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485 VISA HOLDERS REJOICE

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Nov 26, 2021

General, Skilled Independent Visa, Skilled Migration

On 25 November 2021, Minister for Education & Youth and Minister for Immigration released a joint statement paving the way for more flexible arrangements for 485 visa holders. Summary for the arrangements are:

485 visa holders who have been unable to travel to Australia due to COVID-19 will be able to apply for a replacement sc485 visa of the same duration as their original visa.
The length of stay on sc485 visas will increase from 2 to 3 years for Masters by coursework graduates for post-work study stream and for graduate stream vocational course graduates, visa term will increase from 1.5 years to 2 years.
Students who have studied online offshore will have their online studies time count towards qualification for the subclass 485 visa.

This is just another announcement made in response to Australia’s reopening and we anticipate more good news to come for students and temporary visa holders.

The full announcement can be found here.

Tags: Migration News Update | study in australia

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Lin Gan

Mark Nalty

It is so refreshing to speak to a migration agency who is willing to listen to you and readily provide you with useful information for a simple question without even discussing fees. What great customer service! We will be definitely engaging with Southern Stone for our future application.

Sarah Coherny

Thank you Gloria for helping me with my inquiries. I would recommend your services to all my friends and relatives.

Swapnil Patel

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Skye King

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I can't recommend the Southern Stone Migration Agency more! They have a keen eye to details and simply the most friendly and professional agent I have ever worked with. I got the invitation only a few days after working with them!!

Victoria Tai

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Their service is so good! Very quick and attentive and so helpful! I went with Kathy and she’s amazing. Would definitely introduce to other people. Thank you

D. Wu

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I got my partner visa recently thanks to Kathy and her coworkers. Very trust worthy company with professional experience. I have also recommended it to my friends and some of them already got their 190 nominations within a few days! Very impressive and highly recommended.

Abdul Khan

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Kathy and her team are amazing! Kathy is very friendly and supportive. If you want quick and accurate answers, just give southern stone a call or email them and have a smooth migration experience. I highly recommend!

Panpan Li

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Kathy is amazing!!!! She helped me out with my Visa application and the whole process was so straightforward and easy. She was very supportive and willing to answer all my questions and concerns. Would definitely recommend!!!!

陈Lemon

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Kathy是我遇到过最专业，沟通最舒服，最高效的移民中介！我会毫不犹豫的推荐给所有在澳洲移民道路上有需要的朋友们。谢谢Kathy！

Shanil Saurty

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Our elderly parent has just been granted permanent residency. I dealt with Kathy who gave me expert advice on the next steps to be undertaken. I would definitely recommend Southern Stone.

Farnaz Raghami

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They are so knowledgeable, they have accomplish a case for me which at least 3 other consultant beleived it would be impassible! and they are fast, as they have finalized every thing for me in 1 day, and also they act very ethical and with empathy! I do recommend them.

chen xu

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"I've known Kathy for many years, and she has been a tremendous help throughout my immigration journey. She assisted me with my skilled immigration application initially and later guided my mother through the PR application process. Over time, our professional relationship has evolved into a friendship. Recently, I entrusted Kathy with my father's PR application, and I had complete confidence in her abilities.Kathy's efficiency and clear communication style have always impressed me. She possesses a comprehensive understanding of immigration policies and regulations, which instills a sense of ease when dealing with immigration matters.For anyone in need of assistance with study abroad or immigration affairs, I highly recommend Kathy. She is undoubtedly a reliable and trustworthy immigration consultant."认识Kathy已经很多年了。她从最初帮我办理技术移民，到后来帮我妈妈办理PR申请，我们的关系从客户逐渐变成了朋友。这次我再次非常放心地委托她帮我们办理爸爸的PR申请。Kathy的办事效率非常高，而且在交流方面也非常简单明了。她对移民方面的知识和政策了解非常全面，让我在办理移民事宜时感到非常放心。如果你有需要办理留学和移民事务的朋友们，我会极力推荐Kathy。她绝对是一个靠谱可信赖的移民顾问。

Xia Fei

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Celeste Pedro

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We’re very happy with the service from southern stone, Kathy has been so helpful. We highly recommend Kathy as an agent. we could not be happier. Thank you Kathy and Southern Stone team!

Faisal Hossain

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Well where do I even start. Kathy is a super star. When all the agency put their faces away from me Kathy took it upon her and did the unthinkable. The best immigration agent in town.

Abigail Pavithra

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This company/Kathy has been my side for as long as I can remember. She helped me through covid backlog to me getting a grant today.she gave hope when no one else did.Thank you so helping me. I can officially call myself an Aussie because of you.A long road but we reach the goal.Thank you Kathy & Southern Stone team.

Lin Gan

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I recently had the privilege of working with Southern Stone Immigration Agency and specifically, Kathy, and I couldn't be more thrilled with the experience. From start to finish, Southern Stone and Kathy provided exceptional service and demonstrated an unparalleled level of expertise in immigration matters.What sets Southern Stone Immigration Agency apart is their genuine care for their clients. They understand the emotional and personal nature of immigration processes and provided me with the utmost support and understanding.Their professionalism, expertise, and personalised approach make them stand out in the industry. Trust them with your immigration needs, and you won't be disappointed!

Dau Li

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收费最合理，而且专业细致！帮我们节约不必要的开销，从一开始咨询，就不再考虑换中介了！下签速度快！赞👍🏻！谢谢你们！

Mark Nalty

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I found Southern stone through the internet and seen all the great reviews and thought they would have to be good. I got in contact with Kathy and she was so responsive and clear with all her swift responses throughout my time working with her.I had a 461 partner visa declined due to immigration receiving my visa application late as it’s a paper application. She argued with every piece of information she could get and I miraculously managed to get my visa accepted. Kathy attended an AAT appeal in person with me and was amazing arguing with her knowledge was so impressive.Kathy is such a genuine person and I’ve used two visa agents prior to her and they were just out for money and didn’t seem to really care about my situation. Kathy was so caring and attentive being so responsive and so quick and easy to work with throughout my whole time working with her. She is the best of the best and I would recommend her to everybody as she gets the job done and really cares!!!! Thank you Kathy you’re amazing 🤩 ❤️

Bennett Houng

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非常有效率辦理簽證，人員也很好，有簽證需求非常推薦來這辦理。Nice service than me easy get Visa, If you have any visa requirements, here is best place.

Mark Hill

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Kathy was great and patient too. Quick and efficient service. My visa processing was very quick.Highly recommended

Mahdi MO

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My sister and I were extremely satisfied by exceptional service from Kathy. I would most likely recommend Southern Stone Migration to others.

Mark B

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Very professional and friendly. Helped my family and myself achieve Permanent residency. We would highly recommend Southern Stone to family and friends. Kathy Liu was outstanding and diligent.

Anusha C

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This is a reference for Kathy Liu who I have spoken to over the phone asking her for some information on aged parent visa. Despite only making an enquiry, Kathy offered advice to the best possible extent. To me the kindness and patience with which she answered my query tells a lot about her. I have no doubt whatsoever that she will be the best migration agent as a good listening ear and empathy are important traits. Not one but 2high fives for Kathy!

WENLONG ZHU

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从来澳洲留学到永居一直都是kathy帮助我申请。非常专业的移民顾问一路走来给了我很大帮助。强烈推荐Kathy。真的给了我许多帮助耐心的解答我各种问题。希望南石国际越来越好。

Mike XIANG

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Kathy is the best immigration agent. She was very efficient, and provided a very reliable and patient service.Thanks to Kathy and her team for making our immigration journey clearer and easier.

Blair Feng

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十分靠谱的中介。来澳洲很多年，最终是找到Kathy和她的团队才终于有了一条清晰的移民之路，从最后的学生签到工作签再到PR，她们一直认真负责，高效的向我提供帮助和服务，非常感谢Kathy。

omar audi

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I got my 820 visa in 9 months!! Kathy is very professional, clear and prompt in replying to my emails. I have a peace of mind working with them! Looking forward to start my next stage soon with them!

Kosalram Krishnamurthy

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Kathy and the team at Southern Stone are just brilliant professionals with ample knowledge of their field of work. They made my PR Journey soo seamless and effortless, Kathy was almost available at any time to answer my questions and has a pleasant and friendly gesture. She is a very optimistic person in this whole rough and tough PR journey! She understands that there is so much uncertainty in this field but handles it really well! Thank you once again Kathy and the team at Southern Stone I cannot recommend you’ll enough!

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This is the best immigration company .

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I couldn't be more impressed with the level of service she provided. From the start, Kathy was extremely knowledgeable and helpful in guiding me through the complex immigration process. She was always available to answer any questions I had and went above and beyond to ensure that my application was completed accurately and in a timely manner. I am extremely grateful for Kathy's hard work and dedication, and I highly recommend her services to anyone in need of immigration assistance. Five stars for Kathy!"

Wang Liang

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very experienced and helpful.They pay attention to details and communicate with me in a timely manner to ensure no mistakes in every step during my PR journey, significantly boosting my chance of being successful.I did do plenty of research myself and sometimes come up with very tough questions like the exact different definition of a full-time job among home affairs, skill assessment(vetassess) and fair work (even make people annoying, haha) but every time I got very satisfied answers.Choosing a wrong person might cause disasters for you and ruin your PR. Please allow no risks in big things. I would advise Kathy is definitely the right person!

Marek Wierzbicki

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I highly recommend Kathy as she is absolutely professional and friendly. Doesn't matter if I spoke with her by phone or email she always answer (even late evenings) and gave me the best options/solutions

calum macleod

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We first contacted Kathy 2 years ago about my father . Her assistance has been invaluable. She is efficient has excellent people skills and I would highly recommend . So very impressive!! Thank you so much !! Lana Graham

Trish Gay

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I have had the privilege of working with Kathy. And she has been absolutely fantastic. Quickly responds to messages and is extremely knowledgeable in her field. Thank you so much for everything you guys do.

Jane L

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My husband and I are beyond pleased with the services and incredible support Kathy and her team provided. We initially thought we could complete the visa renewal on our own but l was a tad overwhelmed & was worried if l made an error it may delay my husbands re entry into Australia. Yes, we had no idea his visa had expired until his departure from Australia! Kathy was there for us every step of the way. Not only is she extremely knowledgeable and experienced but she was always kind and speedy with answering my zillion questions, no matter how big or small. My husbands visas was approved and he was able to return to Australia as planned.Thank you for saving us from stress and sleepless nights - Jane

Corey Bell

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We got Southern Stone to help us with our partner visa application. They were courteous, prompt in getting back to us, communicate clearly, and - most importantly - they know their stuff. They made what could be a pretty arduous process a lot simpler and cleared the air on things that were causing a bit of anxiety.Definitely would strongly recommend them.

Jack C

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Peace of mind - that's what Southern Stone provides when it comes to visas. Kathy and team have supported me through multiple visas over time. An unmistakable choice for your visa needs!

Charith Nuwan

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HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Jennifer Bozhinova

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Amazing service! Kathy helped us out with our Permanent Residency Visa. The whole process was so simple, straightforward and quick. She was very supportive and efficient throughout the whole process. She was also a great advisor and we could tell that she really cares about her clients. We are very happy with Southern Stone and their agent Kathy Liu and would definitely recommend :)

Jacky Voon

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Highly Recommended.. Ms Kathy is amazing. She is very professional, knowledgeable, reliable and friendly...She will give you the best option for your visa and guide you through all the stages and give you the best service and time to help you..

Richard John Garcia

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It has been an honor to have our application processed by Southern Stone. Kathy and her team are very hands-on about handling our Visa application. They work tirelessly to help us achieve our goal with minimal issues. The past couple of years has been hard for us and everyone because of the global pandemic and all the global conflict which is continuing to occur all over the world. COVID restrictions hit us very bad. Specially for us leaving our son back in our home country and him not being able to travel to Australia due to the implemented rules regarding travel. However, we've put our entire trust with Kathy and the entire Southern Stone team, and sure enough, we have our visas granted with a surprisingly quick turnaround. We are grateful that we are now together as a family, living permanently in Australia. Thank you so much, Kathy!Kudos to Southern Stone!

Juan Ayala

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I'd just like to express my appreciation to this amazing migration agency. They've been amazing helping my wife with our partner visa process. They helped me with a lot of advice prior to actually recieving the first payment. They aren't the typical lawyers that charge for a phone call consultation and are extremely empathetic. I am eternally grateful. Highly recommended!!! Thanks guys!!!!!!!

salini Desh

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Kathy is the best agent I've ever found so far in Australia. I found southerstone through google and when I checked the reviews I thought Kathy might be good. But I realized she is the best.. She never let me down and always responded me with enough information if I had any questions. Very professional and very reliable.. Definitely will recommend for anyone for any visa issues..

Beabea Y

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I was referral from a friend to Kathy. She definitely is most professional agent I ever met! She did great help and provide the solution for my parents visa problem. I highly recommend her for any visa issue!

Andre L

1645757094

Thank You for your assistance!

Ryan Brown

1628904041

The best migration agency in Australia 👍

Gui Lu

1626058560

Most TRUSTWORTHY Migration Agent in Melbourne! Kathy and Gloria are just the ones that are extremely Reliable, Responsive, Friendly and most importantly, they are so Professional! They always provide as much as latest information they known. So that as a client, I just feel peace of mind. Many many thanks to these lovely ladies!

Calamacat 2

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Kathy Liu helped me so much this year. She answered all my questions promptly and effectively as well as providing emotional support during the pandemic. I received my permanent residency yesterday and she shared my joy. I definitely recommend her services!

Chris Xiong

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Kathy会根据客户自己的条件规划出最优的移民签证方案以及合理性的建议，诚信可靠！

Sanja Markoska

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Kathy and Gloria were amazing. Very responsive and helped me a lot to get my permanent residency.Also the price that they charge is so little compare to other migration agent and the service is excellent.I would definitely go again with them for myself or other members of my family.

swapnil patel

1588730601

Thank you Gloria for helping me with my inquiries. I would recommend your services to all my friends and relatives.

Yudhish Bharucha

1585012009

I would highly recommend . Helpful and very honest!