Freesia

How do you know in advance though that you'll have work every day to meet your deadline?

Youngfreewild you have to have PR & there is no rule that says you have to have been a PR for 2 years- as you said, you just have to satify DIBP that you are 'settled' PR's. So along with your documented evidence that you've put together, write them an essay about your life & how you deem yourselves to be settled here; what your jobs are & your lifestyle/ how you spend your leisure time / what community facilities you use/ how you support your neighbourhood & how you've fitted in locally etc / church/ sports & social groups/ children's activities. Make it personal .

In the guidelines for the Parent visa, it says something like if whereabouts are unknown, the place of residence will default to wherever he was generally known to live ie country of birth. So you just inform them you have no idea of his wherabouts & if they want to check further with you, they'll ask.

We'll be paying taxes of one kind or another until the day we die.

yes- I think we should maybe recognise the fact that far from being a 'burden on the taxpayer' we parents contribute a lot of $$$ to the Australian economy- and are still working and paying taxes long after the extortionate visa costs ( btw much closer to $50k than the $40k someone quoted earlier - plus $10-14k also held for that long ten-year stretch). I might not even consider it extortionate if there wasn't also a 2 year wait attached to it- they make us sweat for those visas! In my case I'll also be working for probably the next 15 years (from the age of some people I've seen working they don't expect you to exit the workforce too early here) The only burden I can imagine ever needing is healthcare- and I certainly be won't be feeling any guilt on that score- we more than pay our way.

Well if you're waiting on yourown visa grant , they could actually be there before you . As long as your brother has PR , is your only sibling and has been settled for around 2 years, they are in a position to apply onshore in Australia for the 864 . So if they choose to visit soon, they might decide they would like to stay permanently; in which case they apply for the 864 which is apparently only taking around 6 months to grant.

Yes, if you're ready to go & eligible I think it would make more sense to get a grant in 6 months rather than 2 years. If you decide to apply for the 864 while you're out there on your visitor visa, you'll be in the very lucky position of a grant of PR pretty quickly; 6 months or so will fly by- 2 years is a bit of a stretch !

I don't know the answer to that one - someone will though ! ( just thinking if there's one main applicant & the other is classed as a dependent they might have to arrive together- but if their applications had to be separate then she could arrive independently)

Sorry you never had a reply to this- if you apply onshore you can go to Centrelink & have a Medicare card issued once you have your Bridging Visa.

She has a 173- within 2 years they have to apply for the 143- so if the father passes away the mother applies for her own 143

I did exactly the same as you & wasn't asked for anything extra apart from an Aussie police check, as I'd been here cumulatively for over a year.

As you said yourself Little Grandad, you apply for the 864 onshore. Every decent Migration Agent I've spoken to acknowledges that in order to do that, you need to arrive on a tourist visa. Technically speaking, a tourist visa is for a temporary visit, but of course once there you can decide to apply for the 864 and stay - you will get a Bridging Visa & the grant time is only a few months . You're paying well for the privilege and this is perfectly in order. The 804 by comparison is years & years . No contest. If you're in any doubt, before you make a final decision ring around some MARA agents re. the legalities.

It would be a shame to end this thread on a downer though - let's hope that Alan Collett's wise strategy advice does the trick - too sad to think it wouldn't have a positive outcome . just a note on the drugs side of things though- I have treatment for a similar condition & they don't go for the 'cheaper' ones - Avastin or Lucentis are the only ones mentioned IME as they are proven to be the most effective.

The Aged Contributory visa (864) waiting time is much quicker- it's granted after only a few months as opposed to nearly 2 years for the 143 ( that's the last I heard anyway)

I don't know the answers Charlotte, but there's a nursing section on here plus there are several F/B groups dedicated to 'nurses wanting Ahpra' or similar titles.