Plain-English glossary

Words you'll see on this site and on official government pages, explained simply.

Case (also called a “matter”): A migration firm's file for one piece of work — usually one visa application. Law firms traditionally call this a “matter”; on this site we say “case” wherever we can.
Case reference: The file number a firm gives your case. Quoting it when you contact the firm helps them find your file quickly.
Practitioner: Our word for the two kinds of professional who give immigration assistance on this platform: registered migration agents and Australian lawyers.
Registered migration agent: A person registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) who is legally allowed to give Australian immigration assistance. With only narrow exceptions, this kind of advice can be given only by registered migration agents and Australian lawyers.
MARN: Migration Agent Registration Number — the ID that OMARA issues to every registered migration agent. Any MARN can be checked on OMARA's public register.
Practising certificate: The licence an Australian lawyer holds from their state or territory authority. Lawyers give migration advice under this certificate instead of a MARN.
Subclass: The number the Department of Home Affairs gives each visa type — for example, subclass 820 is the onshore Partner visa. The number is the surest way to identify a visa, because visa names can look similar.
ImmiAccount: The Department of Home Affairs' official website where visa applications are lodged and tracked. It belongs to the government, not to this platform.
Lodgement: Officially submitting a visa application to the Department of Home Affairs, usually through ImmiAccount. “Lodged” means the application has been submitted.
Visa Application Charge (VAC): The government fee for lodging a visa application, paid to the Department of Home Affairs. It is separate from any fee charged by a practitioner or by this platform.
Request for more information: A letter from the Department of Home Affairs asking for extra documents or details before a decision is made (often sent under section 56 of the Migration Act). It always comes with a deadline.
Bridging visa: A temporary visa the Department grants so a person stays lawful in Australia while something else happens — for example, while an application is waiting for a decision. Different bridging visa types carry different conditions.
Vault: Your private document storage on this site. Only you can see what's in it unless you choose to share specific documents with a practitioner.
Portal: The secure area where you see updates, messages, and document requests from the migration firm helping you. Everything in it comes from your firm — not from this platform.
Questionnaire: A set of questions a firm sends you to collect the details they need for your case — things like identity, passport, contact details, and history.
Engagement: The formal step where a practitioner agrees to take you on as a client and manage your application.
Toolkit: Our paid organiser for one visa subclass: a walkthrough of the official process, a document checklist, and reminders. It's general information to keep you organised — not advice.
Tracker: Community-reported visa processing times shared by other applicants on this site. Indicative only — official processing times are published by the Department of Home Affairs.
ANZSCO: The Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations — the numbering system (published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) that gives every occupation a code, like 261313 for Software Engineer. Skilled visa rules refer to occupations by these codes.
OSCA: The Occupation Standard Classification for Australia — the ABS's 2022 successor to ANZSCO. Some government systems still use ANZSCO codes while others have moved to OSCA, so one occupation can have a code in each.
Skilled occupation list: A list, set by legislative instrument, of the occupations that can be nominated for a particular skilled visa. Different visas use different lists.
MLTSSL: The Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List — the skilled occupation list used by the points-tested visas (for example subclass 189) and others.
STSOL: The Short-term Skilled Occupation List — a skilled occupation list used mainly by state-nominated and regional visas.
ROL: The Regional Occupation List — occupations available only for certain regional visas.
CSOL: The Core Skills Occupation List — the single occupation list used by the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) and the direct-entry Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) from December 2024.
Skills assessment: A formal check by an assessing authority that a person's qualifications and experience match an occupation's Australian standard. Many skilled visas require one before applying.
Assessing authority: The body named in the legislation as responsible for skills assessments in a particular occupation — for example, the Australian Computer Society for ICT occupations or Trades Recognition Australia for many trades.
Expression of Interest (EOI): A profile lodged in SkillSelect saying a person would like to be invited to apply for a skilled visa. An EOI is not a visa application — an invitation must arrive first.
SkillSelect: The Department of Home Affairs system that holds Expressions of Interest and issues invitations to apply for skilled visas.
Invitation round: A run of SkillSelect in which the department invites a batch of Expressions of Interest to apply. The department publishes the results of past rounds, including how many invitations were issued.
Points test: The scoring system used by some skilled visas (189, 190, 491). Points come from factors like age, English level, and years of skilled work, and the law sets a minimum score to be eligible for an invitation.
State nomination: A state or territory government's formal backing of a skilled visa applicant, required for subclass 190 and one pathway to subclass 491. Each state runs its own program with its own occupation lists and criteria.
Nomination (employer-sponsored visas): The employer's side of an employer-sponsored visa: the business nominates a position for a visa holder to fill. The visa application is the worker's side of the same process.
Standard business sponsorship: An approval that lets a business sponsor workers on certain employer-sponsored visas. It belongs to the business and must be current when a nomination is lodged.
Labour agreement: A negotiated agreement between an employer (or industry) and the Australian Government that allows sponsorship on terms different from the standard rules.
DAMA: A Designated Area Migration Agreement — a labour agreement covering a region rather than a single employer. Employers in that region can access it by endorsement.
TRN: Transaction Reference Number — the identifier ImmiAccount assigns to a lodged application. It's how an application is referenced in the department's systems.
VEVO: Visa Entitlement Verification Online — the department's free service showing a visa's current details and conditions.
Visa conditions: Numbered rules attached to a visa grant — for example, condition 8501 requires health insurance. A visa's conditions appear on the grant notice and in VEVO.
HAP ID: Health Assessment Portal identifier — the reference number for a person's immigration health examinations, used when booking with the examining panel.
Police certificate: An official criminal-history check. Australian federal checks come from the AFP; overseas checks come from each country a person has lived in.
Form 80: The department's “Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment” form — a detailed personal-history form the department sometimes requests during processing.
ART: The Administrative Review Tribunal — the independent body that reviews many migration decisions. It replaced the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) in October 2024.
Legislative instrument: A legal document, made under an Act, that sets detailed rules — for example, which occupations are on a skilled list. Instruments are published on the Federal Register of Legislation and are replaced over time.
Migration Act and Regulations: The Migration Act 1958 is the law governing Australian visas; the Migration Regulations 1994 hold the detailed criteria for each visa subclass. Both are published on the Federal Register of Legislation.
CRICOS: The Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students — the official register of the education providers and courses that may be offered to student visa holders. Every registered course has a CRICOS code.
CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment): The document an education provider issues confirming a student's enrolment in a CRICOS-registered course. Student visa applications refer to it.
OSHC: Overseas Student Health Cover — the health insurance product designed for student visa holders.
Competent / Proficient / Superior English: The department's named English levels, each defined as minimum scores in an accepted test — for example, Competent English is IELTS 6.0 in each part, or the equivalent in other accepted tests. Different visas and points levels reference different levels.
Professional Year: A structured 12-month program in Australia combining study and workplace experience in accounting, ICT, or engineering. The points test awards points for completing one.
Regional Australia (for visas): The areas defined by legislative instrument as “regional” for visa purposes — broadly, everywhere except Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Some visas and points are available only for regional areas, defined by postcode.
Visa grant number: The unique number on a visa grant notice identifying that particular grant. VEVO can look a visa up by it.

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice.