The most common reasons for Australian permanent residency rejection

Every three minutes someone gains permanent residency in Australia but every year more than 40,000 are rejected. What are the top reasons for rejection? 

Here are the most common reasons for refusal of Australian permanent residency

Violating visa conditions:

It may include a student who has worked too many hours, a student who does not attend college/university, a student who fails academic performance requirements, a visitor visa who works (visitor visas have no work rights) or a 457/482 visa holder who has worked a second job (which is not allowed) or the holder has ceased their employment. Any violation of visa condition is not allowed

Giving inconsistent or wrong information:

Giving inconsistent or wrong information can result in public interest criteria (PIC) 4020 being applied to the applicant which means once their visa is refused, Australia may not grant you another visa ranging from three to 10 years.

Giving false information includes fraudulent bank details, claiming to live and work in a regional area, contrived or false relationships to meet spouse visa requirements or giving false information about being in a relationship.

Failure to meet health requirements:

To control expenditure on services like social security benefits, allowances and pensions, Australia requires most visa applicants to meet minimum health standards before granting them a visa.

Health is a crucial part of the visa application process. Failure to meet health requirements, where someone has a health condition which is deemed to be a significant cost to the Australian community, can be the reason for rejection.

Department of Home Affairs states applicant’s family members might also have to meet the health requirement even if they are not migrating to Australia. 

Failure to meet character requirement:

Failure to meet character requirement is a common reason for PR rejection. If the applicant has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, or there has been an allegation against him/her or the applicant has been arrested or charged with Domestic Violence or an offence against a minor, or if it drug-related or an indecent assault, it can be a reason for rejection.

Lack of funds:

Australia requires migrants to provide detailed information about their finances like the bank statements to prove financial stability.

Any discrepancy in regard to it like insufficient funds, identity mismatch may invite rejection of the Australian PR visa application. 

Lack of funds where the applicant is unable to demonstrate sufficient funds, or where an applicant is asked for an Assurance of Support and is unable to provide this or where the applicant has a debt to the Commonwealth, can be a reason for rejection.

Applying for a wrong visa:

Another common reason for rejection is applying for a wrong visa.

With constant changes in immigration policies and eligibility criteria and with multiple layers of options and variables available, it can often be confusing for many visa applicants.

Without sound advice, or misguidance from a representative, or misunderstanding of migration regulations and requirements, and sometimes people lodging applications on their own without understanding the process or what visas they are or are not eligible for can lead to rejection.

Failure to meet visa requirements:

Permanent Residency visa options come with a different set of requirements. Failure to meet any of the visa requirements can result in rejection.

This would include unable to meet the English language requirement, sometimes employer-sponsored visas are refused as an employer has not paid a correct salary, super or tax. Or where permanent partner visa is refused because the relationship has broken down before visa grant. It is important to meet all the visa requirements.

If you have had a visa application rejected, there are potentially things we can do to assist you. So we recommend getting in touch with us as soon as possible so we have as much time as possible to mount a case in your favour. Contact one of our excellent team today and discuss your options before it’s too late.