# subclass 461 processing time update:19 October 2020



## ebrahim

Anyone here who apply before the updates? i apply for subclass 461 in January 2020 and no CO yet ,is the processing time will be applied in my application ? thanks


----------



## Amanada2020

Hi 
we applied nov 2019 since then acknowledgement letter and asked for medical 1 week later 

Waiting for 15 Months now 

Good Luck


----------



## costa.clarice

Hi,

I applied in April 2020, got the acknowledgment letter a week later, and since then, silence. 

Waiting for 13 months now. 

Good luck!


----------



## JandE

The processing times for subclass 461 finalisations in April 2021 were: 75% took up to 32 months & 10% took over 41 months.

Over a year ago, in March 2020, it was: 75% took up to 25 months & 10% took over 33 months.


----------



## stong

JandE said:


> The processing times for subclass 461 finalisations in April 2021 were: 75% took up to 32 months & 10% took over 41 months.
> 
> Over a year ago, in March 2020, it was: 75% took up to 25 months & 10% took over 33 months.


It sucks!

We applied ours in Sep 2019 and got only an acknowledgement from VFS Global HK (not 100% sure if it ever made it to Oz!!). Nada since then.

Waiting for 20 months now...


----------



## Zuzunori

I have applied Feb 2020. Been 18 months now. Processing times on home affairs is 32 - 37 months. Far too long. I pray it get accepted before 24 months hopefully. 

I really would like any information if anyone knows how to make this process faster.


----------



## stong

stong said:


> It sucks!
> 
> We applied ours in Sep 2019 and got only an acknowledgement from VFS Global HK (not 100% sure if it ever made it to Oz!!). Nada since then.
> 
> Waiting for 20 months now...


After almost 2 yrs, we finally heard from our CO asking for additional information. At least, that's a start!


----------



## Amanada2020

@stong that’s really nice to hear to fianlly see them active I applied oct 2019 so hopefully not to far behind you … if u don’t mind what kinda of additional information did they ask ?

I hope a grant is near for you!!


----------



## stong

Amanada2020 said:


> @stong that’s really nice to hear to fianlly see them active I applied oct 2019 so hopefully not to far behind you … if u don’t mind what kinda of additional information did they ask ?
> 
> I hope a grant is near for you!!


To my surprise, our CO is actually from the Australian Consulate-General in HK. Our application together with the certified documents might have been in HK all this time since the submission i.e. never got sent to Oz. So maybe a different timeline for you but they may ask for the same requirements.

So here are the 7 requirements we need to provide within 42 days. 
1. Evidence of ongoing relationship with your spouse e.g legal or financial documents, utility bills (i think they want to know if we are still together since the initial application was lodged 2 yrs ago)
2. Medical check 
3. Residence History Form i.e. Previous addresses of places we have lived during the last 10 years (including Hong Kong, China and Australia)
4. Police Certificates from the government authority in each country
where you have resided for twelve months or more, either continuously
or cumulatively, during the last 10 years. 
5. Form 80 completed by your spouse
6. Evidence that your spouse is likely to reside in Australia such as,
but not limited to e.g. Travel bookings/airline tickets ; Accommodation arrangements in Australia/property purchase,
rental agreement ; Acceptance of Employment offer in Australia ; School enrolment of any children of the relationship ; Sale of property offshore ; Expiry of rental agreement offshore ; Cessation of employment offshore
7. Evidence of your health insurance for at least 12 months after
entry to Australia 

For 6th & 7th, we are still scratching our heads on how to fulfill. Maybe you can shed some light on some those.


----------



## TaaBooOne

Hey everyone,

I'm here to give you an update on my application/ timelines/ follow up.

Like most of you, I've waited a long long time on this visa without any updates until yesterday when I was asked to supply supplementing documents for my case. Like most of you most people only say how long they are currently waiting but not many actually provide an update when it is finalized. I don't blame them at all I just thought that I would do my duty to ease some of those nerves that were eased for me when I read other people's conclusions.


I needed to supply a new AFP National police check since the old one expired. It's valid for 12 months and I've waited 28 months for their reply. I also needed to provide additional information about the validity of our relationship. They've requested information for the last 6-12 months only.

I've just submitted it and I will update this post once I hear back from the department with their conclusion.

Some details for everyone:

Information about me, the applicant: 33, Male, Nationality: Dutch. 
I applied onshore for my 461 on *27/05/2019*.
I received my bridging visa on the same day.
I received a request for additional information on *14/09/2021* (police check, additional information for relationship validity)
Wait time: *28 months* for additional information.
Wait time estimates on the government website when I applied: 
*75%: 16 months
90%: 18 months*

I'll update or reply once I receive my result good or bad for you as well to close it off.

In regards to any questions you may have

Q: Is there any additional information that you left out?
A: I've supplied all the information that could be useful above.

Q: Did you receive any extra emails from the department?
A: I've only received three emails from the department:

confirmation of application
granting of the bridging visa
request for additional information
Q: Did anyone tell you how long you had to wait still?
A: I've not had any extra correspondence with the department so I can't give you another answer other than wait for the email.

Q: Were you concerned anything was wrong with your application?
A: My personal stress about the application was the information we gave about the validity of our relationship? It was really hard to prove all of this without joint bank/bills. The new supporting information that we gave more than shows that since we've now got much more data. So if they deem that information lacking you seem to be given a second chance to prove that.

Hope this helps someone.


----------



## TaaBooOne

stong said:


> To my surprise, our CO is actually from the Australian Consulate-General in HK. Our application together with the certified documents might have been in HK all this time since the submission i.e. never got sent to Oz. So maybe a different timeline for you but they may ask for the same requirements.
> 
> So here are the 7 requirements we need to provide within 42 days.
> 1. Evidence of ongoing relationship with your spouse e.g legal or financial documents, utility bills (i think they want to know if we are still together since the initial application was lodged 2 yrs ago)
> 2. Medical check
> 3. Residence History Form i.e. Previous addresses of places we have lived during the last 10 years (including Hong Kong, China and Australia)
> 4. Police Certificates from the government authority in each country
> where you have resided for twelve months or more, either continuously
> or cumulatively, during the last 10 years.
> 5. Form 80 completed by your spouse
> 6. Evidence that your spouse is likely to reside in Australia such as,
> but not limited to e.g. Travel bookings/airline tickets ; Accommodation arrangements in Australia/property purchase,
> rental agreement ; Acceptance of Employment offer in Australia ; School enrolment of any children of the relationship ; Sale of property offshore ; Expiry of rental agreement offshore ; Cessation of employment offshore
> 7. Evidence of your health insurance for at least 12 months after
> entry to Australia
> 
> For 6th & 7th, we are still scratching our heads on how to fulfill. Maybe you can shed some light on some those.


Health insurance should be easy. Apply for a Bupa health insurance scheme (Pick another one if you dislike Bupa. It's just what I did and by no means do I recommend it or discourage it). You'll get someone on the phone and they'll sort you out.

For the evidence that your spouse lives in Australia, it might be difficult.

The requirements for the 461 say this:

*You are a member of the family unit of a New Zealand citizen, who is not an eligible New Zealand citizen and who either:*


is in Australia as the holder of a Subclass 444 visa (they can check in VEVO), or
will be travelling with you to Australia and will be granted a Subclass 444 visaon entry (check Eligibility).
Note: Your New Zealand family member must have (or be eligible for) a Subclass 444 visa. New Zealand citizens are not automatically granted a Subclass 444 visa. To find out if your New Zealand family member already holds a visa, use VEVO.

So they need proof that you are going to actually live in Australia. Which is hard atm since Covid. So I would find an immigration lawyer for this that can give you additional information regarding this topic. 

Note: I'm not a lawyer in any form just a fellow person who shares your plight.


----------



## stong

TaaBooOne said:


> Health insurance should be easy. Apply for a Bupa health insurance scheme (Pick another one if you dislike Bupa. It's just what I did and by no means do I recommend it or discourage it). You'll get someone on the phone and they'll sort you out.
> 
> For the evidence that your spouse lives in Australia, it might be difficult.
> 
> The requirements for the 461 say this:
> 
> *You are a member of the family unit of a New Zealand citizen, who is not an eligible New Zealand citizen and who either:*
> 
> 
> is in Australia as the holder of a Subclass 444 visa (they can check in VEVO), or
> will be travelling with you to Australia and will be granted a Subclass 444 visaon entry (check Eligibility).
> Note: Your New Zealand family member must have (or be eligible for) a Subclass 444 visa. New Zealand citizens are not automatically granted a Subclass 444 visa. To find out if your New Zealand family member already holds a visa, use VEVO.
> 
> So they need proof that you are going to actually live in Australia. Which is hard atm since Covid. So I would find an immigration lawyer for this that can give you additional information regarding this topic.
> 
> Note: I'm not a lawyer in any form just a fellow person who shares your plight.


Ended up with nib for the health insurance requirements. Our CO was okay with us paying the 1st quarter instead of 12-months in the meantime. She said we can pay the rest when it's close to finalization.


----------



## stong

Got the visa granted yesterday. So a total of 25 months wait.


----------



## EebieGeebie

Thought I'd add my experience so far to this thread since there is so little out there about the 417. Applied onshore in March 2020 and still waiting, not allowed to work and on the dreaded BVE. I'm a british citizen and we're married.

I will update when I hear from them and with results as finding this thread really helped me feel better about my wait!


----------



## TaaBooOne

TaaBooOne said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> I'm here to give you an update on my application/ timelines/ follow up.
> 
> Like most of you, I've waited a long long time on this visa without any updates until yesterday when I was asked to supply supplementing documents for my case. Like most of you most people only say how long they are currently waiting but not many actually provide an update when it is finalized. I don't blame them at all I just thought that I would do my duty to ease some of those nerves that were eased for me when I read other people's conclusions.
> 
> 
> I needed to supply a new AFP National police check since the old one expired. It's valid for 12 months and I've waited 28 months for their reply. I also needed to provide additional information about the validity of our relationship. They've requested information for the last 6-12 months only.
> 
> I've just submitted it and I will update this post once I hear back from the department with their conclusion.
> 
> Some details for everyone:
> 
> Information about me, the applicant: 33, Male, Nationality: Dutch.
> I applied onshore for my 461 on *27/05/2019*.
> I received my bridging visa on the same day.
> I received a request for additional information on *14/09/2021* (police check, additional information for relationship validity)
> Wait time: *28 months* for additional information.
> Wait time estimates on the government website when I applied:
> *75%: 16 months
> 90%: 18 months*
> 
> I'll update or reply once I receive my result good or bad for you as well to close it off.
> 
> In regards to any questions you may have
> 
> Q: Is there any additional information that you left out?
> A: I've supplied all the information that could be useful above.
> 
> Q: Did you receive any extra emails from the department?
> A: I've only received three emails from the department:
> 
> confirmation of application
> granting of the bridging visa
> request for additional information
> Q: Did anyone tell you how long you had to wait still?
> A: I've not had any extra correspondence with the department so I can't give you another answer other than wait for the email.
> 
> Q: Were you concerned anything was wrong with your application?
> A: My personal stress about the application was the information we gave about the validity of our relationship? It was really hard to prove all of this without joint bank/bills. The new supporting information that we gave more than shows that since we've now got much more data. So if they deem that information lacking you seem to be given a second chance to prove that.
> 
> Hope this helps someone.
> [/QQUO


----------



## mahsud82

stong said:


> It sucks!
> 
> We applied ours in Sep 2019 and got only an acknowledgement from VFS Global HK (not 100% sure if it ever made it to Oz!!). Nada since then.
> 
> Waiting for 20 months now...


Hi ,
Can you please provide additional information as I am applying for my spouse outside australia, she is in Pakistan. Can this paper based application be applied through VFS, how does VFS work. I was thinking of sending the application directly to the FIJI Australian High Commission. Any indicators, I will really appreciate that. 

Thanks 
FaridMasood


----------



## 461 applicant

stong said:


> After almost 2 yrs, we finally heard from our CO asking for additional information. At least, that's a start!


Any update on this? Have you received a answer?


----------



## trex1985

I'm currently on month 32. Have not had a request for any extra documents. 

I'm currently on a bridging visa b with no restrictions to work or travel. 
Have had a baby in that time.


----------



## ebrahim

SUBCLASS 461 UPDATE!!!

We Apply For subclass 461 on January 2020 from Cairo Egypt.
We receive a message from DOHA on FEBRUARY 2022 stating that the application has been transferred to Sydney for continue processing.

INFORMATION REQUESTED FROM DOHA :

· Current Location (Country)
· Current Contact Details
· Current passport (Country, number and expiry)
· Whether the applicant holds a valid visa for travel to any other country – _(if yes, specify which country)

AS WELL UPDATES TO PROVIDE DURING THE PROCESSING OF THE SUBCLASS 461.

So till now when I'm writing this update (May 2022) its been 28 MONTHS.
Still waiting...
I will keep updated...
Wish us luck 
ALL THE BEST FOR YOU ALL._


----------



## trex1985

*The timeline for me - Still pending.*

Applied onshore 21/06/2019
Working HolidayVisa until June 2020. *Had all work conditions lifted. *
June. 2020 Bridging Visa A granted and applied to have all work conditions lifted. -* Approved*
Jun 2021 - BVB Granted

*Processing Officer* Assigned Aug 2022 - Request for more information. AFP Check and NZ Police Check. Submitted.

38 months and counting. 

Since then, I've moved 3 times, switched jobs twice and had 1 child (who's an NZ citizen). Applied for a permanent resident visa in NZ and been approved. 
I plan on leaving Aus in Dec but I'm in a weird limbo of requiring a visa to stay.


----------



## trex1985

trex1985 said:


> *The timeline for me - Still pending.*
> 
> Applied onshore 21/06/2019
> Working HolidayVisa until June 2020. *Had all work conditions lifted. *
> June. 2020 Bridging Visa A granted and applied to have all work conditions lifted. -* Approved*
> Jun 2021 - BVB Granted
> 
> *Processing Officer* Assigned Aug 2022 - Request for more information. AFP Check and NZ Police Check. Submitted.
> 
> 38 months and counting.
> 
> Since then, I've moved 3 times, switched jobs twice and had 1 child (who's an NZ citizen). Applied for a permanent resident visa in NZ and been approved.
> I plan on leaving Aus in Dec but I'm in a weird limbo of requiring a visa to stay.



*Update*
Visa was Granted 02/09/2022

Total time waiting - 39 Months. 
Visa expires 2027. Giving me a total of 8 years visa time.


----------



## Dannyj

trex1985 said:


> *Update*
> Visa was Granted 02/09/2022
> 
> Total time waiting - 39 Months.
> Visa expires 2027. Giving me a total of 8 years visa time.


Sorry to hijack the thread but in need of some information regarding 461/020

Looks like you went through the exact journey we are about to embark on, would love some help.
Just a bit of a background of us, I'm a NZ citizen and my wife is a UK citizen with a current working holiday visa expiring in 06/23, she's required to do 3 months of farm work to extend. 

1. Am i correct in saying once she applies for a subclass 461 and a Bridging visa A her obligatory farm work wont be necessary anymore
2. How long did your Bridging Visa A take to be approved? Was in instant?
3. What was the process in applying for Bridging Visa B? and how long did that take?
4. In order to travel with your Bridging Visa B, was the process complicated in order to be cleared to travel? like do the dates have to be specific and were any of your trips denied due to invalid reasons?
5. Did you need a migration agency to apply or do it all yourself?

Thank you so much, and congratulations on getting your visa!


----------



## trex1985

1. That work obligation is only for an extended whv. It won’t apply to a bridging visa.

2. About a week after I sent in my application.

3. Fill in a BVB form. Pretty straight forward.

4. It’s very simple. Tell them the dates and they usually give you half a year or year to travel. I applied to go to NZ on a specific date and they granted me travel for a year. I applied for a holiday. It takes about 2 weeks to get approval

5. I did it myself. It’s not rocket science.


----------

