Jetstar Grounds 34 Airbus A320s After Global Software Recall, Cancelling 90 Flights Nationwide
Melbourne Airport Terminal 1 Fire Triggers Mass Evacuation and Evening Flight Chaos
Refugee and Humanitarian Applicants Can Now File Class XB Visas Entirely Online
Latest News
15-hour blackout of Australia’s online visa systems starts tonight
All frontline immigration portals—including ImmiAccount and VEVO—will go dark for 15 hours from 8:30 p.m. AEDT on 28 November. Businesses must fast-track any time-critical filings, print VEVO records in advance and brace for potential knock-on delays if the maintenance window slips.
Home Affairs warns international students: submit complete 2026 visa applications early
Home Affairs has urged 2026 student-visa applicants to file early and with complete documentation, citing surging volumes and a tougher triage regime. Universities and employers that depend on timely student and dependant visas should front-load compliance checks and allow longer lead-times.
Former immigration deputy secretary urges ‘hard targets’ to fix Australia’s visa backlog
Ex-immigration official Abul Rizvi says Australia’s visa backlog will persist unless the government sets firm, public targets for each visa stream. With bridging visas now topping 400,000, business should brace for possible caps on skilled and student visas as political pressure mounts.
QantasLink grilled in Senate over closure of Hobart, Canberra and Mildura crew bases
A Senate inquiry has questioned QantasLink’s decision to close its Hobart, Canberra and Mildura crew bases. While flight schedules are unchanged for now, unions warn of staff relocations and potential service degradation—issues that could disrupt corporate travel to regional Australia.
Virgin Australia taps OpenAI to build next-generation trip-planning tools
Virgin Australia has signed a landmark deal with OpenAI to build AI-driven flight-search and servicing tools. The carrier says the technology will personalise booking, speed disruption handling and equip staff with enterprise GPT assistants—developments that could reshape managed-travel programmes.
Administrative Review Council releases issues paper on migration appeals reform
An ARC issues paper released on 28 November seeks input on overhauling how the new Administrative Review Tribunal handles migration cases. Faster, specialist reviews could sharply reduce uncertainty for employers and temporary residents facing visa refusals.