank account. Once you have made the bank deposit, please provide the original bank receipt to the Australian Embassy to obtain the DIAC receipt. Please then attach the DIAC receipt to your application when lodging it with AOTPC. Please contact the relevant DIAC office before attending in person as they have different processes on how to pay for applications i.e. you may have to make an appointment. Please refer to the following link on the various methods of payment at each overseas DIAC office: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/990i/methods-of-payment.htm How much is my 442 application charge? A Visa Application Charge (VAC) may be subject to adjustment at any time and visa application charges may be subject to adjustment on 1 July each year. This may increase the cost of a visa. If the VAC is changed, the new amount will apply to all visa applications received by the department on and after the day the VAC is changed. If you send the VAC with your visa application before 1 July, but the application is not received by the department until after 1 July, you will have to pay for any increase in the VAC. From 1 July please see the following links to confirm the correct required fee payment before you lodge your application: The following index lists the pages of charges for types of visa application. http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/990i/visa-charges.htm Form 990i Charges http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/990i/990i-charges.htm
- 3 - How can I lodge my application? Can I email my application? Email is not an approved method of lodgement. The following methods are valid forms of lodgement: By Post to: Department of Immigration and Citizenship AOTPC GPO Box 2399 Adelaide SA 5001 Australia By Courier to: Department of Immigration and Citizenship AOTPC Level 4, 55 Currie Street Adelaide SA 5001 Australia Please note: You should not make travel arrangements to Australia until after you have been granted your visa. What is a Bridging Visa A and do I need to apply for one? People who lodge a valid 442 visa application whilst they are inside Australia and hold a substantive visa are entitled to a Bridging Visa A (BVA) as part of their application. This BVA will come into effect when the visa applicant's substantive visa expires and it will remain in effect until the pending 442 visa application is finalised. The BVA allows the 442 visa applicant to remain lawfully inside Australia with the same work limitations as per their previous substantive visa, but it does not entitle the holder to leave and re-enter Australia. If you wish to travel outside of Australia whilst your 442 visa application is being processed you will need to apply for a Bridging Visa B (BVB). This should be lodged with the AOTPC at least 1 week before your anticipated departure. To apply for a BVB please refer to the Form 1006 (http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1006.pdf) and the current visa processing charge (http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/990i/other-visas.htm)
- 4 - I am currently in Australia. I have the 8503 condition imposed on my current substantive visa. Can I apply for 442 visa application while I am in Australia? Your current visa is subject to condition 8503 No Further Stay. Therefore, you cannot make a valid application for a visa while you are in Australia. To make a valid 442 visa application you will need to depart Australia and apply for a visa offshore. How long will it take to have a decision made on my application? When the application is received, you will receive a Tax Receipt for your payment from our support staff. Once your application has been allocated to a case officer, they will contact you if further information is required to process your application. The standard processing time is 2-3 months for a complete Occupational Trainee visa application. Please note that this does not take into account the time taken to process the sponsorship and nomination (if required), each of which can take 4-6 weeks to process. Where all three components of the application (sponsorship, nomination and visa) are submitted together, you may expect quicker processing. Note that all Occupational Trainee visa applications must now be lodged in Australia. Please write the email address and postal address clearly (in block letters) on your application to avoid delays in a case officer contacting you to request further documents or notifying you of the decision. Can I request priority processing of my application? We acknowledge that many applicants desire a speedy decision on their application so they can enter Australia to begin their occupational training. However, applications are not prioritised unless there are urgent and exceptional circumstances. Please note that booked travel arrangements or the training start date nearing commencement are not considered urgent or exceptional circumstances. I would like to lodge my 442 visa application but I do not have an approved sponsorship or nomination. Can I still lodge my visa application? Yes, you can lodge your visa application before the sponsorship and nomination have been approved. However, your sponsor must have at least lodged their sponsorship application at the same time or prior to you lodging your visa application.
- 5 - You will need to provide evidence that your sponsor has lodged their sponsorship application in order to lodge your visa application. You will also need to ensure that your sponsor lodges a nomination in relation to your visa application. If your sponsor is a Commonwealth Government department or agency, they are not required to lodge a nomination application. If you are in Australia, we encourage the visa, nomination and sponsorship (if applicable) applications to be lodged at the same time before your current substantive visa expires. However, if the sponsorship and nomination are refused, your visa application may also be refused and it is unlikely you will receive a refund of your visa application charge. I am outside of Australia. I have an approved sponsorship and nomination but my visa application has not been finalised. Can I travel to Australia on a Tourist Visa or ETA? Whether you can travel to Australia before your 442 visa application has been finalised depends on your intent to enter Australia. If you lodge a visitor or tourist visa application the case officer assessing your application may have concerns about your genuine intent to be a visitor if you have a pending 442 visa. You may not be granted the visitor or tourist visa. If you obtain a valid visa, you may travel to Australia before your Occupational Trainee visa application has been finalised. However, sponsorship and nomination approval for the organisation nominating you does not guarantee that you will receive a visa. Your application for a visa will be assessed on its individual merits, after the nomination from your sponsor is approved. Please note that if you travel to Australia on a tourist visa you are not permitted to undertake any work, including training, until you have the appropriate visa. Your visa application can be lodged prior to the nomination being approved however we suggest you discuss this with your sponsor prior to lodging your application. What is an adequate level of health insurance? The following link provides details of health insurance requirements for the Occupational Trainee Visa http://www.immi.gov.au/students/sponsored/otv/health-insurance.htm In particular you should take note of the Health Insurance Standard Template Letter. This document includes an attachment that outlines the benefits that should be included in your cover. You should note the per annum limit of your policy per person must not be less that $1 million AUD.
- 6 - Please note; most types of overseas travel insurance are not at an appropriate level. A number of Australian private health insurance companies have policies specifically designed for foreign nationals working or training in Australia. You may wish to visit http://www.privatehealth.gov.au/ for information on health insurers in Australia. Overseas providers can and do meet the appropriate level, however you will need to choose your insurance policy wisely. I am from a country with Reciprocal Health Care Arrangements (RHCA) with Australia. Do I still need health insurance? Simply being a national of a country which has Reciprocal Health Care Arrangements (RHCA) with Australia may not necessarily entitle a person to access Medicare while in Australia. Medicare Australia is responsible for determining eligibility to enrol in Medicare under an RHCA. Applicants who may be eligible for enrolment under an RHCA, but have not yet done so, must obtain insurance as per the above information. Applicants who are unsure if they will be eligible for a reciprocal Medicare card should, in the interim, ensure that they arrange for an insurance product that meets the requirements for adequate health insurance For the purpose of processing a 442 visa application you will need to provide evidence of private health insurance to cover you until the time that you are covered by Medicare. Question I have lodged my 442 visa application. Can I do my Police clearances now? Applicants for an Occupational Trainee (subclass 442) visa are not generally requested to complete a police check. A decision-maker, however, is able to request that an applicant provide a police check if the applicant's personal circumstances suggest that this is appropriate When do I arrange health examinations? Your case officer will advise you after assessing your application if you are required to undergo medical or x-ray examinations. It will depend on your circumstances, your intended activities in Australia, and your country of origin or residence. Information relevant to the health requirement for visa applicants is available on our website through the following link: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/health-requirements/ The department uses an online health system known as ehealth to record your health examination results and conduct your health assessment. Where possible the department encourages visa applicants to visit an ehealth enabled
- 7 - clinic and complete their health examinations electronically. The following link to our website will help you determine how to use ehealth, if you are eligible and which countries have ehealth in place. http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/health-requirements/ehealth-electronichealth-processing.pdf You can make a self assessment of the health requirement with the information available on Form 1163i (see link below). http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1163i.pdf. If you assess that you need to undergo medical or x-ray examinations based on the information on Form 1163i, you can complete your medical before a request is sent by your case officer. Where the ehealth system is used by your panel doctor, you will be required to provide your Health Examination List when you attend your appointment. This will not be available until your application has been assessed by a case officer. Therefore you will need to wait until your application has been lodged and assessed to complete your medical/x-ray examinations. Question Do I have to provide English translation of documents? Documents in languages other than English that you provide with your application must also be accompanied by an accurate English translation of each of those documents. If you are applying for a visa outside Australia and you are having documents translated outside Australia, it is recommended that you use a translator who is professionally qualified. If you are applying for a visa in Australia and you are having documents translated in Australia, it is recommended that you use a translator who has been accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translations and Interpreters (NAATI). Further information on NAATI is available from their website. What is an adequate means of support? The policy relevant to this requirement has recently changed. Applications received after 28 February 2011 are required to demonstrate they have adequate funds or access to adequate funds to support themselves for their stay in Australia. When assessing this requirement, officer will take into consideration monetary and non-monetary support. Applicants would need to demonstrate funds of approximately 485 AUD per week (about 25,220 AUD per year) for the primary applicant. This is based on average household expenditure figures in the most recent Australian Bureau of
- 8 - Statistics Household Expenditure Survey. If dependant applicants are included in the application, evidence of additional funds for the dependants would be required as outlined below: 35 % (that is, an additional AUD 8 830) if the sponsored person has a partner a further 20% of the AUD 25 220 living costs (that is, an additional AUD 5 040) for the first child (if any) and a further 15% of the AUD 25 220 living costs (that is, an additional AUD 3 780) for each additional child a further AUD 8 000 per year per school-age dependant for schooling costs on top of living costs. The following documents could be provided as evidence to for this requirement: salary or wages as part of the occupational training scholarships, bursaries or other allowances salary paid by an overseas business or government non-monetary benefits (for example, full board or accommodation, travel expenses) any assurances for support or loans to cover expenses during period of stay savings held by the applicant and support from family If I am not able to commence my training by the approved training dates can the training dates be amended? In the event that the commencement date of your proposed training passes, you may, together with your nominator chose to amend the training dates prior to an outcome of your visa application. The nominator must provide you with an amended letter of offer, outlining the new training period. The amended letter of offer can be included together with your visa application. Please note: The duration of your training program must remain the same. Only the commencement and end date for the training may be altered and this can only be done before finalisation of your visa. Please note the information in this document is subject to change and should be read in conjunction with information available on our website.