PMV 'Due to be Granted' Email

Hi All,

My British fiance received a lovely surprise email from our CO today! Made our year :biggrin:

Here is the first line..

I would like to confirm that all required documents have been received and assessed and your visa is due to be granted around mid-February 2012.

We have flights booked to Brisbane for 17th Feb 2012 - as we are surprising my Mum (missing us) by arriving on her birthday 18th Feb! All of this was explained in our original application, so our CO is aware of our plans.

My question is - do you think this means that the application has been approved? I take it to mean that it has been, and we are now just waiting for official confirmation - which will be given in mid-february. I'm so relieved and surprised at the short wait before getting good news - so I'm worried I'm reading too much into the email! Have I jumped the gun?

I'm curious to hear what other applicants' experiences with these emails have been! Was the expected grant date given accurate? Or was your visa granted before or after the estimated grant date the CO provided? I am concerned that we are cutting it fine with our flights on 17th if the visa will be granted 'around mid-Februay'. A bit vague! I assume 17th is mid-Feb but I hate assuming things when it comes to DIAC!

I plan to email our CO to again explain our plans and check if we should look into an ETA & quick trip to NZ/Bali to make sure we are offshore for the grant date. Would definately prefer not to have to do this, but that's the risk we took by booking our flights in advance.

Our CO is S.V. and has been very helpful and speedy with communication so far I guess I'm hoping that if they know we plan to arrive on the 18th, they will grant the visa before then, rather than us having to arrive on an ETA then leave/return again so soon after for the PMV.

Thanks very much for your advice and assistance! This forum and it's members have been absolutely invaluable! I put our quick turnaround down to the advice and information I found in these threads

Hayley

Partner's Nationality: British (Applied offshore to Australia House)

Application Sent: 15th September 2011

CO Assigned: 21st September 2011

Medicals: Taken 12th October 2011

Police Check: UK sent with original application, AFP requested and sent late October.

PMV due to be granted around mid-February 2012

My CO was SV. Trust me, she wouldn't be telling you all the conditions had been met if she wasn't 100% convinced. Her email is saying you have qualified for it...but it won't be officially granted until the date she says.

Contact her nearer the time and press her to grant the visa. That's what I had to do. She has probably said mid-Feb because she knows your plans to travel at that time. The 9 months of the PMV start from Visa grant, not date of entry, so she is giving you the most time possible in OZ under the PMV, rather than granting it immediately and you losing a couple of months before you go.

It took her a couple of days to grant my Spouse Visa from when she said she was going to grant it, so if you are on a deadline for flights booked, make sure you tell her nearer the time that you need it finalised. It won't be a problem for her to do it, just make sure there aren't any hiccups like it being granted a day late!