Our team at Ferguson Cannon wishes you a very Happy New Year! If you’re looking to lodge a visa application, you should be aware that the New Year has brought in a number of changes to visa application charges and the closure of certain visa subclasses.

Increased Visa Application Charges

From January 1, the following Visa Application Charges have increased:

• Subclass 457: $455 (up from $350)
• Working Holiday: $365 (up from $280)
• General Skilled Migration (including subclass 485 visa): $1250 (up from $315)
• Partner (Onshore): $3975 (up from $3060)
• Partner (Offshore): $2680 (up from $2060)
• Prospective Marriage: $2680 (up from $2060)

If you are looking to lodge any of the above applications after January 1, you will need to pay the increased charges listed above.

Closure of Visas

As previously discussed, 31 December 2012 was the last day that you could apply for the following visas:

• Subclass 487: Skilled – Regional (Temporary) Visa;
• Subclass 885: Skilled – Independent (Residence) Visa; and
• Subclass 886: Skilled – Sponsored (Residence) Visa.

As of January 1, you can no longer apply for any of the above.

If you want to know your options for Australian visas – whether you’ve just graduated, or are here on a working holiday visa and want to stay, or if you just have some questions, you can contact our Migration Team. We’ll be able to assist you with finding the best option and lodging your application.