Centres of Excellence
The department opened the Centres of Excellence (CoE) to improve client services by reducing processing times.
The CoEs are located in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. They have responsibility for processing remaining dependents of 422 visa holders and the sponsored business visa categories which include:
- Subclass 457 – Temporary Business (Long Stay) visas
- Subclass 459 – Sponsored Business (Short Stay) visas
- Subclass 121/856 – Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visas
- Subclass 119/857 – Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visas
- Subclass 120/855 – Labour Agreements
There are two sets of CoEs operating in the department. Processing responsibility is:
- Temporary employer sponsored workers (457, 459 and dependents of 422 visa holders)
- Permanent employer sponsored workers (121/856, 119/857 and 120/855).
The CoE's have a geographic split of responsibility for processing new applications.
Where your application is processed will depend on:
- the visa subclass you are applying for and
- where the sponsoring business is located.
Note: If the sponsoring business has more than one location, the processing CoE will depend on where the business's head office is located.
The preferred method of application for subclass 457 – Temporary Business (Long Stay) visas is through the online lodgement facility.
See: Employer Sponsored Workers (e457)
For all paper based applications please send the documents to the appropriate processing CoE as detailed below.
457, 422 and 459 Centre of Excellence
The following table details the geographic split for 457, 422 and 459 applications (including sponsorship, nomination and visa applications).
| Location of Sponsoring Head Office | Processing CoE |
|---|---|
| Queensland and Northern Territory (NT). Subclass 457 – Temporary Business (Long Stay) Standard Business Sponsorship and Labour Agreement applications. |
Brisbane See: Brisbane Centre of Excellence |
| Tasmania and Victoria. Subclass 457 – Temporary Business (Long Stay) Standard Business Sponsorship and Labour Agreement applications. Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria Subclass 422 dependents and subclass 459 applications. |
Melbourne CBD See: Melbourne Centre of Excellence |
|
Western Australia Subclass 457 – Temporary Business (Long Stay) Standard Business Sponsorship and Labour Agreement applications. Subclass 422 dependents and subclass 459 applications. |
Perth See: Perth Centre of Excellence |
| New South Wales. South Australia and Australian Capital Territory. Subclass 457 – Temporary Business (Long Stay) Standard Business Sponsorship and Labour Agreement applications. Subclass 422 dependents and subclass 459 applications. Note: The Sydney CBD CoE has processing responsibility for Meat Worker Labour Agreement applications from all sponsoring businesses located across Australia. |
Sydney CBD or Parramatta office See: Sydney Centre of Excellence |
ENS/RSMS Centre of Excellence
The following table details the geographic split for 121/856, 119/857 and 120/855 applications.
| Location of Sponsoring Head Office | Processing centre of excellence |
|---|---|
| New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Queensland | Sydney CoE – Parramatta office See: Sydney Centre of Excellence |
| Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria | Melbourne CBD See: Melbourne Centre of Excellence |
| Western Australia | Perth See: Perth Centre of Excellence |
Public holidays
Public holidays in Australia are designated on a state and territory basis with the exception of national public holidays such as Australia Day, ANZAC Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day. Details of Australia's public holidays are available on the Australian Government website.
See: Public Holidays