cat4er

don't kill the messenger but no movement for 885 since last update http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/estimated-allocation-times.htm

Hi they have just touched your application, not doing anyting with it, just did a check it is still there. It does not mean anything regarding processing. So you will not like me for telling you the truth, the good thing is they did not find anything wrong with it so you are still in the queue. Good luck anyway, my application was being processed further for 3 years. Ok, only 2 yera and 8 monts. Good luck anyway.

http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/ielts/ just google sample ielts test, it is tons of it

I would pack my stuff and get my ass to OZ ASAP if I were you. Never heard about a pre-grant notification, only that once I leave Australia, I would need to get e.g. tourist visa to get back to OZ. I personally would make it to OZ ASAP if I were you.

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/estimated-allocation-times.htm If someone posted this before I am then legally blind

BVB replaces BVA once you get it, the only difference is that you can travel on them, once you return, it is basically same as BVA

yes, it does, bridging visa is a "visa", co is it permanent? if not, must be temporary then...

some usefull links: http://migrationblog.immi.gov.au/2012/02/20/b-sure-you-can-return-%e2%80%94-for-bridging-visa-a-holders/ http://migrationblog.immi.gov.au/2012/03/04/b-sure-you-can-return-more-information/

I called the Immigration and found out, that BVA and BVB is fine for lawful residence. yacare, you may be in similar scenario as following, I make an example: 1. you came to Australia studying on 1 January 2007 2. you were studying having Student Visa all the time an you graduated say 30 November 2009 3. you applied for PR on on 1 January 2010 and then travelled on your valid remaining Student Visa, which eventually expired say on 5 March 2010 4. You were granted PR on say 1 January 2011 5. You wanted to apply for Citizenship on 1 January 2012, hoping for satisfying residence requirement, what is not being absent for more than 9 months before you were granted PR and 90 days after PR but what might have happened: PR application automatically gives you a Bridging Visa A (BVA) once you applied onshore. This BVA would come into effect only after you other visa expired, in your case a Student Visa. However, BVA does not allow you to travel. Once you left the country even on valid Student Visa, your BVA was cancelled. Once you Student visa expired and you were onshore, there was no BVA from you PR application anymore and you became unlawful. Unless you reinstated (that is the term to refresh the BVA) while having valid Student visa. This may be your case, I hope it is not. In case of being unlawful, you have a chance to apply for Bridging Visa E. In this case, you became lawful and can wait for you PR, but you don't satisfy the requirement of lawful residence anymore. Hope this helped. Cheeers

I am in similar situation, so after you came back while traveling on Student Visa, did you reinstate Bridging Visa A (BVA) which was given to you PR application? It works like that, even if your Student Visa was not expired, you had to refresh your BVA after you came back. Once you left Australia, your BVA expired also. Unless you did the step, you became unlawful once your Student Visa expired. How long did it take to get you PR after your Student Visa expired? I am a bit worried that my travelling on Bridging Visa B (BVB) might be counted as not hodling any visa, but I according to the law, one has to be lawfully in Australia for 3 years as any kind of resident with 9 months maximum absence and 1 year as PR with max 90 days absence. Just wondering it travelling on BVB may anyhow stop you from being lawful. I think your problem might be that you did not refresh BVA on your PR after you travelled on Student visa. May that be your case?

Form 80 or I think 1221 was not required in my case (lodged 8/2008 onshore), so if they really don't ask for it, I would not worry, but would definitelly download it and have a look thru as it may take one day to fill

seems like they forgot the update...

I think we have to wait how they set up the EOI conditions. If they need some profession bad, they may set low requirement for it. I think it all depends how much of the package they allocate to EOI and how much for processing the backlog. The good news is it will be pretty clear after that for Cat 5.

Guys, please understand the update as the oldest day for assigning a CO. The update means that ALL applicants before the date were contacted by a CO. It does not mean that this limits COs to go ahead of this date. The date in update is the clearing line at the end. There has been a move in offshore cat 4, my estimate is they want to clear offshore backlog until the end of the financial year. There will be some experiment from 1/7/2012, will see how that affects the queue. But from then, you will have a clear time frame as they have to assign certain number for Cat 5 for each month to ged rid of the backlog. And yes, they are doing whatever they can to have the least amount of Cat 5 applications, don't give up. Those who are very fresh Cat 5, consider other options but never stop hoping. Cheers

I called them on Monday (Sydney), had the medicals on Tuesday, visa granted on Friday. Had AFP check beforehand. Cheers