Hi Angie
Hmmmmm. Have you contacted the Panel Doctor to find out how they sent the meds and when? If not, that is the first step, I think. The experienced couriers are very well aware that documents sent to DIAC regularly go missing for a while in the various DIAC offices, to they tend to be very careful about logging exactly when they were delivered, and getting the name of the staff member who signed for them on delivery.
If they were sent by International Signd For, the Royal Mail can't track them after they leave the UK. Howver, Auspost can track them instead and I have heard that they are very good if you can quote the tracking number used by the Royal Mail. Please see here:
http://www.auspost.com.au/CAP/0,1469...7EMO19,00.html
Look at the top of the page and hit the "Contact Us" button. You want to e-mail the NSW people, because the LCU is in Sydney so the meds will have been put on a plane to Sydney.
A friend of mine had a similar experience last year. First the LCU said that his meds had not been received. He and I said, "Rubbish. They were done by Dr Million in Manchester, and the remainder of the family's meds have arrived, so where are Rob's?"
Then the LCU said that Rob's meds were with the MoC. I said "Rubbish. It does not take a doctor half a year to read somebody's medical stuff and make a decision. HSA and HAS provide the MoC service, Here's the number for HSA in Sydney, for the visa-meds section of HSA." Rob rang HSA who confirmed that his meds had not been sent to them. They also put Rob in touch with Cliff at HAS. (Cliff knows everything apparently. He confirmed that the meds had not been sent to HAS either.)
Back to the LCU for some serious table thumping. That time, they made an effort to look for Rob's meds, once they couldn't wriggle any more. Lo & behold one of their brainier clerks had sent Rob's meds to storage, even though he was Cat B and therefore his meds had to be cleared by a doctor.
When they discovered their error, the LCU did leap around and got the meds sent to HSA the same day (their offices are only about 1/4 mile apart in the same street.) But by then Rob's frontloaded meds were about 5 months old, and the MoC wanted an updated version of the specialist's report which had been sent with them. Dr Million persuaded the specialist to see Rob again at very short notice and his new report was faxed to the LCU as well as couriered, to save time.
The visa was granted not long after that.
My advice is to get the information the LCU are requesting, and then persist with them until you get a result, because the same Brainy Clerk might have sent your meds to storage as well. (Rob and I were worried that his might have been stored in a skip outside by mistake, but the system is not quite that hopeless, we learned!!!
If they tell you that any of the meds are with the MoC (because they do send a sample number of Cat A meds for checking by a doctor) HSA is Health Services Australia and HAS is the Health Asessment Service. HSA has a website.
Hope this helps
Gill
Cheers
Gill
LCU - Meds Potentially MISSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
