Migration (IMMI 18/085: Arrangements for Temporary Work and Temporary Activity Visa Applications) Instrument 2018

The instrument is compact in statutory content but operates through cross-reference. The main concepts that govern its operation are:

• Approved form and place/manner linkage: For specified subitems of Schedule 1 to the Regulations, the instrument supplies, by way of Schedules, the approved form number that applicants must use (Column B) and the place and manner by which the application must be made (Column C). The operative sections (s 6, s 7, s 8, s 10, s 11) explicitly tie each schedule to the corresponding subitem(s) in Schedule 1 to the Regulations. The structure therefore imposes form-and-channel compliance as a precondition of making an application under those regulatory subitems.

• Categorisation of applicants: The instrument distinguishes kinds of applicants in Column A within the Schedules. For some visa subclasses, the instrument differentiates between a primary applicant and a secondary applicant, and between combined applications (primary plus secondary together) and separate secondary-only applications (Schedules 5 and 6). That distinction determines which approved form is required (for example, 1480 v 1481; 1479 v 1481).

• Internet-first default and authorised exceptions: Several Schedules make internet application the default channel (Schedules 3, 5, 6), specifying an approved internet form number. Each of those Schedules also contains a structured exception mechanism: if an officer authorises an alternative use of the approved form, the instrument permits applications in accordance with email directions from an officer from an official departmental email address, subject to a temporal limitation (the authorisation is effective only if the application is made by the end of the next day after the authorising email was sent, with the relevant timezone being AEST or AEDST as applicable to the authorisation date). Additionally, where the applicant is outside Australia and an officer has authorised it, the instrument permits applications to be made at diplomatic, consular or migration offices maintained by or on behalf of the Commonwealth outside Australia (see Schedule 3 Column C and the similar paragraphs in Schedules 5 and 6).

• Geographical requirement for some visas: For Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) (Class GA), the instrument expressly requires that "The applicant must be outside Australia" before an application of the specified kind may be made under the table in Schedule 3. That is a stated location precondition in addition to the channel requirements (Schedule 3, Column C).

• Specific physical addresses for postal/courier: For two retirement-related subclasses (Investor Retirement Class UY and Retirement (Temporary) Class TQ), the instrument limits lodgement to two Hobart addresses and methods: postal lodgement with correct prepaid postage to a GPO Box 794, Hobart TAS 7001, or courier delivery to Level 14, 188 Collins Street, Hobart TAS 7000 (Schedules 1 and 2, Column C). The instrument therefore designates a centralised physical receiving centre for those subclasses.

• Administrative authorisation and officer role: The instrument frequently conditions exceptions on authorisation by "an officer" and specifies the format of that authorisation (an email sent by an officer from an official departmental email address). The term officer is defined by reference to subsection 5(1) of the Migration Act 1958 (s 4). The instrument therefore relies on departmental officials to exercise a directional discretion in relation to alternate lodgement channels and consular acceptance.

• Repeal and compilation mechanics: Section 5 and the Notes make clear that the instrument can repeal other instruments identified in its Schedules and that this document is a compilation including subsequent amendments, with a register of the instrument (Notes, Table of instruments and Table of amendments).

These main concepts make the instrument a procedural specification: it prescribes how an application must be made (form and channel) and when and where authorised departures from the default channel are permitted. The instrument embeds precise timing language (the "end of the next day" in AEST or AEDST), role-based authorisation by officers and location conditions for some visa subclasses. Practically, compliance requires aligning applicant status (inside v outside Australia), correct form number, and method of lodgement with the applicable Schedule entry.

The instrument affects three broad groups directly: visa applicants for the specified subclasses, departmental officers and administrative staff who issue authorisations and accept applications, and intermediaries such as migration agents, postal/courier providers and diplomatic/consular/migration offices outside Australia. Each group faces distinct obligations, choices and operational impacts grounded in the instrument's text.

• Visa applicants: The instrument applies to all visa applicants for the subclasses it covers. Schedule 1 applies to "All visa applicants for an Investor Retirement (Class UY) visa." Schedule 2 applies to "All visa applicants for a Retirement (Temporary) (Class TQ) visa." Schedule 3 applies to "All visa applicants for a Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) (Class GA) visa." Schedules 5 and 6 apply to primary applicants and secondary applicants for Temporary Activity (Class GG) and Training (Class GF) visas, with separate lines for combined and non-combined secondary applicants. These phrases are literal; where a Schedule says "All visa applicants" or "A Primary Applicant ...", that set of applicants are subject to the prescribed approved form and place/manner requirements (see ss 6-8, 10-11 and the Schedules themselves). Practically, applicants must determine their correct subclass and applicant-kind (primary v secondary; combined v separate), and then use the corresponding approved form number and lodgement channel.

• Family members and secondary applicants: The instrument affects members of the family unit insofar as secondary applicants, or family members applying as part of a combined application, must use the forms and channels specified for "secondary applicants" in the relevant Schedule. The instrument refers to "Member of the family unit" being defined in Regulation 1.12 of the Regulations (s 4, Note). In Schedules 5 and 6, combined applications are treated differently from secondary-only applications, so family composition and whether applications are combined will determine the approved form to be used.

• Departmental officers and the Department of Home Affairs: The instrument expressly empowers officers to authorise alternate submission methods, by email from an official departmental email address (Schedules 3, 5, 6). Officers therefore decide whether to permit an applicant to use a form in a way other than the default internet application or to permit an in-person acceptance at diplomatic/consular/migration offices outside Australia. Section 4 imports the Migration Act definition of officer, and the Schedules require the authorising communications to come from "an official departmental email address", which anchors the instrument's exceptions to departmental action.

• Diplomatic, consular and migration offices: Where an officer has authorised it and the applicant is outside Australia, Schedules 3, 5 and 6 allow applications to be made at diplomatic, consular or migration offices maintained by or on behalf of the Commonwealth outside Australia. These offices therefore become possible physical lodgement points, but only under explicit authorisation.

• Postal and courier services and Hobart receiving centre staff: For the UY and TQ retirement visa subclasses, the instrument centralises postal and courier receipt to the Specialist Temporary Entry Centre (TAS) in Hobart, with both a GPO Box and a courier street address (Schedules 1 and 2). That imposes operational concentration on postal/courier partners and on the Hobart centre's handling of physical applications.

• Migration agents and advisers: While not named specifically, migration agents and advisers who prepare and lodge applications will need to follow the instrument's specific form and channel requirements, including tracking officer authorisations and ensuring combined or separate application forms are used correctly.

• Employers, sponsors, or training providers: Indirectly affected parties include employers and training providers supporting applications for Temporary Work (Class GA), Temporary Activity (Class GG) and Training (Class GF) applicants. They must ensure applicants are informed of the required forms and channels, and may need to coordinate with applicants who are required to be outside Australia or to obtain an officer's authorisation.

The instrument therefore allocates the immediate compliance burden to applicants (and their advisers), concentrates certain lodgement channels (Hobart for specified retirement visas; internet for many others), and gives officers explicit operational levers (email authorisation and permission to accept applications at overseas posts). It prescribes the technical mechanics by which applicants interact with the Department for these subclasses, thereby changing the administrative pathway available to each affected group.

The instrument creates mandatory procedural obligations for visa applicants in relation to approved forms and lodgement methods and establishes certain administrative powers for departmental officers. It does not itself create substantive visa criteria or penalties; instead, it specifies how particular visa applications must be lodged under the relevant provisions of the Migration Regulations 1994. The key duties and rights that arise purely from the instrument are:

• Duty to use the approved form specified for the applicant's kind: For each relevant subitem in Schedule 1 to the Regulations, the instrument requires applicants of the corresponding kind (Column A) to use the approved form specified in Column B of the relevant Schedule (for example, form 1383 for Class UY and TQ applicants in Schedules 1 and 2; form 1400 for Class GA applicants in Schedule 3; forms 1480/1481 for Class GG; forms 1479/1481 for Class GF) (ss 6-8, 10-11 and Schedules).

• Duty to make the application by the specified place and manner: Applicants must lodge their application in the place and manner specified in Column C for their kind of application. For UY and TQ these are postal or courier lodgements to specified Hobart addresses (Schedules 1 and 2). For GA, GG and GF, internet applications are the default, subject to authorised exceptions (Schedules 3, 5, 6).

• Location requirement for certain subclasses: For Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) (Class GA) applications under Schedule 3, the instrument expressly requires that "The applicant must be outside Australia" as a precondition for application under that table (Schedule 3, Column C). Applicants therefore have a duty to ensure they meet that location requirement when using the pathway set out in Schedule 3.

• Duty to comply with authorisation parameters where officer permission is relied upon: Where the Department or an officer authorises a departure from the default channel, the authorisation is only effective if the applicant follows the directions in the authorising email and lodges the application "by the end of the next day after which the authorising email was sent" using the time zone AEST or AEDST as applicable to the authorisation date (Schedules 3, 5, 6, Column C). Applicants who rely on an officer's authorisation therefore must act within that tightly defined time window.

• Right to lodge at a diplomatic, consular or migration office outside Australia, but only if authorised: Where the applicant is outside Australia and an officer has authorised the use of the approved form, the instrument permits an application to be made at a diplomatic, consular or migration office maintained by or on behalf of the Commonwealth outside Australia (Schedules 3, 5, 6, Column C). This is a conditional right dependent on departmental authorisation.

• Right to combine applications for primary and secondary applicants when specified: Schedules 5 and 6 make special provision for a Primary Applicant and a Secondary Applicant "who is making a combined application with the Primary Applicant", specifying one approved form (1480 for GG primary+combined; 1479 for GF primary+combined) and placing combined applications in a specific Channel/Place regime. Secondary applicants not making a combined application have a separate approved form (1481) and must follow the corresponding place/manner rules. Hence an applicant's procedural right to use a combined application form is conditional on the application being submitted as a combined lodgement.

• Administrative power of officers to authorise alternative methods: The instrument assigns to officers the right to authorise use of the approved forms in different contexts and to provide directions via an official departmental email address; the instrument therefore confers an internal procedural discretion to departmental officers to permit alternatives to the default internet method or to accept applications at overseas Commonwealth posts (Schedules 3, 5, 6, Column C).

• Duty to use correct postage and couriers for Hobart addresses: For UY and TQ lodgements, the instrument requires that postal lodgements be posted "with correct prepaid postage" to the Hobart GPO box or delivered by courier to the specified street address (Schedules 1 and 2, Column C). Applicants have a concrete obligation to meet postage/courier requirements.

• Duty to identify the correct applicant-kind (primary/secondary combined v separate): Because the approved form and place/manner depend on whether a secondary applicant is making a combined application or a separate one, applicants have a duty to identify the correct status and adhere to the correct form number and method.

The instrument does not itself specify application fees, processing timeframes, evidentiary documentation requirements, merits standards or appeal rights; those substantive rights and duties derive from the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Regulations 1994. This instrument is strictly limited to specifying the approved forms and lodgement channels for the listed visa subclasses and applicant kinds, and to enabling officers to authorise exceptions under controlled circumstances.

This instrument does not itself create criminal offences, civil penalties, or a standalone enforcement regime. It is a procedural instrument made under subregulation 2.07(5) of the Migration Regulations 1994 (s 3) that specifies approved forms and lodgement channels. The text does not contain penalty provisions, does not prescribe sanctions for non-compliance, and does not itself create enforcement mechanisms such as infringement notices or compulsion powers.

Enforcement and consequence mechanisms therefore operate through the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Regulations 1994, which provide the substantive legal framework for visa grant decisions, refusals, and any legal consequences of invalid or improperly made applications. The instrument works by specifying how an application is to be made for the purposes of specific regulatory subitems in Schedule 1 to the Regulations (for example, subitem 1212B(1) and paragraph 1212B(3)(a) for Class UY in s 6). If an application is not made in accordance with the Regulations and the arrangements specified by this instrument, the legal consequence would ordinarily follow from the rules in the Act and the Regulations about what constitutes a valid application and the effect of non-compliance with prescribed lodgement arrangements.

Because the instrument repeatedly ties its prescriptions to subitems and paragraphs in Schedule 1 to the Regulations, any enforcement against non-compliant lodgements will be undertaken under the statutory provisions those subitems and paragraphs implement. The instrument itself does, however, create operational controls that affect practical acceptance of applications: for example, postal or courier applications to a specified Hobart centre will not be received elsewhere under the terms set out here, internet application requirements will limit acceptance to the designated online form except where an officer authorises otherwise, and the authorisation mechanism is narrowly temporally bounded by the "end of the next day" requirement (Schedules 3, 5, 6).

Practically, the enforcement mechanism is therefore administrative: applications not in the approved form or not lodged by the specified channel will be at risk of being treated as not properly made under the relevant regulatory subitem. The instrument assigns officers the role of authorisers for permitted exceptions. That confers on officers de facto control over whether a particular lodgement will be accepted when it departs from the default channel. The instrument does not define the consequences of a failure to obtain authorisation or of late lodgement after an authorising email; such consequences must be determined by reference to the Migration Act, the Regulations and departmental administrative practice.

In short, penalties and enforcement per se are not set out in this instrument; rather, the instrument creates procedural rules whose breach will be dealt with within the Migration Act/Regulations framework and departmental administrative processes.

This instrument operates as a delegated instrument within the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Regulations 1994 architecture. It makes repeated cross-references to those instruments and relies on definitions and statutory authority drawn from them. The principal interactional points shown in the instrument are:

• Authorising provision: The instrument is made under subregulation 2.07(5) of the Regulations (s 3). It therefore operates within and as an implementation of powers granted by the Regulations. The Regulations themselves sit under the Migration Act 1958, making this instrument a subdelegation within the migration legislative framework.

• Cross-reference to Schedule 1 of the Regulations: Each operative provision (ss 6-8, 10-11) ties the instrument's Schedules to specific subitems and paragraphs in Schedule 1 to the Regulations. Examples include subitem 1212B(1) and paragraph 1212B(3)(a) for Investor Retirement (Class UY) visas (s 6), subitem 1217(1) and paragraph 1217(3)(a) for Retirement (Temporary) (Class TQ) visas (s 7), subitem 1231(1) and paragraph 1231(3)(a) for Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) (Class GA) visas (s 8), and subitems 1237(1) and 1238(1) for Temporary Activity (Class GG) and Training (Class GF) visas (ss 10-11). The instrument therefore provides the "approved form" and "place and manner" content required by the Regulations' subitems.

• Definitions imported from the Act and Regulations: Section 4 imports the meaning of "Officer" from subsection 5(1) of the Migration Act 1958 and the term "Visa applicant" is also given by subsection 5(1) of that Act. The Note in s 4 refers to "Member of the family unit" being defined in Regulation 1.12 of the Regulations. These cross-references mean the instrument relies on the Act/Regulations for definitions and certain conceptual foundations.

• Administrative procedure and departmental discretion: The instrument authorises departmental officers to issue directions by email and to permit exceptions to the default internet lodgement channel, and it specifies the form and timing of such authorisations (Schedules 3, 5, 6). Those provisions intersect with administrative law principles and departmental policy frameworks, but the instrument itself sets only the mechanics and not the substantive scope of discretion. The phrase "official departmental email address" and the role of an "officer" point to a need for departments to identify and authenticate such communications in line with departmental procedures and potentially broader administrative law standards.

• Interaction with consular/diplomatic practice: The Schedules allow, upon officer authorisation, acceptance of applications at "a diplomatic, consular or migration office maintained by or on behalf of the Commonwealth outside Australia." That links the instrument to the operational responsibilities and legal status of overseas posts, and intersects with the laws and immunities under international law and the administrative arrangements governing consular services. The instrument does not create consular authority; it merely permits their use as lodgement points where the Department authorises it.

• Amendment and repeal interactions: The Notes and Table of amendments show that parts of the instrument have been repealed or amended by later instruments, such as LIN 22/009 (registered 4 March 2022) and by references to the Legislation Act 2003 (Notes). The instrument therefore interacts with amending instruments and the Legislation Act in its lifecycle; those interactions determine the current form and what parts have been removed.

In sum, IMMI 18/085 functions as a procedural implement to the Regulations and relies on definitions and powers in the Migration Act/Regulations. It prescribes processes that must be understood in tandem with the substantive visa criteria, fee and review provisions contained in the Act and Regulations, and with departmental administrative protocols regarding officer authorisations and overseas post operations.

The instrument's Notes contain a table of instruments and a table of amendments that set out its registration and amendment history as compiled in the provided text. The formal entries recorded in the compilation notes are:

• Registration and commencement: Migration (IMMI 18/085: Arrangements for Temporary Work and Temporary Activity Visa Applications) Instrument 2018 (IMMI 18/085) was registered on 25 June 2018 (F2018L00863) and commenced on 1 July 2018 (Notes, Table of instruments).

• Subsequent instrument: Migration (Arrangements for Temporary Work (International Relations) (Class GD) visa applications) (LIN 22/009) Instrument 2022 (LIN 22/009) was registered on 4 March 2022 (F2022L00245) and commenced on 5 March 2022 (Notes, Table of instruments). The Notes show LIN 22/009 made amendments that affected this instrument; for example, the Table of amendments lists provisions affected by F2022L00245.

• Table of amendments: The compilation includes a Table of amendments (in HTML table form in the Notes). That table records, among other entries:

  • section 2 was repealed by the Legislation Act 2003, s 48D (the table entry records "section 2 rep. Legislation Act 2003, s 48D");
  • section 9 was repealed (entry reads "section 9 rep. F2022L00245");
  • schedule 4 was repealed by F2022L00245 (entry reads "schedule 4 rep. F2022L00245"); and
  • schedule 7 was repealed by the Legislation Act 2003, s 48C (entry reads "schedule 7 rep. Legislation Act 2003, s 48C").

• Compilation status: The Notes indicate the instrument as compiled with amendments as shown in the tables; as such, the current text (as provided) reflects amendments up to those entries in the Notes. The compiled instrument includes the operative sections (Parts 1 and 2), Schedules 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, and the Notes that document the original instrument and subsequent amendment(s).

• Effect of amendments: The amendment entries show that particular provisions and schedules have been repealed by later instruments or by provisions of the Legislation Act 2003 as applied. The instrument as presented therefore represents the text after such repeals and amendments; for instance, schedules 4 and 7 are not present in the current compilation, consistent with their recorded repeal.

The instrument itself does not include an explanatory memorandum in the text provided; the Notes are the only recorded source of amendment entries. Where a provision is recorded as repealed by a later instrument (LIN 22/009) or by operation of the Legislation Act 2003, the table records the instrument reference and the section or schedule affected. The compilation therefore supplies the basic legislative history: inception in June 2018, commencement 1 July 2018, and a further instrument in March 2022 that made specified repeals and amendments. For precise amendment timelines and the text removed or replaced, the table entries identify the instruments and provision numbers to consult in the government register.

The provided instrument text contains no litigation history, no case citations and no statement of judicial interpretation. It is a delegated procedural instrument and the compilation notes do not record any court proceedings or tribunal decisions concerning this instrument. The Schedules and sections list only administrative mechanics, definitions and amendment entries; they do not reference cases or judicial authorities.

Therefore, based on the instrument as provided:

• There are no cases named in the instrument.
• No judgments or tribunal decisions are cited in the text.
• The Notes and Table of amendments record administrative amendments and repeals, but not litigation.

Given that the instrument is procedural and prescribes application forms and lodgement channels under the Migration Regulations, legal disputes that might involve it in practice would generally arise in the context of administrative law challenges to departmental decisions (for example, whether an application was correctly made or accepted), migration review tribunal proceedings where the manner of lodgement or the validity of an application is contested, or judicial review proceedings in courts where procedural fairness or statutory interpretation of the underlying Regulations/Act is contested. However, none of those proceedings are referenced in the instrument itself.

If a practitioner requires an authoritative litigation history, the instrument does not provide it; one would need to search migration tribunal and court databases for challenges or decisions referring to this instrument or to the particular lodgement arrangements it prescribes. The instrument itself records no such litigation in the compilation provided.

The instrument appears administrative and straightforward but contains several specific mechanics and timing rules that can create practical pitfalls. These are concrete, source-based issues to watch for:

• Strict time window for officer authorisations: Where an officer authorises the use of an approved form in a manner other than internet lodgement, the authorisation must be acted upon "by the end of the next day after which the authorising email was sent" and that deadline is to be calculated in AEST or AEDST as applicable to the date on which the authorisation was given (Schedules 3, 5, 6, Column C). That is a short, fixed time window that depends on the timezone applicable to the authorisation date. Applicants need to preserve the authorising email and be ready to lodge within that timeframe; failure to do so risks that the exception will have lapsed and the lodgement may be invalid.

• Ambiguity around "official departmental email address": The Schedules require the authorising communication to be an email "sent by an officer, from an official departmental email address." The instrument does not define what addresses constitute "official departmental email address" beyond importing the Migration Act meaning of "officer." Practically, applicants should verify sender details and retain the email; departments will need to ensure authorising emails are clearly identifiable, but the instrument does not spell out authentication procedures.

• Requirement that GA applicants be outside Australia: Schedule 3 explicitly states "The applicant must be outside Australia" for applications under that table. Applicants who are physically inside Australia cannot rely on the Schedule 3 pathway. That requirement interacts with other migration rules about in-country v offshore applications and may affect travel and timing decisions. The instrument does not state the evidentiary standard for proving an applicant is outside Australia; that will be managed via departmental practice.

• Centralised Hobart receipt for UY and TQ: Schedules 1 and 2 require postal lodgement to the Hobart GPO box or courier delivery to a Hobart street address. Applicants and migration agents should not attempt to post or deliver these applications to other departmental offices if they wish to comply with the instrument's specified place and manner. The requirement for "correct prepaid postage" for postal lodgements is literal; insufficient postage could lead to non-acceptance. The instrument provides no express alternative lodgement point or in-person submission for these subclasses.

• Separate forms for combined v separate secondary applications: Schedules 5 and 6 differentiate between a primary applicant and a secondary applicant who is making a combined application with the primary applicant (approved forms 1480 or 1479, respectively) versus a secondary applicant not making a combined application (approved form 1481). Using the wrong form because the applicant mis-classifies whether applications are combined may lead to an application made otherwise than in the prescribed manner. Practitioners must be careful to confirm whether a secondary applicant is lodging with the primary applicant or separately.

• Internet default with limited exceptions: For several visa types, internet application is the default and the instrument contemplates authorisation only in specified circumstances. Applicants without reliable internet access will therefore need to obtain an officer authorisation and meet the strict email/time constraints set out in the Schedules.

• Reliance on officer discretion and evidence retention: Because the instrument repeatedly conditions alternative lodgement channels on an officer's authorisation, applicants are reliant on departmental discretionary action. The instrument gives no guidance on the criteria for that authorisation. Applicants should retain copies of the authorising email and any proof of timely lodgement. The instrument's limits on the timeframe (the end of the next day in AEST/AEDST) increase the risk of inadvertent non-compliance if emails are missed, go to spam, or are delayed.

• Time zone calculation and daylight saving: The deadlines hinge on AEST or AEDST as applicable to the date on which the authorisation was given. For applicants or agents operating across time zones, and particularly during daylight saving transitions, the applicable "end of the next day" can be a source of confusion; the instrument imposes a specific timezone standard rather than a rolling 24-hour period.

• No procedural guidance about evidence or receipt: The instrument prescribes form numbers and lodgement channels but does not set out how the Department will acknowledge receipt, what evidence of receipt will be provided, or how late or misdirected lodgements will be treated. That administrative uncertainty is an operational risk.

• Repeals and missing Schedules: The compilation notes show that some provisions (e.g. section 9, schedule 4, schedule 7) have been repealed by subsequent instruments or the Legislation Act 2003. Practitioners should ensure they are looking at the current compiled instrument and not relying on text that has been removed; the Notes list the amending instruments (for example LIN 22/009, F2022L00245) that effected deletions.

These are concrete, text-based operational "gotchas" that flow from the instrument's specific wording on time, place, modes, and officer authorisation. Practitioners and applicants should structure their application processes around these constraints to reduce the risk of procedural invalidity.

Compliance with IMMI 18/085 is a matter of following its form and lodgement prescriptions for the covered visa subclasses. The instrument is precise about which form number applies to which applicant-kind and how the application must be lodged. The following step-by-step approach extracts the instrument's requirements literally and translates them into practical compliance actions:

1. Identify the correct subclass and regulatory hook

   • Confirm the visa subclass and the relevant subitem/paragraph in Schedule 1 to the Regulations to which your application relates (for example, Class UY uses subitem 1212B(1) and paragraph 1212B(3)(a); see s 6). The instrument's operative sections link each Schedule to particular regulatory subitems; use those links to confirm that the instrument's Schedule applies to your application.

2. Determine applicant-kind (primary v secondary, combined v separate)

   • For Class GG (Temporary Activity) and Class GF (Training), determine whether the person is the Primary Applicant and whether a Secondary Applicant is lodging a combined application with the Primary Applicant. Combined applications use a different approved form (1480 for GG primary+combined; 1479 for GF primary+combined) than secondary-only applications (1481). Use the Column A descriptions in Schedules 5 and 6 to identify the correct category and therefore the correct approved form (see ss 10-11 and Schedules).

3. Use the approved form number specified in Column B

   • Lodge the application on the exact approved form listed in Column B for your applicant-kind:
     • Investor Retirement (Class UY): form 1383 (Schedule 1, Column B).
     • Retirement (Temporary) (Class TQ): form 1383 (Schedule 2, Column B).
     • Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) (Class GA): form 1400 (internet) or, if authorised, form 1400 in another manner (Schedule 3, Column B).
     • Temporary Activity (Class GG): forms 1480 (primary/combined) or 1481 (secondary separate) (Schedule 5, Column B).
     • Training (Class GF): forms 1479 (primary/combined) or 1481 (secondary separate) (Schedule 6, Column B).

4. Follow the place and manner in Column C

   • For UY and TQ: post with correct prepaid postage to the Specialist Temporary Entry Centre (TAS), Department of Home Affairs, GPO Box 794, HOBART TAS 7001, or deliver by courier to Specialist Temporary Entry Centre (TAS), Department of Home Affairs, Level 14, 188 Collins Street, HOBART TAS 7000 (Schedules 1 and 2, Column C). Ensure postage is correct and courier services are used where required.
   • For GA, GG and GF: default method is internet application using the approved internet form number (Schedule 3, Schedule 5, Schedule 6, Column C). If you cannot use the internet or require an alternative, obtain an officer's authorisation by email from an official departmental address.

5. Where relying on officer authorisation, obtain and preserve the authorising email

   • Any authorisation must be an email "sent by an officer, from an official departmental email address" (Schedules 3, 5, 6). The applicant must act by lodging the application "by the end of the next day after which the authorising email was sent" using AEST or AEDST as applicable. Preserve the authorising email, and record the exact date and sender address. If lodging at an overseas post is authorised, confirm which diplomatic/consular/migration office will accept the lodgement and any local procedural requirements.

6. Check physical location requirements for GA

   • For Class GA, ensure the applicant is outside Australia when making the application under Schedule 3. Do not attempt to use that pathway from within Australia.

7. Keep documentary proof of lodgement and timing

   • For postal or courier lodgements to Hobart, obtain tracking and proof of postage. For internet lodgements, retain acknowledgement receipts and reference numbers. Where an authorisation email is used, keep screenshots and delivery confirmations to evidence compliance with the "end of the next day" deadline.

8. Coordinate combined applications carefully

   • When secondary applicants are lodging a combined application with the primary applicant, use the combined form number specified and ensure the submission is made as a single combined lodgement. If a secondary applicant intends to lodge separately, use form 1481 (GG) or 1481 (GF) as specified.

9. Verify the Department's current administrative practice

   • The instrument is a procedural specification; however, administrative practice (such as how departmental email authorisations are issued or how overseas posts accept lodgements) may have operational details. Ensure any internal Departmental instructions or published procedural notes are followed in addition to the instrument's text.

10. Account for amendments and ensure you use the current compiled instrument

    • The compilation notes show amendments (for example, LIN 22/009 in 2022) and repeals of certain sections and schedules. Confirm you are relying on the current, compiled text (the instrument's Notes list registration and amendment details) so you do not act on a provision that has been repealed.

11. Where uncertain, seek departmental confirmation in writing

    • If there is any ambiguity about whether a particular lodgement method is acceptable in a specific factual scenario, obtain written confirmation from the Department (for example, a written authorisation email from an official departmental address). The instrument makes such authorisation the mechanism for exceptions, so documented officer authorisation is the reliable route to compliance in exceptional cases.

Following these steps will ensure literal compliance with the instrument's prescriptions: correct form number, correct applicant classification (primary/secondary and combined v separate), the correct place and manner of lodgement, adherence to the timing conditions for officer authorisations and proof of compliance via retention of emails, postage/courier tracking and internet receipts.