Visa applicants attempting to lodge or track applications on 25–26 September were greeted with a notice advising that all ImmiAccount and VEVO services would be offline from 20:00 AEST Friday until 17:00 AEST Saturday. The Department of Home Affairs said the outage was needed for “critical system upgrades” ahead of the end-of-month skilled-migration invitation round. The timing created anxiety for travellers whose current visas expired on 25 September. Lawyers reported a surge of last-minute lodgements before the cut-off, with some clients resorting to paper forms to protect their lawful status. Permanent residents planning to fly during the school-holiday rush also faced hurdles obtaining Resident Return Visas or updating digital travel authorities. Airlines and corporate-travel managers issued bulletins reminding passengers to download visa grant letters in advance and to carry printed evidence at check-in. Several mobility teams delayed assignment start-dates by a week to avoid risk of employees arriving without confirmation of work-rights. While scheduled maintenance is routine, stakeholders criticised the 21-hour window as excessive during peak travel season. Home Affairs says the upgrade will enable a new payment gateway and improved identity-verification checks, which should reduce processing glitches ahead of the 2026-27 program year. Employers are advised to review compliance calendars and avoid lodging time-sensitive nominations immediately before announced outages; future maintenance windows will be posted at least seven days in advance on the Department’s website.
Source: Department of Home Affairs
