frizzy1

Well maybe there is hope for us afterall!! Koolfrezz - would you mind pasting a copy of the acknowledgement letter from Immi stating this? Its just that we have all been told obviously much longer timescales and your post brings a glimmer of hope to us all! Also were you given a queue date?

Hi, I am not actually sure to be honest! It may not even be possible i.e you might have to start the whole application process again / repay the fees if you want to switch from an offshore to an onshore visa. I will ask my CO and let you know what she says.

Hi, yes of course, sorry I didnt mean it that way and would give anything to be with my family but given the lengthy timescales, I am just not sure that I would be able to put my life on hold for that long a period. I am nearing 40 and would love to settle and have kids but that wouldnt be an option for me if I have to wait 3 years. I havent told my folks yet either - they are hoping I will be out by the end of the year but unless I come up with a Plan B, thats highly unlikely. I guess the only other option we have is to go out to Oz and change the application to an onshore application; at least you are with your family in Oz and can start to live your life BUT unfortunatley you would need substantial savings to support yourself during the 3 years waiting time as you cannot work whilst on this visa (unless you got dispensation).

Hi, I have received a response back from my CO and she also quoted 3 years waiting time for the last remaining relative visa (based on current allocation and number ahead of me). Derrick -I am in the same boat as you, I am now thinking that its unlikely that I will be able to join my family now at least on this visa. Its just too much to ask of anyone to stay single for that period of time and I am not getting any younger!! Its so disappointing; all we want to do is be with our families - its hard enough being the "last remaining relative" and missing your family as it is!!!! :sad:. Just because we are not on the "wanted" list, doesnt mean that we havent got a lot to offer Australia; not all of us are wanting to go out there and just take from the system. In fact on the contrary, we would have to work very hard to even make a decent living and would be giving a lot back. Not sure what my plan B is at the moment.....

Hi Yonit, Thanks for the links. I have also found this link which refers to the queuing process Other Family Visa Queue It states that "Queuing information tables are currently under development and will be provided on the department's website as soon as it is possible to do so". Hopefully when these are completed we will be able to get a true picture of where we all sit in this queue and of likely timescales. Carer applications are given priority over last remaining relative applications, and if you have been given a timeline of 6 years, god knows what the last remaining relative visa application timeline will be! However it also does state that "higher priority in processing may be considered in cases where there are compelling or compassionate circumstances" - could you perhaps fall into this catagory? I cant imagine that LRR visas will be able to use this but certainly carer visa applications should have a compelling reason?? Its got to be worth a try as the worst thing that can happen is that they say no. :arghh:

Hi all, A quick update from me; I received the e-mail below from my CO today which confirms that my application will not be processed "in this programme year". Does anyone know the period of each programme year i.e June to June?? I have asked whether given the reduced quota and the number of applications ahead of me in the queue whether I am likely to be considered for 2011 - 2012. programme year - I will let you know once I have had a response. Has anyone else received a simlar communication and asked for likely timescales? Thanks. Kirsti PROCESSING CHANGES AFFECTING YOUR OTHER FAMILY (CLASS BO 115) VISA APPLICATION This letter refers to your application for an Other Family (Class BO 115) visa, which was lodged with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship at the London office on 06/12/2010. You have indicated on your application that you wish to be considered for the grant of a Remaining Relative (Subclass 115) visa. The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship has determined that as of 25 January 2011, the maximum number of visas which will be granted in the Other Family (Class BO/BU) category for the 2010 -2011 program year is 750. As a result, I regret to advise you that the Department is unlikely to be able to finalise your application within this program year. However, your application has been placed in a queue and given a queue date, which will be used by the Department to manage the Other Family visa program. Your queue date is 12/01/2011. Please be advised that your application will be finalised as soon as it is possible to do so and the Department will contact you at this time. Background information on capping and queuing In order to manage the Other Family visa places in an orderly and equitable manner, a capping and queuing system has been introduced. This means all Other Family category visas will be assessed in date order of lodgement. If an applicant is found to satisfy the initial core criteria for the grant of the visa, they are allocated a ‘queue date’ and placed in a queue. Applications are then considered for grant in order of their queue date as visa places become available. The waiting period can be affected by withdrawals, refusals and changes to planning levels. According to Ministerial Directions, priority is given to Carer visa applications, however it is expected that all Other Family category visa applicants will be subjected to increased processing times. Assurance of Support If you have already paid a mandatory Assurance of Support (AoS) bond and in light of the delay in finalising your visa application, you may wish to enquire about having this bond refunded. Alternatively, you may also wish to keep the AoS bond in place. If you wish to have your AoS bond refunded temporarily, you should enquire directly with Centrelink through their website at: Centrelink - assists people to become self-sufficient and supports those in need or by telephone within Australia on 13 28 50. Please note that if you have your AoS bond refunded, you will need to re-submit the bond amount when your application is being finalised. Visa Application Charge Any instalments of a Visa Application Charge already paid to the Department may not be refunded due to the delay in processing your visa application. Visa requirements at time of finalisation of application A requirement of all Other Family category visas is that all applicants satisfy the requirements of the visa at the time of visa finalisation. This means that the Department will need to confirm that you still meet the requirements for the grant of an Other Family visa at this time. Changes to your circumstances It is important that you tell us about any changes to your circumstances including your name, passport, contact details, address or family members as soon as possible. You are required to do this in writing. To make it easy to advise us of your changes in circumstance, we have a number of forms which are available on the Department’s website at Department of Immigration & Citizenship or at any departmental office. Please make sure that you include your name, date of birth and your Application ID when you write to the Department. The Application ID is located on the first page of this letter. Withdrawing an application You can withdraw your application at any stage during processing. If any applicant wishes to withdraw their application, they must advise the Department in writing. This advice can include any number of applicants but must be signed by each person aged 18 years and over.

Hi, I have looked into this and yes you can go out on an e-visitor visa then apply for the visa onshore. The LRR onshore visa does NOT allow you to work but once you are there I believe that you can ask the migration office to consider allowing you to work on the basis of "hardship" etc. They do not have to grant this i.e it is at their discretion so no guarantees. But this could be an option for your Son, especially if you could help support him a little. I would have taken this route however I have a very good job here in the UK so dont want to give that up just yet and my parents live in a one bedroom flat so I would need to earn money just to rent. Sleepywombat will be able to provide more information but this is my understanding.

Hi, Thanks for the update SleepyWombat - can I just ask if your visa is offshore or onshore? The reason for asking is that there was always a processsing time difference between the two with the offshore visa via London usually being processed much quicker than the onshore one. Anyway, fingers crossed for everyone and I will keep you updated. They have asked me for a few extra pieces of information to evidence that I am single i.e council tax bill, mortgage statement, utility bill statement etc so need to now get that together and send off. When I send off I will ask my case officer what the chances are of getting a visa next year, current applications vs quota etc and let you know the response

All, A quick update. My offshore LRR visa application has been acknowledged and the e-mail they have sent states that currently these visa's are taking 12 months to process (for non complicated cases). I am not sure if this is just a standard line they use or if it really does reflect the current situation but thought I would share with you all. Have a lovely Xmas and New Year everyone! :biggrin:

Thanks Alan :biggrin:

Hi everyone, A quick update from me; my application was posted on the 4th December 2010 for an offshore LRR visa, front loaded with police checks only. As soon as I hear anything, I will post back. ALL my family are now in Oz and like the last post, not sure if I can wait the 2 years BUT you have to be in it to win it - hence the application... Being positive, maybe they will increase the quota next year :biggrin: o.k very unlikely but we have to hope.

Hi, From memory, this visa used to take about 6 months from London so it will be interesting to see how long yours takes. Have you pressed your CO for an indication of "likely" timescales? I am curious to know if they are actually processing any of these applications at the moment or if they are all on hold. Also it would be good to know the actual annual visa allocation for this type of visa and how many they have in the "Pot". At least then we could estimate the timescales and decide if we are prepared to wait that long before handing over our cash!! Good luck and keep us posted with any updates - I will do the same when I receive the CO e-mail.

Hi, How strange, I was just about to post here to see if anyone else had any updates! My parents left a couple of weeks ago for Sydney and I am finding it very hard at the moment knowing that they are all out there together and miss them terribly. However I have decided to apply offshore as I currently have a very well paid job which I enjoy and am not yet prepared to give that up until I have PR visa in hand. I am literally in the process of getting my application together with the aim of submitting it in the next couple of weeks, Police Checks pending. I too would love to hear from anyone else who has applied post election and whether there has are any real life examples of potential new timescales etc. Once I have submitted my application I will post back to let everyone know :biggrin:

Hi, Did you apply for the offshore visa then? The reason for asking is that I am planning to apply for the offshore last remaining relative visa via London in December this year and am obviously very interested to hear how people are getting on. The news from your CO doesnt sound too positive - a wait of 7 months isnt too bad but its the "at least" comment that worries me. Please let us know if you do hear anything else about likely timescales as it may affect my decision to apply.

:laugh::laugh::laugh: thanks for the offer of Eric but I think I will pass this time :biggrin:. You are right, there is probably no point trying to rush my parents if its not going to make much difference and things could change anyway following the results of the election. Its just so hard trying to be patient !!!!