Last updated on October 4th, 2016
Australian Visa process is full of abbreviations and jargon which may sound like from another planet. As you move through the process, you will learn few of them while being bombarded with more. To make it easier for you, I have collated most of the terms which are used quite commonly in Australian visa process. Feel free to refer to them when you wish or bookmark this page in your favorites.
A
ABPF
Application Being Processed Further is one of the statuses of a visa application. It usually indicates that someone is reviewing your application and might indicate that a case officer is assigned.
ACS
Australian Computer Society is a professional body of ICT professionals. It acts as an assessing authority for ICT migrants to assess their qualifications and experience.
AFP
Australian Federal Police. You may often hear this term in relation to Australian police checks.
ANZSCO
Australian New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations is a list of codes pertaining to various occupations. It can be used to find out if your occupation is eligible for visa.
AUD
Australian Dollar.
B
Bridging visa
It is a temporary visa provided to a person to allow him/her to legally stay in Australia after expiry of his/her visa till decision is made on his new visa application.
C
CAE
Cambridge English: Advanced is English skills test which is aimed at assessing candidate in four areas – listening, reading, writing and speaking. It is one of the four tests acceptable by DIBP as a proof of English proficiency.
CO
Case Officer or CO is a person assigned to review your visa application and grant/reject the visa. He can ask you for more documents or clarification if he feels that your supporting documents are not good enough.
CRICOS
Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students is a register which contains list of educational institutions in Australia which offer courses to overseas students and help them to study in Australia
CSOL
Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List is a list of occupations currently available for potential candidate to apply for a state or territory nomination. If you are applying for state nomination, your occupation must be present in this list.
D
DIAC
Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Former department of Australian government which looked after immigration and citizenship program. It doesn’t exist anymore and is succeeded by DIBP.
DIBP
Department of Immigration and Border Protection. This is a main agency of Australian government which looks after immigration policies, citizenship and border control measures.
Direct Grant
It usually means no additional documents were requested by case officer and visa was granted without any further delay.
E
EOI
Expression of Interest is a way to express your intent to immigrate to Australia. Generally if you satisfy points criteria for a visa, you can lodge an EOI by filling an online form on SkillSelect website.
EOR
Enquiry on Results is a process by which a candidate can ask for re-evaluation of his/her IELTS score within six weeks of taking test.
F
Front loading
No, it’s not about your washing machine. Usually, when the CO is assigned to your visa application, he requests certain documents such as medicals, PCC etc. Front loading means uploading these documents with visa application even before asked by the CO. This can save some time and delays for CO to make decision and may result in direct grant if everything is good.
G
Grant
Grant usually implies that a visa has been granted to a person. If it is not direct grant, it usually implies that CO granted visa after requesting certain additional documents.
GSM
It has nothing to do with your mobile handset! General Skilled Migration is an immigration program run by Australian government to attract skilled people to work and live in Australia.
H
HAP ID
A unique identifier given to you by immigration authority to undergo health examination. This id is a key against which all your visa-related medical records are maintained and tracked by immigration department.
I
ICT
Information and Computer Technology is a broad category of Information Technology related streams. It is a category under which IT related occupations are listed in SOL or CSOL.
IDP
International Development Program is international education institution which specialises in student placement services. It is more commonly known as one of the test providers for IELTS, along with British Council.
IED
Initial Entry Date is a date on your visa grant by which you MUST enter Australia. This is usually 12 months from your visa grant date.
IELTS
International English Language Testing System. It is an international test which assess English language skills of the candidate in four areas, namely listening, reading, writing and speaking. It is one of the four English proficiency tests accepted for skilled visa.
ImmiAccount
It is an online service to lodge and access your visa or citizenship application and check its progress.
Invitation Round
This is a date on which a set of EOI applicants are invited to lodge a visa application. Usually, there are multiple invitation rounds for skilled visas, schedule of which is made available on DIBP website from time to time.
ITA
Invitation to Apply is precisely an invitation to lodge a visa application. It is given to those EOI candidates who fulfill visa requirements and points test.
M
MARA
Migration Agents Registration Authority is a government authority which registers, guides and regulates migration agents for Australia. Only MARA registered agent is authorized to provide migration assistance to a person who wants to move to Australia.
MIA
Migration Institute of Australia is a professional body of migration agents which provides guidelines, continuous professional development and professional support to its members.
N
NAATI
National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters is a professional body of translators and interpreters in Australia. Accreditations from NAATI are accepted against Credentialed community language qualifications to claim points for skilled visa.
Natural Justice Letter
Natural Justice Letter, also known as cover letter, is a review request which can be filed by an applicant whose visa was rejected. It is a process through which people, who feel they are entitled to visa and have strong supporting reasons, can request for review of decision on visa.
Nominated Occupation
It is an occupation which is listed in either SOL or CSOL which you choose to apply visa under. As an example, if you are software engineer and your occupation is listed on SOL, you can apply for skilled independent visa for nominated occupation as software engineer.
O
OET
Occupational English Test is an international English test which is mainly used by healthcare sector.
P
Pass Mark
These are the minimum points required to be eligible under skilled migration.
PCC
Police Clearance Certificate is a certificate issued by government authority certifying that person has no criminal history. It is usually issued by Passport office in India after getting clearance from local Police station.
Points test
This is the basic eligibility criteria defined for skilled migrants. Various factors such as age, qualifications, work experience etc. contribute to a set of points for an applicant. A minimum score, known as Pass Mark, is needed to be eligible for visa.
PR
Permanent Resident is a type of visa under which a person can live, work and study in Australia without any restriction. He has all the rights of an Australian citizen, except that he cannot vote.
PTE-A
Pearson Test of English: Academic is an international test for English skills, similar to IELTS, which evaluates person’s ability to communicate in English. It is one of the four tests acceptable by DIBP as a proof of English proficiency.
R
RALPGM
Regional Australia or Low Population Growth Metropolitan area is designated area where regional visa candidate must stay for certain minimum period as stipulated in the visa.
RPL
Recognition of Prior Learning or RPL is an acknowledgment of skills acquired through either formal training or work experience such as projects undertaken. The applicant need to submit evidence of project work undertaken by listing key areas of knowledge in the project report.
RRV
Resident Return Visa or RRV is available to permanent residents or former Australian citizens who want to travel overseas and return to Australia. Commonly this route is opted by a permanent resident who haven’t opted for citizenship at the end of PR visa but want to travel in and out of Australia.
S
SkillSelect
SkillSelect is a website which provides a way for candidates to lodge and manage their expression of interest application.
SOL
Skilled Occupation List is a list of skilled occupations which are currently available for potential candidate to apply for a permanent and temporary skilled migration to Australia.
Statutory Declaration
Statutory declaration is a legal document which declares all the information given in the document as true and is signed in front of authorised witness. In case of visa, it is most commonly used as a substitute to roles and responsibilities letter for a job where company HR cannot provide one.
T
TAFE
Technical And Further Education are institutes across Australia which provide vocational education and training in variety of fields such as business, hospitality, engineering, construction etc.
TOEFL iBT
Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test is another type of test which is aimed at assessing candidate’s English skills in all four areas – listening, reading, writing and speaking. It is one of the four tests acceptable by DIBP as a proof of English proficiency.
TRF number
Test Report Form number is a unique 18-digit alphanumeric number printed on the bottom-right corner of the IELTS score card below stamp and sign. It is used by immigration authority or sponsoring state to verify your score online.
TRN
Transaction Reference Number is a unique number given to each online visa application. You need this number to track the progress of your visa application.
V
VETASSESS
Vocational Education and Training Assessing authority is an organization which provides skill assessment services for a lot of occupations on the SOL.
VEVO
Visa Entitlement Verification Online is online service to view and email visa details. It is useful for organizations such as employers, to check your visa eligibility and other information such as visa conditions.
VFS
VFS is a private organization which specialises in visa processing and passport related administrative tasks which are outsourced by various governments.
Visa conditions
Visa conditions are certain restrictions related to work, study, stay etc. which are specified in your visa grant document. If your visa has listed visa conditions, you must comply with them or your visa may get cancelled.
Visa subclass
Visa subclass is further breakdown of a broad category of visa. Each such subclass is identified by a unique number. For example, skilled visa have subclass such as skilled independent – 189, skilled nominated – 190 etc.
