sandch

Hi Sandy

 

Ya know something, hon? The route to the village green via the moon is never the easiest route to the village green.....

 

Why didn't you just ask HIFX to wire the money to one of your sons instead of asking HIFX to send you a bankers draft in AUD?

 

Puzzled.

 

Gill

They might've spent it, accidental like, on something very useful Gill. Much as we love them, sometimes our youngsters seem to have a slightly more refreshing (cavalier) attitude towards hard-earned cash.

I have also known someone with a large overdraft arrangement to make an equally large deposit only to find that the bank removed the facility (with a corporate sigh of relief presumably) pronto. Cash gone!

Not that any of this applies to Sandy, but sometimes you think that the round the solar system route is the safest....

Cheers

Steve

Firstly, i would like to say thank you all for the great support I have received over the past year from all you posters. I don't often post but i do give thanks when I feel that information is of particular help to me or I think it will help others.

 

Until this week i thought that i was clear about the process for the CVP143. However, I am now unsure about how long I will have to pay the 2nd instalment.

 

My position is that my visa application was acknowledged 15 June 2009. I am thinking of getting meds done now so that they are, hopefully, passed by the time CO is appointed in Sept/Oct this year. I hope to be out in Oz by end of October or early November with or without my visa and go offshore if necessary to validate the visa if not granted before I leave.

 

Once CO has meds and police check and AoS paid, which I believe you get 28days to do, how long do I have to pay the 2nd instalment?

 

I realise that the visa won't be granted before the 2nd payment.

 

One last question, I already hold a current police check as I am a health worker so is this acceptable for my visa purposes?

Good luck with getting the CO soon.

I think we had 28 days to get the payment to them, but there is definitely some flexibility if you need a few more days.

Regarding police clearance, from a purely bureaucratic point of view, I think they will need to see a certificate from the body they expect to see issuing the certificate, and it would need to be currently dated as they have a validity from the date of issue.

Parcel delivered and signed for in Perth at 12.3pm on 23rd August......very impressed

 

So what is the next step

 

Phoebe

And the next step is to....

....wait!! (you'll get used to that).

You'll get an acknowledgement in due course, then it's get on with life until that rarest of species, the lesser-crested CO, appears in your neck of the woods.

Best of luck with it all.

Steve

Hi Gill,

 

Problem with putting it in one of the boys account is that it is treated as income by the tax people so he has to declare it. ........

This sort of receipt is classified as a gift, a one off, and is not assessable, so doesn't have to be declared.

We paid our 2nd VAC by transferring funds to an HSBC account in Australia using HiFX, getting HSBC in Australia to issue a dollar draft which they would only send to us here in the UK (out home address), which we then couriered to Perth. Tortuous really.

To make the final payment we also moved funds into an Australian account and got the draft issued from there. Even that was not without its excitement. Banks must be such boring places to work, that they need to spice the working day up a bit.

Cheers

Steve

Could anyone please advise the best way, apart from the credit card method, to send the 2nd vac across to CO. Have looked at getting a dollar bank draft and couriering it across, but the couriers wont do it. The London office exchange rate is rubbish, so any other suggestions.

Sandy

Hi Sandy

Assuming your fund are in sterling in the UK, Try HiFX (hifx.co.uk) Their rates are better than the banks and I'm fairly sure they will send a draft wherever you want it to go. Give them a call and explain. We used them in 2008/9 to move funds to Australia and the service was generally good.

Best of luck

Steve

Hey Mike, do they have anything that comes even close to the expression "link detached"? I just love that one as it perfectly encapsulates the essence of the real estate industry in Britain. That and "architect-designed" (to distinguish it from the ones they contracted the vicar to do) - oh, and "much sought after".

Come to think of it the list is endless.

The smilies on this site are pretty awful. Whatever happened to subtle?

All the best folks.

Steve

Thanks ...is Steve the same as www.gainwave.co.uk if so I have just registered with him.

Hello - nothing has arrived in my inbox at this end? What email address did you use? It should be cpvtracker@gainwave.co.uk

I'll add you to the list anyway with the information I can find on this thread.

Best wishes

Steve

Thanks Gill, yes. I was under the impression (from somewhere) that payment directly to London was cheaper as they offered a better exchange rate, so was a bit shocked to see what it was! However, if we can pay the PVC directly, we don't have a problem. You're right - no-one knows what the future value will be - we'll just go with it and pay PVC as you suggest. Many thanks!

As Les mentioned, there was a time in late 2009 when the "DIAC rate" was beneficial to applicants because it was set in Jul 2009 and the open market sterling/dollar exchange rate actually went well below it later that year. You will come across discussion threads from that era championing the London payment option.

However it is generally set to benefit DIAC not the applicant hence the "punitive" rate of 1.57 now; which should generally discourage applicants using this payment method.

Best wishes

Steve

Can Gill, Steve or someone help with a form please !! :confused:

 

I have been asked by the CO to send the form 956. I do not have a migration agent as we are doing this ourselves. How do I fill in this form when it asks about changing agents etc. I have got to part 6 and ticked the third box which then tells me to go to part E and promptly asks for details of migration agent or exempt agent or authorised recipient details. Do I put my own details:arghh: in again ?

Hello - it seems to me that if you have never appointed an agent, and are not intending to do so, the form is not applicable. If you believe this to be the case you should ask your CO why he/she has asked for it - explaining your circumstances.

It may be related to a question in your original application.

Cheers

Steve

..................

Can we apply for contributory parent visa and get bridging visas for her so that she would not have to come back to the UK and be separated from us ? Seems to me this is only an option if she was over 65 and aged parent visa application made on shore?

 

We were planning on applying on-line for a tourist visa ( we have applied for the on-line 457) then speaking to a migration agent in Australia if we all want to stay after a year? Should we consider a migration agent now for Mum?

 

Grateful for any advice you can give me. I can't sleep at night for worrying about my Mum! Thanks for reading.

You sound very understandably excited; it's quite infectious. But planning for the CPV and a migration agent is premature (the process is not complex by the way just boring). Stick with getting yourselves settled - I'm sure Mum will be able to spend extended visits over there to be with you.

Are you OK on the balance of family test? Worth checking that first. She can only submit a CPV application (offshore) when her sponsor (you) is deemed to be a settled permanent resident.

Best of luck and stay enthusiastic!

Cheers

Steve

Hi

 

I was convinced going to go for the 173 (temporary) initially for the same reasons as you was the right way to go, but, then my OH pointed out that, because of our age and having to wait the 10 years before we would be entitled to any aged pension in Oz going for the 173 would have added more time to the wait, this being the time you wait to change to the 143.....i.e. if you get the 173 then wait say the 2 years to change that to 143 (permanant) the 10 year 'wait' would start from the 143 being granted adding up to 2 years to the time when you are entitled to the aged pension, the time spent on the 173 would not be counted, in my opinion, given what it is costing it should be, but the Oz laws are the Oz laws and if we want to do this to happen we have to abide by them :twitcy:

 

It's obviously your decision, we really thought long and hard about it before we made the decision. Just maybe something to think about.

 

I looked into the cost difference and the only additional payment to change from 173 to 143 would be the cost of :policeman: checks, and of course you would have to have another medical (more costs) if you hold the 173 for longer than 12 months. I think these facts are right, but someone please correct me if I am wrong on any of it :unsure:

 

Good Luck with it all....I think we need it:biggrin:

 

Phoebe

It's worth bearing in mind too that the state pension in Australia is means tested against your income and assets. Have a look at this Centrelink info page.

It makes the UK state pension look quite valuable, though I always wonder how much will have changed by the time I actually reach retirement age.

By the way for the 143 you also have to find the dosh for the AOS - $14,000 for a couple.

Best wishes

Steve

We posted our Contributory Parents (Class 143) Visa on 7th April 2009, acknowledgement received dated 21st April. Still waiting for a CO to be appointed - expect this to be Sept / Oct 2010 according to 20-month waiting time that's been quoted. Expect this will give us about 12-15 months to sell up & arrange to emigrate. Would like to be in Oz Jan 2012 and have our last Xmas with family in UK.

 

I understand you're given 12 months in which to sell your home in the UK - can anyone tell me whether this is from the CO is appointed or from the date on which your Visa is granted?

 

Cheers!

Just to clarify; the terms of the visa don't require you to sell anything if you don't want to, even after validating and migrating. Lots of people do, to cover the cost of the visa and buying downunder, but it isn't a rule.

Cheers

Steve

Oh, I see, yes. Once you are granted your visa you then normally have 12 months from either the date of the police checks or the date of the medical, whichever is earlier, to validate your visa, i.e. you must enter Australia. You can do this with a holiday and then return to the UK. This is why it is advisable not to get the police checks or medicals done until asked.

 

You then have five years in which to move over to Australia permanently, during which time you can come and go as you please. Having said that, it is advisable to move permanently within 3 years, as, after the five years, if you then leave Australia for any reason you will need to apply for a Resident Return Visa, unless you are a citizen. In order to get the RRV you need to have spent at least 2 out of the 5 years in Oz.

 

So to answer your question, you do not need to sell your house before you go to Oz to validate your visa if you don't want to.

Just to point out that the 5 years is from date of visa grant, regardless of when you validate.

with an agent (form 80 and all the certified copies have gone too)

 

so where are the other 15800?

The queue is for the parent visa 103 - there isn't a queue for CPVs (just people waiting, waiting.......)

Can anyone help me please. When the cpv is granted, how long have you got to pay the second instalment. I will need to sell my house.......not being lucky enough to just happen to have £45,000 just lounging in my bank account. I would hate to be granted a visa and then find I couldn't take it because I hadn't got the full amount straight away.

28 days is the norm. There is some flexibility in this, less so around May / June each year I suspect, for reasons of targets. However any latitude would not extend to the typical time scale required to sell a house. We downsized even before putting in our application for example.

The 173 visa is an alternative which would require a lower initial outlay (no bond at that stage either) and give you another couple of years to sort the rest out.

Best wishes

Steve

Hello Les, i too have to prove my son is settled when i apply at the end of the year, he hopes to get his residency around end of year aswell. He has his own business, car, house, dog, tax payer, and i will bare in mind to include friends and family to give evidence on how settled he is. Nice to read your post and know i am not on my own. Ann

Forget the rest, the dog is a complete clincher. Dog = Settled in the official dictionary. The dog can also do a stat dec to confirm.

You can tell it's Friday.

:twitcy:

For those contemplating paying at the High Commission in London; from now (1 July Canberra time) until 31 December 2010 you'll get a rate of $1.5760 = £1.

That should put paid to that payment method for the forseeable future.

Best wishes

Steve

Can anyne explain in laymans terms re 413...

 

Initially we were thinking of 173 to 143 as we have a son still in UK, however after much thought we have decided to go straight for the 143 BUT.....I am now reading/hearing that once you have the 143 you need other 'attachments' to come back to the UK and now I'm SO confused.

 

The idea was to apply for 143 and if/when granted go for a holiday to validate it come back home then prepare to return for 12 months leaving the house 'intact', get a small (cheap) rental close to the family and do a good 'rekki' of the area where we would like to settle, then come back to the UK to start wrapping things up for a permanant move. This being the case we would want to come back to the UK couple times a year to see our son. If on the other hand we (for whatever reason) we cant settle we would just come back to the UK, kiss goodbye to the money but at least say we gave it a go.

 

Please can anyone explain the 143 to me. Sorry to be a pest but I'm very new to this

 

Thankyou in advance

Phoebe

Hello Phoebe

The 143 visa is more expensive but is a permanent resident visa. The 173 is essentially a temporary visa which allows you within 2 years to "convert" to a 143.

With the 173 you don't need to stump up a bond ($14,000 for a couple) or have an assurer; you only need to do this when you decide to convert.

You would lose much less money of course by going for that one initially if you were concerned that you might not be able to settle.

There are pros and cons of course - as with everything!

Cheers

Steve

And another thing in this thread's favour; Gill's here!

I've just caught up on this thread and I'm pleased to see that, for now at least, it's a sticky. I can at last check here regularly. I hope the adhesive is stronger than that which was applied to the last one!

There are some really useful posts here, thanks to everyone. A recurring theme is the great challenge facing us would-be older migrants in ramping up our costs in the face of uncertain income prospects. This will mean leaving the comfortable home and finding rented accommodation in many cases, at the mercy of property agents, home inspections etc.; sometimes leaving safe jobs and putting oneself in front of employment agencies staffed with people who don't realise they are looking at their futures (by the way - best not to bother putting yourself through this imho).

The emotional pull seems to be stronger than all those negative factors.

Although there's no point in having a 103 tracker, it's good to have a thread that is wider than the CPV, because we're all aiming for the same thing. If time permits I think I'll try to do the same for the tracker site.

Short of time now, but I'll have another read when it's quieter.

Best wishes

Steve