FAQS

Welcome to Modern. Migration FAQ. We hope you can find all the information you need, but if not, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be more than happy to assist you with your issue.

Modern Migration FAQ

Yes, to lawfully enter Australia you need an Australian visa.ample Description
A visa allows you to lawfully enter Australia and either singularly or in a combined way, let you work, study, travel, undertake business or even migrate permanently to Australia. Some visas also allow you to exit an re-enter Australia for the life of the visa. Some visas are single entry only.
The cost of visa depends on the type of visa you want to apply for. The costs for Australian Visa’s begin with the Departments’ Visa Application Charge. If you use a Registered Migration Agent, there will also be Service Fee which will cover the migration specialist’s time and expertise used to prepare and submit the application for you. There are some other costs such as medical tests, police clearances, translation and in some cases Subsequent Temporary Entrant Visa Application Charges and Secondary Visa Application charges for applicants without functional English. To get more information on your specific visa subclass please contact us for fixed price quote on the Australian Visa you are seeking.
We process all major visa subclasses. These include the Skilled work visas, Visitor, Partner/ Spouse, Parent, Student, Business and Investor Visas, Citizenship and any other visas. Please contact us directly for further information.
Registered migration agents are required by law to have the knowledge and skills to deal with migration matters and to abide by the Code of Conduct as well as being bound by Australian Law. Migrating and applying for a visa is a complex process, and in most cases requires experience and awareness of the nuances and pitfalls of many visa requirements. The RMA’s at Modern Migration Australia are specialists in Migration Law, as well as the specific requirements of all the main Australian visa subclasses. An agent’s knowledge and expertise will save you time, money, stress and confusion.
You can call DOHA or attend a Departmental Office or read their website to gain general information about visas. But, when in direct contact with the Department, be aware that they are not empowered to give advice beyond a certain point. Importantly, if you call the Department, you may get different answers to the same question depending on whom you talk to. Furthermore, the information on the Department of Immigration’s website makes clear (see Disclaimer via the link below) that they take no responsibility for the information contained their website, or its accuracy, completeness, or suitability for your specific situation: http://www.border.gov.au/website/copyright-and-disclaimer
Under the provisions of the Migration Act and Regulations, Registered Migration Agents are specifically trained to give migration advice and Legal Practitioners are also able to give migration advice. Migration Agents who work in Australia are Registered with the Office of Migration Agents Registration Authority operate under the Code of Conduct, and must have the required knowledge to provide migration assistance. Please check with OMARA to determine if the person giving you advice is a registered migration agent via their website https://www.mara.gov.au. You can do this by checking either their name, company name, or their Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN). If you encounter a person claiming to be a Migration Agent or giving migration advise who does not have a MARN or can’t be verified via the OMARA website, REPORT them immediately to DIBP and OMARA. Importantly, Do Not give them money or take their advice.
Most visa holders, except Visitor Visas holders in Australia as Tourists, are generally allowed to work in Australia. But, limitations and restrictions may apply with your visa. Check you visa conditions on your Grant Letter or call us.
Yes, in most cases you can apply for a visa while you are in Australia holding a valid visa. However, this is not always the case as some visas do have restrictions that will prevent you applying for another visa or a specific type of visa in Australia. Talk to one of our migration agents about your specific situation.
Yes, it is possible. For some visas you can add your spouse and dependent children to your visa application before it is decided. For more complex family member issues, please call us to discuss to seek professional advice.
Yes, there are clear pathways for permanent visa holders to become Australian Citizens. Children born to an Australian Citizen or Permanent Residence can claim citizenship. You can also claim citizenship through descent.
Australia’s visa processing times vary due to individual circumstances including o whether you have lodged a complete application, including all necessary supporting documents o how promptly you respond to any requests for additional information o how long it takes to perform required checks on the supporting information provided o how long it takes to receive additional information from external agencies, particularly in relation to health, character, and national security requirements o for permanent migration visa applications, how many places are available in the migration program On Department of Home Affairs’ website, global visa processing times are available for the majority of visa subclasses and citizenship products. They will be updated monthly, providing you with an indicative timeframe for processing applications.
Yes, it is possible but because this is complex issue, we advise you seek migration assistance before pursuing making multiple visa applications.
No, you cannot hold more than one visa at a time. When a new visa comes into effect the previous one will cease.
Generally, unless specifically requested to do so, certified copies are acceptable. For verification purposes or if there is doubt as to the authenticity of a document, the Department may request you provide originals of all documents. Migration agents are able to certify documents for migration purposes and some can also witness statutory declarations.
Generally, a bridging visa is a temporary visa that will allow you to remain in Australia lawfully while your substantive visa application or visa appeal is decided. Some Bridging visas also allow you to exit and re-enter Australia and have work rights. Others do not allow ether.
In most cases it is possible to review a DOHA decision to refuse a visa or to cancel a visa in Australia and under some circumstances, applications made outside of Australia. And, yes, we work extensively with appeals where a visa has been refused or cancelled as this is an area of Migration Law in which we specialise.
By law, we cannot guarantee the success of a visa application, but we will honestly give you our professional opinion on the realistic chance of success of your application before we start working for you. We will also only proceed with an application if we think it is viable and you meet all of the criteria. We can only proceed with a vexation application if you specifically instruct us in writing to proceed and acknowledge our advice that your application will be unsuccessful.
We work for many clients who are offshore. We can communicate with you through email, Skype, Video Conference or direct telephone calls. We have sophisticated information gathering software – you complete a single questionnaire, and we do the rest.
Yes, English translations for essential documents are required, even where they are submitted to an Australian Embassy or consular mission in your own country. Essential documents will include such items as birth certificates, Police Clearances, Family Book, Residence Cards and other selected items. We will advise you on what is needed and when it is needed.
Where possible (and it often isn’t) we recommend you use a NAATI registered translator. If you are in Australia, your translations should be done by a NAATI registered translator. However, outside of Australia any document that is officially translated or notarized through an official source are generally accepted, so long as it bears the name of the translator and other key information. We can help you identify and, in some cases, locate authorised offshore translation centres.
If you are in Australia, we will certify your original documents or you can have them certified by such people as Pharmacists, Post Office Managers, Registered Nurses, Court Officers, JP’s, Policemen, Accountants or a Lawyer amongst many others. The Department’s website contains a full list of authorized persons. If offshore, you will need to get documents certified/notarised in accordance with the laws of that country.
A permanent visa is a type of visa that allows you to remain in Australia forever. Subject to certain conditions and an expiry date for its travel component (your ability to exit and re-enter Australia) remains in effect for 5 years and can be renewed. However, it’s very important to ensure that if you are outside of Australia, you apply to renew your Permanent Visa ‘travel component’ before it expires. If you fail to do so, you won’t be able to re-enter Australia using your Permanent Visa.
Yes. Most permanent visas require the holder to have been in Australia for a specified time or meet other residency or compliance conditions. Additionally, under the provisions of Public Interest Criteria 4020, a visa obtained by fraud or use of fraudulent, false or misleading information can be cancelled. If you’re concerned about any of these aspects of your permanent visa, call Modern Migration Australia to discuss your concerns.
Only Australian Citizens, Permanent Residence visa holders and Eligible New Zealand Citizens may sponsor their partners/spouses or parents. If you are holding a temporary visa, such as a student or 457 visa, you are not an eligible sponsor for these visas but you can, with your employer’s permission, add some family members to your visa as secondary applicants. If you are a NZ citizen in Australia, there is a Family Member visa option which allows you to sponsor a family member including a spouse, defacto partner or other qualifying relative.
This will depend on the visa you are applying for and if you are a Primary or Secondary adult applicant. Generally, if you are not a passport holder of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or Ireland and you are seeking a Student, Working or Skilled Visa, then you will need to sit an English test to demonstrate your language skills and also for points of the GSM Points Test.
These are rules that effectively prevents you from apply for another visa while you are in Australia. These conditions are 8503 and 8531. Under some circumstances, you can have these conditions waived and the restriction removed. If you would like to know more, please contact us.
You can check your visa status on VEVO (via the DOHA website) or you are welcome to come to our office with your original passport, and we will check and provide a printed copy of your visa status free of charge.