Monday, 4 May 2009

A number of policy changes become effective today, 4 May 2009.

In addition to the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act becoming effective, key changes include:

• amendments to better reflect the intent of visitor's policy
• clarification that applicants for a visa under the China Working Holiday Scheme must be both ordinarily and actually resident in China at the time they apply
• changes to the Parent and grandparent multiple entry visitor's visa policy
• Family Category - Parent Policy – clarification that in cases where an applicant was not included or declared in their sponsor's residence application, immigration and visa officers can continue to process an application and approve it if there was no intention to mislead, and the discrepancy would not have resulted in a different outcome in the sponsor's residence application, and they meet all other policy requirements.