Dear Valued Clients,
The situation relating to COVID-19 in Australia is unfolding daily and as we wake up each day to more draconian measures aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19, our hearts go out to all our industry partners, colleagues, clients in the many industries absolutely devastated by the pandemic and our students and their parents, especially those whose study plans have been totally disrupted.
This is a global pandemic and one the whole world needs to fight against with our combined efforts. Make no doubts, we will get through this and come back stronger and more united and our tourism, education and hospitality sectors will experience extraordinary rebound once we contain the situation.
MOVE TO ONLINE CONSULATIONS
At Southern Stone, we have been highly vigilant over the past few weeks with ensuring that our office premises is sanitised regularly and having hand sanitisers for our clients when they come in. However, from today, for the safety of our clients and our staff, we will cease face to face contact with our clients and offer consultations via phone or Skype/WhatsApp instead.
Please contact us if you wish to schedule a consultation.
VISA OPTIONS
Given the travel ban enacted across the globe, many visa holders Australia find themselves in a situation where they are unable to return to their home country due to health and safety concerns.
We urge these clients in the following situation to contact us to discuss their options moving forward. We have staff ready to assist you with lodging onshore visitor visa extensions.
Visitor Visas Expiring
Many are now in Australia visiting loved one and do not want to leave Australia due to safety concerns. Please contact us if you are a visitor visa holder and want to extend your stay in Australia, our team will be able to handle these cases very quickly for you to maintain your lawful stay in Australia.
Student Visas Expiring
If you are currently a student in Australia and your visa is expiring soon, you may have several options, i.e., extend your student visa, apply for a graduate visa, apply for visitor visa or if you have an Australian partner, you may apply for a partner visa. Contact us now to discuss your options.
Partner Visa Applications
For visa holders in Australia who has an Australian partner, many are eligible to apply for permanent residency via the Partner Visa pathway.
Please contact us if this applies to you and you want to discuss your eligibility.
Skilled Migration
Many recent graduates are affected by the COVID-19 and given that skilled migration in Australia is now managed via the Expression of Interest system, there will be uncertainty with invitation rounds. For many, especially those with graduate visas nearing expiry, please contact us as soon as possible to discuss possible options.
Offshore Applications
Whilst many temporary visas applications are affected by the travel ban, we still urge applicants who are overseas and wish to apply for permanent visas or other provisional visa that have a long processing time to contact us ASAP to discuss visa options, subclasses which are currently unaffected by the COVID-19 to lodge offshore include:
- Offshore Child Visas
- Offshore Prospective Marriage and Partner Visas
- Offshore Parent Visas
- Offshore Employer Sponsored Visas
- Offshore Skilled Migration
- Offshore Business Visas – opportune time for business visa applicants to take advantage of record low exchange rates and record low share prices, especially subclass 188c visa applicants.
We Are Here To Help
This is a highly distressing situation for most and we are all finding ourselves in unchartered waters.
We remain committed to assisting our clients new and old to navigate their visa options and providing efficient and reliable visa services to achieve a positive visa outcome
Please contact us today to make a consultation or have a chat with our friendly team about your visa matter.
