Australian Immigration 101: 4 Best Practices to Boost Your Chances of Approval

The Australian Department of Immigration and Border Control (DIBC) gets thousands of visa applications every single year. Whether it’s work, family, student, or migrant visas, many of these applications are usually approved.

However, thousands also get denied entry. For the most part, these applications that have been rejected have inconsistencies and even accidental mistakes. In some cases, they were disapproved due to ineligibility or even fraud

Applying for an Australian visa can be challenging, but with the right knowledge, you should be able to succeed in getting one. 

To avoid ending up wasting your money, time, and effort, follow these four best practices when applying for Australian visas and boost your chances of approval:

1. Provide sufficient and verifiable evidence

When applying for family, work, and business visas, you need to provide substantial evidence to support anything and everything you claim in your paperwork. Consult any Australian immigration consultant, and they will tell you that everything you claim in your application must be supported with evidence.

Remember that relationships can be proven, work history and qualifications should be demonstrated, and any asset holdings must be shown. If you don’t, you can kiss that visa goodbye.

Keep in mind that, in the process, the immigration officials won’t just take your word for it – the information you present should be independently verifiable. Consider it the way lawyers would do in court – it’s all about highlighting your proof to ensure that everything about the case is consistent, clear, and, most of all, factual.

What kind of information can be considered sufficient and verifiable, you ask? Below are some tips on how you can support the information presented in your application, according to the type of visa you’re applying for:

Partnership visa

To get a partnership visa, you should be able to establish a genuine and lasting relationship. This can be supported by joint accounts and joint bills, but there are many other options available since not all married couples have joint accounts.

Aside from joint aspects of your finances, you can also submit written accounts of your relationship from relatives and friends. However, these will only have a positive impact on your application if they are accurate and detailed.

In some cases, browsing through social media and email records can help you nail down important dates as well as other details to be added to the written accounts. Cross-referencing and double-checking the information is also a good practice.

It is also recommended that you update the evidence while your application is in the queue. For example, if your application was queued in December, it would be best to update your Facebook account with Christmas photos. Having matching travel records can also add weight to your claim.

Business visa

When you’re applying for an Australian visa as a self-employed individual, third-party documentation is crucial. To ensure that they would solidify your claims more, opt to submit documents from your government, which carry more weight compared to private documents.

Essentially, proving that you’re a businessman who worked 52 weeks in a year is as easy as submitting 52 payslips and 52 bank statements that reflect how you gained your wealth. It is also worth noting, however, that some applicants can run into trouble if they present complex company arrangements even if they are rich.

Aside from showing your wealth, you must make sure that your money is either in your name or in trust to you when applying for a business visa. If you’re not familiar with these, it would be wise to seek help from a migration consultant who is familiar with company structures and trusts.

2. Be consistent and double check everything before submitting

Consistency is another thing that the Australian Immigration Department wants from a visa or immigration application. Again, cross-checking details is vital for this process as clearing up any inconsistencies – even if it was an honest mistake – can cause delays in the process, cost more money, and potentially ruin your chances of getting approval.

While inconsistencies don’t necessarily mean that the applicant is dishonest, the Australian Immigration Department is quite vigilant in checking these. In fact, you’ll find that they never hesitate to raise such issues as they are discovered.

Consistency is also crucial when it comes to applying for multiple visas, as in the case of students. When going through several applications (i.e., from student to graduate to permanent resident), make sure that every little detail remains the same to avoid any delays and the potential rejection of your visa application.

3. Follow the timeline religiously

Timing is an important aspect of the Australian immigration and visa application process. You need to follow a specific timeline precisely. This will depend on the type of visa you want to apply for.

Make sure that you’re on top of the dates and submit documentary requirements on time. Failing to do either one of the two or both can lead to a negative visa application outcome. Remember to read and understand your letters from the DIBC to stay updated on relevant dates for your application.

4. Check the prerequisites of your visa choice before applying

Aside from having specific timelines, each type of Australian visa also carries qualifications. Make sure that you know and understand the prerequisites for your chosen visa to ensure that you have a chance of getting approved.

Meeting only a number of the prerequisites is not enough for approval. You have to meet each and every item on the list to be considered under that particular visa subclass. Remember that the DIBC doesn’t just look at your best selling points but the entirety or sum of your qualifications.

Eligibility is vital in getting your application approved. To make sure you are truly qualified for the type of visa you’re applying for, consider getting a free assessment from a reliable Australian immigration and visa consultant.

Get approved fast

Getting approved for an Australian visa can be challenging but not impossible. To increase your chances of getting approval, consider following the best practices listed in this article.

AUTHOR BIO

Bevan Berning is an Immigration professional and owner of Pathway Visas, an Immigration Agency dealing mostly with skilled immigration to Canada and Australia. Bevan’s enthusiasm for the industry has kept in the Immigration field for the past seven years. Bevan is South African by birth and has been residing in Dubai for the past eight years.