Hi Lanky Lad
Welcome to POms in Oz.
There is indeed a thread a mile long about this. Please click on the link below:
http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migrat...as-urgent.html
They are continuing to process applications normally up to the point where the meds and pccs have been processed and cleared. At that point they are placing applications into a Queue to wait until visas are available.
By the end of November 2007 they had granted or reserved all 3,500 CP visa places for the 2007/8 Program Year which ends on 30 June 2008. (They always keep a few spare visas in hand in case of MRT appeals resulting in DIAC being told to grant the visas etc, and for cases like In Perth's parents - it would have been unconscionable to keep them waiting any longer after everything they have been through with their meds.)
The last I heard, about 2.5 weeks ago, was that at the time they were contacting people whose applications were lodged in the 3rd week in May 2007, asking them to get their meds & pccs done and sent off to Oz.
Therefore if your Parents have not already organised their meds and pccs, I'd say they should get the ball rolling with them right away because you should hear from a CO any day now, I would think.
2.5 weeks ago the POPC were also saying that currently they have about 1,000 applicants whose meds & pccs have been cleared, and who have accordingly been placed in the Queue. Visas have been reserved for them all, out of the 3,500 new visas which will definitely be available on 1st July 2008. So even if the Minister does nothing about increasing the quota, 2,500 of the 2008/9 quota of at least 3,500 CP visas remain un-reserved at the moment and unless their meds become protracted for any reason, it is a racing certainty that your Parents will be in line for visa grants during the 2008/9 Program Year.
Have your Parents had their meds done and arranged their police checks? If not, please see here:
Visas and migration - Australian High Commission
Click on the Health link for the list of Panel Doctors & x-ray clinics and scroll right to the bottom of that page for Forms 26 & 160, which are the two Meds forms needed.
I would advise your Parents to ring round all the Panel Doctors and x-ray clinics within a reasonable radius of home because they vary in price and also in how long it takes to get an appointment.
The Panel Doctor needs to be told to send the Meds to the HOC. Details are here:
Health Operations Centre
With the police, I'm sure you know the drllls. Just bear in mind that if your Parents have spent an
aggregate of 12 months or more in Oz during the last 10 years, Australian Federal Police checks will be needed as well and these are currently even slower than the UK Police, I hear. The details are here:
National Police Checks - AFP
If you have already frontloaded your Parents' meds and police checks, then I would suggest ringing the POPC and asking about progress.
Perth Offshore Parents Centre
If you have frontloaded everything then your Parents may already be in the Queue. In that event, the POPC will not think to tell you that unless you enquire!
It does not matter if you do not know the name of your CO. All the staff can access the database and the information about progress is all held on that. They will ask for your Parents full names, dates of birth, the Transaction Reference Number (see the acknowledgement letter) and they might ask for your Parents' passport numbers.
The POPC staff are incredibly helpful and friendly, so if you call them they will help you.
If you manage to get any updated information from them, please would you be very kind and either PM the information to me or post it either on this thread or the main CP thread? Everyone is eagerly waiting for snippets of updated news whenever anyone else has a reason to ring up the POPC.
Best wishes
Gill
