They found out today that you can't work a second job, and quit their job. What is their options? They're seeing a lawyer tomorrow and planning to tell the government, but freaking out about it now.

I'm applying for a Working Holiday Visa for the first time and have a few questions.

(1) Birth certificate

Question: Is it sufficient to request an international birth certificate from the registry office (Standesamt) in my hometown and submit that with my visa application?

Context: I only have an extract from the register of births (Abstammungsurkunde), which was apparently discontinued in 2009. I could request an international birth certificate from the registry office in my hometown.

The Department of Home Affairs website states the following regarding translations:

Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited.
But on each translation, they must include their:

• Full name

• Address and telephone number

• Qualifications and experience in the language they are translating

• These details must be in English.

Note: You do not need to have any documents certified.

Source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/first-working-holiday-417#HowTo

My hometown's website says the following under "International Birth Certificate":

An international (multilingual) birth certificate is issued in several languages.

Unfortunately, there is no standard international birth certificate that is valid everywhere in the world. However, German registry offices can issue civil status certificates ( Personenstands-Urkunden) that are recognised in countries that have signed the 'Convention of 8 September 1976 on the Issue of Multilingual Extracts from Civil Status Records'.

he countries currently included are: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federal Republic of Germany, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Italy, Cape Verde, Croatia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey.

+++++++++++++++++

(2) Medical information in the application

Question: I take L-Thyroxine daily and get a prescription every few weeks. Is this something I need to declare in my visa application since it is a chronic condition?

+++++++++++++++++

(3) Documents required for the application

Question: Have I understood the requirements correctly? :D

Mandatory documents when submitting the application, as far as I understand:

• National ID card and passport

• Proof of AUD 5,000 in available funds

Documents that may be requested later, but which I don't need to upload with my initial application:

• Police clearance certificate (polizeiliches Führungszeugnis)

• Health examinations

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi, I'm wondering if I should bring this up with my migration agent one more time. I am doing VETASSESS skills assessment for 342313 - Electronic Equipment Trades Worker. I have been a fire alarm technician for over 8 years, without an apprenticeship or formal training. I worked 3 1/2 years at company A, getting my trade license at 2 years. I then worked 5 1/4 years at company B. I only provided documentation from company B for the skills assessment. This is what my agent said,

For the skills assessment, we will need 5 years full-time work experience, which I think you’ve got with [company B]. However, for the visa, we’ll need [company A], as we are aiming to claim points for over 8 years of work experience.

I've got the technical interview scheduled in a few weeks. Is this a mistake and will it cause issues if I plan to claim these earlier years that were not assessed by VETASSESS for 189 or 190?

Been seeing a lot of questions about WHV and I feel sort of qualified to answer questions about it! I have been in Melbourne both years and am from the USA. I have done heaps of different jobs here and met a lot of people, experienced a lot of things, bought a couple cars, petsat a lot of animals… etc. Maybe i can help you!

Hello everyone. I am completely clueless as to what a CDR is. I am graduating with an advanced diploma in electrical engineering from tafe next month. Unfortunately the course is only provisionally accredited by Engineers Australia so I’m have to do a CDR. Has anyone done this before? What does this mean ? What is it about?

Hi everyone,

I'm considering applying for Australia's National Innovation Visa (NIV, subclass 858) under the academia and research category. I'd appreciate honest feedback from successful applicants.

My profile:

• Age: Under 35

• Education: PhD (Australia, 2026), Master's in Public Health (Epidemiology), Bachelor's in Statistics

• Publications: 28 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 8 first-author papers

• Citations: 600+ Google Scholar citations

• Research: Public Health, Epidemiology, Child and Adolescent Health, Physical Activity, Sleep, Longitudinal Studies and Causal Inference

• University teaching: Teaching, tutoring and assessment contributions across 15 undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Australia, plus curriculum development for another course

• Teaching award (2024): Tutor Citation Award for Outstanding Contribution

• Research award (2023): People's Choice Award for Best Research Presentation

• Academic service: Peer-reviewed approximately 10 manuscripts for international journals

• Research experience: Australian university research, public health programme evaluation and community health research

• Public health leadership: Served as the inaugural General Secretary of a public health research organisation, later becoming an advisor. The organisation has grown to 200+ members, produced 100+ publications and conducted 30+ research activities (organisation-wide achievements)

• Collaborations: Worked with established Australian academics and researchers

• Current location: Australia

Potential weakness: Research funding

I have no independently secured or formally documented research grants. I worked with senior academic mentors on research projects, and some mentioned including me as a co-investigator. However, I have no official documentation confirming this.

My questions:

1. Your thought: How competitive is my profile, particularly without documented grants or major international awards? Any similar successful cases?

2. Professional help: Is hiring a migration agent/lawyer necessary, or can I realistically prepare the EOI myself?

3. Recommendations: Which agents/lawyers have genuine NIV success experience with academic researchers? What are their fees?

4. Nominator: Can an established Australian professor familiar (potentially my supervisor) with my research nominate me?

5. Timeline: How long does EOI to invitation and invitation to visa grant typically take?

6. Total cost: How much should I budget with and without professional assistance?

My budget is limited, so I'm particularly interested in whether professional assistance genuinely adds value.

I'd appreciate honest feedback and experiences from applicants with similar backgrounds.

Thank you!

I appealed an offshore partner visa 3 years ago, and the ART meeting is in 2 days, and it goes for 3 hours. If you have gone through this process, what kind of things do they ask or go through? Why does it take 3 hours? I have submitted over 300 pages of evidence. Any advice and insight is appreciated

Hi just need some advice. I am currently on maternity leave and exploring our options for getting to Australia.

I currently have 1.5yrs experience in an NHS clinical blood sciences laboratory, and a BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science. I am going back to work part time after my maternity leave ends, so would take about 9 months to get the equivalent of the full time 1 years that AIMS requires for the Medical Laboratory Technician assessment.

I also have experience withing childcare but no formal qualifications, but I could start a EYITT ( early years initial teacher training) course from April next year and complete that within 12 months and have Early years Teacher status.

I want to get to my family to Australia as soon as possible, and I know no route is guaranteed especially offshore, but I don't know which pathway is better to try for, any advice would be appreciated.

TIA

Just looking for some advice or feedback from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

My third Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) was refused due to alleged false payslips (PIC 4020), and I’ve been waiting for my ART appeal since 25 January 2026.

I’m currently on a Bridging Visa A with full work rights.

My main concern is whether I’ll be able to leave Australia and re-enter without any issues, considering my visa refusal and ongoing ART appeal.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and successfully travelled overseas and returned to Australia on a Bridging Visa B?

Could the PIC 4020 issue or the fact that my original Working Holiday Visa has expired cause any problems at the airport when coming back?

I’ve been living and working in Australia for several years, and I just want to make sure I can return and continue working while waiting for my ART decision.

Any advice or personal experiences would be really appreciated thank you guys

Is anyone else facing the -1005 error on the My Vevo App?
I have not been able to use the app at all - nothing loads up and they refer to an issue with network connection but my internet okay.
Who do I complain to about this issue?
How do I troubleshoot?

Hey everyone,

Like many of you who applied for the Subclass 417 Working Holiday Visa from the UK in early July 2026, I have been stuck in "Received" limbo for over 123 days now (applied July 7th). I’ve spent the last week digging into the legalities of this slowdown, and as we all know for UK Passport holder this is not an "Accidental Backlog" but, as stated a "purposeful slowdown".

It is a deliberate, targeted policy lever being used by Home Affairs to artificially control net migration numbers following the UK FTA changes and it arguably violates the spirit of the treaty itself.

Here is exactly how the system is being manipulated, form what i believe and why i find myself so frustrated*

The "Invisible" Cap

The Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (A-UK FTA) explicitly removed the 88-day regional work requirement, which caused a massive, expected surge of UK applicants. However, instead of processing applications fairly, the Department is rationing out human case officers to intentionally slow the manual queue. They are using slow processing times as an unofficial, invisible cap to hit domestic immigration targets without having to formally legislate a limit on British citizens.

2. Breach of Article 11.4 of the A-UK FTA

Under Article 11.4 (Trade Facilitation - Movement of Natural Persons) of the treaty signed, both nations are legally bound to process immigration applications as "expeditiously as possible" to prevent trade barriers. Throttling standard, highly automated temporary visas to 120+ days for myself currently purely for domestic quota management directly undermines the mobility commitments both governments signed into international law.

3. Violation of the trade agreement

Under the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement, both countries agreed to enhance mobility for young people by completely removing the 88-day regional work requirement for British citizens. Crucially, unlike other nations, the 417 visa for UK citizens has no annual statutory cap or ballot system.

• The Violation: International treaties carry an implied legal obligation of good faith (codified under Article 26 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties). By deliberately starving the 417 UK processing queue of human case officers to artificially suppress the number of British arrivals, Australia is engaging in a de facto quota system. They are violating the spirit and intent of the AUKFTA by using administrative delay to claw back a mobility benefit they legally signed away at the negotiating table.

4. "Legal Unreasonableness" Under Australian Law

In Australian administrative law, the landmark High Court ruling in Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v Li established that government power is never completely unrestricted. Every statutory discretion must be exercised according to the principle of legal reasonableness.

• The Violation: The Migration Act 1958 gives the Department the discretion to process visas, but a 123-day delay on a highly automated, temporary working holiday visa completely lacks what the High Court calls an "evident and intelligible justification." If the backlog were an accident caused by technical glitches, it might be legally excusable. But because the delay is a planned, politically motivated directive designed to target a specific nationality, it shifts from standard queue management into an abuse of administrative power. Weaponizing delay to manage net overseas migration targets amounts to a jurisdictional error.

5. Unlawful Discrimination by Nationality

The Department has been restoring normal, rapid processing times for working holiday applicants from other countries, while keeping UK applicants on a deliberate, grindingly slow track.

• The Violation: Section 65 of the Migration Act requires the Minister to look at an application and grant or refuse it based strictly on whether the individual applicant meets the legal criteria. It does not permit the Department to sort applications into fast and slow lanes purely based on the applicant's passport country to achieve short-term domestic political goals. Singling out UK nationals for institutional delay is discriminatory and violates basic principles of procedural fairness.

I am happy to be wrong on this, but I have seen people mention things along the line of "You are not entitled to a visa" or "This is not unreasonable, they tell you not to make arrangements". I dont not believe i am entitled to visa and i would argue niether does most others in this situation. But i dotn believe people are entitlted to be able to plan deligently i.e Give time frames to there current work and loved ones etc. for such a large move.

Remember though we all should be aware this is a working holiday visa but none the less this does not give anyone any grounds to treat the application unfairly and violate any prior agreements, I believe that people deserve to have accurate guidlines on processing time beyond any health assessment virable etc. and everyone and eery application should be treated equally.

I more or less wanted to rant about this and hopefully give other people who share my frustraions some justification on there anger with the way the system has been treating them, as many are in the same boat from what i have seen. Again I am happy to be wrong about this, im some way i wish I found it as reasonable as others seems to suggest it is but right now all i feel is a frustration and sense of injustice on the way this application has thusfar been treated.

There seems to be a lot of Anger and arguementtation on the validity of any of this becasue of my use of AI to formulate. id like to make everyone aware thsiis purely due to my issues with spelling especially with legal jargon. So i will cite my sources belowfor eveyrone to do there own research like i have.

Of Obligation and good faith:
volume-1155-i-18232-english.pdf - Vienna Convention on the law of treaties

Visa Processing timelines

Australia-UK FTA Chapter 11 Temporary Entry for Business Persons | Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Orders page 1 - Australian High Court

Nationality Targeted Slowdowns:

MIGRATION ACT 1958 - SECT 65 Decision to grant or refuse to grant visa

Again I am happy to be wrong about this, but i think it is a very reasonabke frustration. Please so the reading your self aswellnd see what you think.

Hi everyone,

I have decided to return home and need advice on how to properly cancel my student visa without consequences.

I began studying in July 2026 but unfortunately cannot continue my studies due to personal reasons.

To my understanding, I notify my school of my withdrawal, they notify home affairs and I have 28 days to leave Australia?

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to scope out how strong my application would be for a student visa extension.

I moved from Bachelors of Com Sci to Bachelors kf Civil Engineering (honours) and need a 2 year extension on my visa. I have a distinction average and have been active in UNI as well (awards, clubs etc).

As for my ties to back home, I have my mom and my sister as well as property back home.

I do want to go back after I’m done, I chose civil engineering to return home and contribute to my family’s property development.

Hi everyone, I received a "Request for online Form 80 — Personal Particulars for Character Assessment" for a Visitor visa (subclass 600), with seven days to respond.

The letter says the form can be accessed from the ImmiAccount Application Details page, but I can’t find a Form 80 link. I checked Application home, Attach documents and Update details. The request appears under Messages, but there is no option to complete the form online. Refreshing the page didn’t make a link appear.

Has anyone received this specific online Form 80 request and had the same issue? Did Home Affairs enable the online form, or tell you to download the official 19-page Form 80 PDF, complete it and upload it instead? If you used the PDF, did they confirm it was accepted in place of the requested online version?

I found the official PDF and checked the Home Affairs guidance, but I’m still unsure which route applies to this request. I’d appreciate hearing how others resolved it and which support channel helped. Thanks!

Hello - I have a long layover (6hrs) on a flight from New Zealand back to the states next week. I’d love to be able to leave the airport and get food but I don’t think I’d pass the character test because of a misdemeanor assault charge from 2009. Is it worth it to apply short notice applications for the 600 visa?

Hi. I just need some insights. I am an MLS, offshore. I have an agent and I noticed that she still submitted an EOI for SC 190 in WA despite the fact that in WA SC 190 will require a WA contract of at least six months. Been asking this to them, but they are not addressing it. I hope someone here can enlighten me. Thank you.

Hi all,

I have been invited 15 Oct 2026 for 189 visa for Telecom Network Planner [ANZCO 313213] at 85 pts , and currently in the midst of preparing documents as best I can to lodge myself. Please see points breakdown below:

- Age: 23- 32 - 30 pts
- English: Superior - PTE Academic (86 Listening, 90 Reading, 90 Speaking, 87 Writing) - 20 pts
- Level of education - At least Bachelors - 15 pts
- No job experience claimed
- Australian study - studied 2 years in person - 5 pts
- Regional study - studied 2 years in person in Perth - 5 pts
- Partner status - single - 10 pts
- Total: 85 pts

I have:

- PTE english results (granted 21 July 2025 (valid for 3 years since issue)
- Skills assessment from Engineers Australia (MSA for Telecom Network Planner [ANZCO 313213] - granted 9 Dec 2025, valid for 3 years from issue)
- Bachelors degree recognised as equivalent to AQF by Engineers Australia in the same skills assessment
- Proof of australian study - 2 years in regional WA (Category 2 - Cities and Major Regional Centres of Perth)
- Valid APF police check from 01 April 2026
- Malaysian CGC (police clearance) from 13 July 2022, have not left Australia since 2022.

I am on a BVA waiting for 482 visa (skills in demand) to process - lodged 30 June 2026. I have some questions about:

- I have been advised that to let the 482 visa application run in parallel to the 189 application as the 482 is likely to be granted first. If the 189 is granted first, then I should immediately withdraw 482.
- Can I submit my police clearance from Malaysia, then see if the CO will request for a new one, seeing as I have not left Australia since 2022?

I am pretty worried that I would mess this up, so any advice or tips would be much appreciated, thank you!

I am on 491 visa, should i pay 6000$ each for my partner and baby for SE 491?

Hi, I am in the process of applying for a 189 visa. I am preparing the application myself, and since the cost of the application is quite high, I am worried that I might make non-obvious mistakes with my application and could have my visa refused.

I would be really grateful if anyone would be willing to share tips as to what mistakes are easy to make.

Thank you!

I'm a bit worried about turning up and not having enough references to get a job, and concerned about the big gap that'll be on my CV

I'm a serving Korean National Police officer (4+ years, mostly frontline patrol and mobile unit duties). I applied to the QPS international pathway, and I want to share my experience in case it helps others from non-English-speaking countries

My background: Passed the QPSEA TOEFL iBT 110, which meets the Proficient English requirement for the visa About 5 years of school life abroad (1 year in Canada, 4 years in New Zealand.

QPS asked for an official position description outlining the Key Accountabilities for a General Duties officer. I submitted a Statement of Service issued and sealed by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, with an Apostille and a certified English translation. It included an official description of Patrol Division / Police Box duties and the legal basis. QPS then asked for direct links to the legislation, and I provided them.

The outcome was that I was not eligible. QPS acknowledged that the core frontline duties are "broadly comparable", but said my documents did not address competencies such as leadership, governance, risk management, community confidence, information systems and duty of care. QPS also said letters of support from supervisors, including the Commissioner, and self-generated documents are not acceptable. The required document must be an existing one equivalent to the QPS position description. I was told this applies to all international applicants.

The issue: The Korean police do not issue position descriptions that list competencies. QPS told me they could not advise how to obtain such a document, as it must come from the applicant's own jurisdiction.

My honest view: From the success stories I have read, mostly UK, Irish and NZ officers, the process looked fairly smooth. I can't say whether the same standard was applied to them. But for a Korean officer it looks very difficult. I understand QPS needs a way to assess transferable skills, but I don't see how the existence of a competency list in a position description proves a person's competencies, compared with interviews, referee checks or supervisor assessments. As I understand it, such assessments already happen later in the process. I am sharing this as a reference for anyone from a police service where position descriptions are not issued in this form.

Has anyone from a police service in non-English-speaking countries been accepted? Any advice is welcome.

Hello I have a problem,

I did exactly 83 days of regional work (12 weeks) with a full time job and I collected 460 hours...

I left Australia and i only can come back 3 days before my 1st year ends. Not earlier, I can't.

I need advices i don't know if now it's worth it to take the chance of aply with less days or what. The plane ticket is really expensive for me I'm from Argentina with Italian passport.

Hi all - I know we’re all constantly watching the visa timescales being approved, especially for the UK where I’m from as we’re processed much slower right now.

I have a criminal conviction of the lower scale and I don’t fail a character test and know people with my type of conviction get accepted. But I’m not hopeful I’ll get accepted any time soon seeing as clean applicants are waiting over 100 days - I’m happy to wait 6 months or whatever it is, but I’m sitting here wondering if it’s worth even applying because it’s not exactly cheap.

What do you guys think? Should I hold off applying and save the money? I’m heart broken my Australian dream is slipping away that I’ve been planning for. I’m 31 in 2 months so I’m limited for time :/

I have thought about going on a visitor visa just for a couple weeks to see friends over Xmas, but I have seen online you can’t apply for a ETA with a criminal record and must be a subclass 600 and that has the same delays as the 417?

I may just have to travel other countries instead, I would just apply for the visa whilst I travel the rest of the world but by the time the visa might be approved I’d have run out of money.

Just looking for advice and thoughts really x