Migrants

ORANA Region 489

From the 1st of June 2019 RDA Orana is introducing a Expression of Interest (EOI) process to be undertaken before a full application, to screen applicants committed to living and working in the Orana region.

Before applying for Orana Region nomination for a Skilled Nominated (subclass 489 or 491) visa, you must complete the Department of Home Affairs SKILLSELECT and meet the Home Affairs points test for a subclass 489 or 491 visa.

Please note: the EOI processing commencing on 1st June 2019 is being undertaken on the assumption that NSW Industry will recommence the accepting of 489 recommendations from the Orana on 1st July 2019.

Stage 1: The Expression of Interest Process

EOI Step 1- Who can apply for a subclass 489 through RDA Orana

Subject to specific criteria requested by RDA Orana (above) and the Orana Region Skills List (not the NSW Skills List), anyone who meets the Department of Home Affairs criteria for a subclass 489 visa is welcome to submit an Expression of Interest through the Orana region. There are however factors which will influence whether you will be asked to submit a full application. These factors are related to how readily you may be able to find suitable employment and join into the Orana community.

EOI Step 2- The Expression of Interest Submission

From June 1st 2019 Expressions of Interest may be submitted for the first 14 days of each month ie 1-14 inclusive.

You must formally express an interest in applying for Orana region subclass 489 nomination by submitting the following documents and paying the non-refundable EOI fee of $300 inc. GST.

1. NSW Industry Form R (current version)- please note, hand filled copies will not be considered and your application will be rejected without refund.
2. Form 956 (if using Migrant Agent)- please note, hand filled copies will not be considered and your application will be rejected without refund.
3. Orana Region Questionnaire – fill out the form online, download as pdf and upload with your documents
4. Current Resume
5. Signed Nomination Obligations Declaration- this MUST be hand filled out and signed by the applicant (NOT the Migration Agent). For June 2019 applicants only- this document is not available yet. Please upload a blank page in its place. We will email the document to those applicants we invite to submit a full application, and it can be uploaded with the rest of your documents.

Expressions of Interest will be valid for a period of 2 months.

EOI Step 3- Selection and Invitation

Once EOI’s have been assessed and suitable applicants have been identified, they will be requested to provide all supporting documentation within 7 days.

If your EOI is unsuccessful you will be notified by RDA Orana within 35 days. Any fees that have been paid will NOT be refunded because an assessment has taken place.

Requests for selection information

Invitation are not guaranteed. RDA Orana will not respond to requests for information regarding when or if you will receive an invitation.

Candidates are advised to submit their EOI at least 3 months prior to the expiry of any current visa. Applications will not be prioritised or issued invitations on the basis of personal circumstances. For example: visas expiring or the loss of points caused by change in circumstances unless you have been living and working in the Orana region for at least 12 months at the time of the request.

Stage 2- The Full Application (CURRENTLY CLOSED)

Application Step 1- Applying for NSW State nomination through RDA Orana

If you are selected to apply for NSW State nomination through RDA Orana, you will receive an invitation email with a web link to the online application and payment portal for the balance of your application fee ($500 inc. GST). This is also where you upload the documents required to support the claims in your previously submitted forms.

You will have 7 days from the issue of the email to complete the upload and payment process.

If the full application and documents are not submitted within 7 days, the invitation will automatically expire and cannot be reactivated.

The full list of documents required and the standards they must meet are found HERE. Please read this list carefully and ensure the documents you submit are complete and correct, especially in terms of certification.

An invitation does not mean that NSW State Nomination through RDA Orana will be approved.

A non-refundable processing fee is charged for processing and nomination of applications for NSW State Nomination through the Orana region. The processing fee is an administration charge only and does not guarantee the approval of a nomination.

The payment portal may charge a transaction fee for processing the transaction. This charge must be paid by the applicant, in addition to the processing fee.

Application Step 2- Assessing the application

All applications are assessed in submission date order in the month following their receipt by RDA Orana.

The assessment of the application for NSW State nomination through RDA Orana will be based solely on the supporting documents provided at the time of application. Additional documents in support of the application will be accepted once the application is submitted.

The case officer will not request further information to clarify confusion or any inconsistencies in the application. If the application is:

• Incomplete
• Does not provide clear evidence of the Form R points claimed or the Orana region Questionnaire

Then the application will be rejected and whole process including the EOI must be restarted. Any fees that have been paid will NOT be refunded because an assessment has taken place.

Application Step 3- NSW State nomination through RDA Orana

Approval: If the application for NSW State nomination through RDA Orana is approved, RDA Orana will notify the NSW Department of Industry who will then complete your nomination with the Department of Home Affairs. NSW Industry will confirm your SkillSelect EOI and Home Affairs will simultaneously issue the visa invitation to apply for a subclass 489 visa. The offer of nomination is valid for 60 days from date of approval.

Neither RDA Orana nor NSW Industry will re-confirm a new SkillSelect EOI if you have made an error and as a result are unable to apply for the subclass 489 visa.

Refusal: If the application for NSW State nomination through RDA Orana is refused, you will be informed of the reasons why the supporting documentation was deemed not to have substantiated your application or Orana region Questionnaire. Any fees that have been paid will NOT be refunded because an assessment has taken place.

See Service Standards HERE for the appeals process.

Application Step 4- Applying for the subclass 489 visa

Once the visa invitation is issued by Home Affairs, you must lodge the visa application within 60 days. If the visa application is not lodged within 60 days the offer of NSW State nomination through RDA Orana will expire. This time period cannot be extended.

Please note– once RDA Orana has recommended your application to NSW Industry for nomination we have no further involvement in the process. As such, we are unable to comment on the process, time taken, refusals or any other matter by either NSW Industry or the Department of Home Affairs.

Stage 3- Living in the Orana Region

Step 1- Notification of Home Affairs Visa Decision

You must inform the RDA Orana Skilled Migration team when your visa is granted by email and attach a copy of the visa grant notification.

Email: migration@rdaorana.org.au

Step 2- Move to the Orana Region

As part of your application for NSW State nomination through RDA Orana, you sign a declaration agreeing that you will relocate to the Orana. RDA Orana expects you to meet your obligations to live in the Orana region for at least two years for subclass 489 and three years for 491 visa from the date of visa grant/ permanent arrival in Australia. RDA Orana may inform Home Affairs if you do not make a genuine effort to meet your obligations to live in the Orana region.

RDA Orana is developing a Settlement Services package to assist those moving to the Orana region and will notify all applicants when this becomes available.

Step 3- Ongoing communication with RDA Orana

As part of our ongoing obligations to the nominating body, RDA Orana is required to maintain long term contact with our visa applications. We do this through a series of surveys. These surveys will commence, at 6 month intervals for 2 years, from the time you are invited to apply for your subclass 489 or 491 visa. Responding to these surveys are mandatory and RDA Orana may inform Home Affairs if you do not complete these as required.