wow

Hi Everyone,

Just in case anyone else is interested i contacted ANZ in London and asked if they were extending their extra baggage allowance offer they have with Emirates which runs out on 31 10 10.

I got an immediate reply, which is very nice for a change, to say that, yes, they are extending until end of February 2011. Happy days.

June

Congrats June,

 

Not sure which offer you refer to as I know many have stopped, but this one is still open if you open a bank account with:

 

ANZ UK - Relocation services

 

There is nothing that says this should be your only/main bank account and no need to put £1000s in. :idea:

That's the one Les. I'm sure it only lasts until end of October 2010.

June

Thanks June - I'm definitely cracking open the (old) bottles of champagne when we do! Don't drink much so they've been lying in the cellar for about 7 years but can't think of a better excuse to pen them! How are you feeling? It's the wait that's so frustrating for me - can't pack anything, can't plan anything!! We're so happy for you!!

I'm feeling like I don't know where to start. A bottle of bubnbly may be a start, LOL. My buyers have just had their survey done yesterday so i feel like I am waiting for the ok with that (it seemed to be ok as i asked the surveyor before he left). I will feel much better once I have exchange in a couple of weeks or so.

I want to book my flight but I am holding back until exchange and wondering what to do in the "limbo" period. A friend advised me to get my cases out and start a practice run weighing what I am taking. Once I have a baseline weight for what I want to take i just need to weigh any additions and that way I can be sure of total weight. I don't want to get stung at the airport for excess baggage.

I hope to get the 50kgs allowance from Emirates for a one way ticket (although I need to check as i think that offer expires end of October, unless anyone else knows differently). There is so much to do now and so little time, :wideeyed:

But, as my son in law said, I can chill out on the wonderful beaches of the Gold Coast at Christmas! What a lovely thought.

So get yourself organised Sue as this will be you all too soon.

Hi June - still waiting for ours! Sent AoS through on 8th October - expected to hear by end last week! Please keep your fingers crossed for us!! Hope everythig goes well with the house sale and that your journey is a happy one - you sound SO EXCITED!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Hi Sue,

Yes I am very excited, no nerves at all i just want to be out there.

All the very best for you. If they are asking for payments then you know it's in the bag and am sure you will hear any day now.

Then the fun starts, LOL:eek:

I'm sure that you will let us all know how it goes. xx

Got my request for 2nd VAC payment today....... Yippeeeeeeee I'm on my way.

I have posted this on the expats forum too

Wow, what a feeling. My left hand doesn't know what my right hand is doing. I'm all of a shiver, LOL

It's all systems go now and I have just had a chat with my daughter and son in law in the sunny Gold Coast. Weather s lovely, all is well and I can't wait. I'm not even going to mention the exchange rate or let it get me down. It is

what it is.

Fingers crossed that my house sale goes through without a hitch now.

Good luck to all of you still waiting and as has been said before, once the call comes, it's a mad dash to fit everything in.

It's such an emotional time as we all want to be with or families.

Gods speed to you all and a special thanks to Gill and Steve (gainwave).

June xxx

I only need to forget to check this thread for a few days and there are pages to go through! All good stuff but time is not on my side.

 

With a bit of luck I might get a reminder of posts now.

 

May have found a friendly home for our doggie in advance of our move - that was the only real obstacle, so fingers crossed.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Steve

Hi Steve,

I'm so glad that you have found a good home for your dog, it must have been a concern for you. All the best.

June (junejuno)

Just wanted to add my best wishes to you on the next step

 

CONGRATULATIONS :jiggy:

 

Phoebe

Many thanks Phoebe and Gilll. It is really starting to sink in now and it's so very exciting. It will be your turn before you can turn around so start sorting your stuff NOW !!! LOL

Hi Wow

 

This is wonderful news!!! You are nearly there now and with a bit of luck, your visa will be a splendid Christmas present for you and your family.

 

Steve does not receive automatic e-mail notifications when somebody adds to a thread on Poms in Oz. He does get them with the big CPV thread on BE. Might I suggest that you ask him on BE as well because he might not log on to Poms in Oz again for a few days, particularly since PiO will be going off line at 10.30 am this morning and will be off line for several hours today.

 

The forum is being moved to a new server later on today/tonight and apparently it is safer to take the forum off line before they do the move. Then they will test it thoroughly in its "new home" and make sure it all works properly before they put it back on-line. Rob (Site Admin) is an IT Professional of some kind so he obviously understands the whole thing properly. He is a good job that somebody does because I wouldn't have a clue what to do with it all myself!

 

Cheers

 

Gill

Thanks Gill. It's so exciting and very real now as you just never know until you get the word. Suddenly it's all happening and I thank you especially Gill, for all your help this far as well as all the support from other forum hopefuls as we make this very big change in our lives.

I will post on BE also as you suggest.

Regards, June

Hi Everyone,

I know that it's very late but my daughter has just texted me to say that she has had THE email from my CO. It came in yesterday and she nearly missed it in her spam mail.

Even though I was expecting it any week now I can't believe it!!!

After all the waiting and seeing all the others ahead of me eventually getting their visas, I can hardly contain myself. I won't sleep much tonight.

One closer for the ones still waiting.

Steve, can you update my timeline please?

June (junejuno)

Got some nice bars too :jiggy:

 

Phoebe

Sure has Phoebe. Nothing like a glass of champagne (any sparkling wine in Oz) in surroundings like these! Put on your glad rags and bring it on.

Hi Gill

 

Thanks for the link Gill I will pass it on to OH.

 

Jupiters is an amazing building, we went there last time we were in Oz to see a show and only a 10 minute drive from where my daughter lives :biggrin:

 

Phoebe

Yep, a great place of entertainment and a jaw dropping experience on first visit

Hi everyone

 

Just on this note of meds, we have just gone on the list this month but its something we will need to think about at some point. Does anyone know of any panel Dr's in the Tyne & Wear area would be grateful for any upfront info :biggrin:

 

Phoebe

Hi Phoebe,

As Les says, I think Edinburgh would be easiest for you travel wise. I live in Carlisle and it took me just over 2 hours to drive to the private hospital. I travel regularly to Manchester but it takes me 2 1/2 sometimes 3 hours to get to the centre of Manchester.

The beauty of going to the Edinburgh centre for your meds is that it is not in the city centre at all and is easy and free to park within the grounds.

Cost £300 if anyone is interested.

Kind regards, June

Hi,

I had my meds done at Edinburgh and they were very friendly, courteous and the Dr unofficially gave me the ok. I felt that they really wanted everyone to pass the meds as they realise how very important they are to us. I found my Dr very understanding. She even told me my urine test had failed as it showed proteinuria but not to worry as a few glasses of water would probably fix it. I drank for England and sure enouth on recehck it was ok.

Hello June

 

The assurance of support bond is relevant to the 143 visa. The chosen Assurer (not necessarily your sponsor, but of course it may be) must attend an interview at Centrelink to determine if that person fulfills the financial etc criteria to qualify as an Assurer. The nearest Centrelink office will probably be able to advise on where these interviews are held.

 

After the (successful) interview, the Assurer needs to set up the bond with the Commonwealth Bank, and once this has been done, DIAC is notified that the bond is in place.

 

I hope this helps - someone reading in may know about Centrelink offices on the Gold Coast.

 

Cheers

 

Steve

Hi Steve, Thanks for confirming that. I am much clearer now about the process.

Regards, June

Hi Everyone,

I have a question about when your sponsor goes to pay your AoS fee in Oz.

 

I have heard others talking about an interview and making an appointment for that. What is that about and do all CPVers have to do it please?

 

Also, where are these interviews held, if my sponsor is on the Gold Coast for instance?

Thanks, June

On further research I found this old post by Gill about this, if it's of any interest to anyone else. I am assuming that not much has changed in the process since 2008!!

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/33281-assurance-support.html

Regards, June

Hi Everyone,

I have a question about when your sponsor goes to pay your AoS fee in Oz.

I have heard others talking about an interview and making an appointment for that. What is that about and do all CPVers have to do it please?

Also, where are these interviews held, if my sponsor is on the Gold Coast for instance?

Thanks, June

At LAST !!!!! We have the precious visa granted today...Please can we have that lovely red star Steve. It is thanks to this website that this has happened and advice from the lovely Gil (Gollywobbler) that has made this happen. Having M.S. I had been told by a very expensive agent in Melbourne that it is highly unlikely that I would obtain a visa due to my critical condition. Just goes to show that it isn't always the case. Good luck to all still in the waiting room. Time soon passes.

regards

Sandy

wow, congratulations Sandy, it seems the CPVs are on the move for sure. Well done and best wishes.

Junejuno

Hi June

 

I've just noticed you are in Cumbria we are in Sunderland :biggrin: I've never heard of Bonogin but have been to Mudgeeraba its gorgeous, What is the land/property market like there do you know :cute:

 

Phoebe

Hi Phoebe,

We aren't too far away from each other then.

Bonogin is a lovely quiet area with mostly acreage properties, that is, houses with large gardens and loads of space. It's quiet but close to Mudgeeraba which has a lovely village feel about it and is popular. I would say that property prices in Bonogin and Mudgeeraba, (affectionately known as Mudge), are about the same, a little cheaper than Robina. Varsity Lakes and other area closer to the beach are more expensive. Yet, Mudge and Bonogin are only 20 minutes from the coast so it's not a problem.

Most areas are along the Highway (motorway) so access to all areas and to Brisbane is easy.

The thing that was noticeable to me when I first went to Oz was that you can get all sorts of properties next to each other. Price wise you can have a $900,000 house next to a $450,000 house, they seem all mixed up. There are a lot of self build and people tend to build BIG when they do that. As for land prices, i don't know, but there is PLENTY of land around to build on.

I hope that helps.

June

Hi June

 

We have just gone on 'The List' but will be heading to the same area. My daughter lives on the Gold Coast in Varsity Lakes. Robina is their closest shopping centre:cute:

 

Not entirely sure exactly where we will be eventually go but it won't be far away from them. We're doing a 2 month rekke next year. We had planned to go in August/September for our 30th wedding anniversary and my daughters birthday but our third grand child (which was a surprise) is due in April so scuppered our plans but in a nice way, so we are now going in April/May :biggrin:

 

Phoebe

Hi Phoebe,

yes, i see that you are at the beginning of your journey. The best advice I could give is forget about it for a while but steadily but surely start sorting out what you need to get shot of and what to take. Decide whether to sell up sooner rather than later and perhaps rent until you go, etc. If you do that over a long period it makes life much easier.

Try not to dwell on it everyday and the time will just fly by. Suddenly you will be a few months away from a CO!!

Enjoy your visit next year. Varsity Lakes is very close to the sea and Robina is a great shopping centre with a brand new, all sparkling, mall

June (junejuno)

Hi there June

Not to sure where we are headed yet my husband has 2 sons one in Benowa and one at Runaway Bay so maybe somewhere in between.

Getting really excited and scared at the same time, we are trying to pack up the house but coz we are not going to oz yet its trying to keep the stuff separate, whats going to oz and what do we need now!!.

What about you guys do you have a house to sell, is it just you and your partner thats going or do you have a family?, we have 2 Girls aged 16 and 13 oh and a dog!

Wilma

It's just me on my own here although i leave behind a large family of brothers and sisters and all there families.. My only daughter, her husband and two grandchildren 11 and 6 are out in Bonogin, so it's a no brainer for me. i am so excited too at the thought of it all. Not at all scared, just trying to get everything sorted.

I was just going to rent out my property until the housing market picked up (could be some time), but i decided this week to give the market a go. It goes up for sale next week. If it sells, it sells, if not I will rent it out. I will be staying with my daughter and her family initially anyway so doesn't matter too much although I will need the cash at some point.

I know what you mean about packing up. I have been trying to eat my way through the freezer trying to get rid of the food, LOL and really being ruthless throwing out, selling or whatever.

Exciting times indeed. All the best to you and keep us informed of when and where you finish up.

Hi June, we applied in June 2009 and are also off to the Gold Coast, its a small world!

 

Got our medicals done in July, just away to do the police checks,oh and we sold out house last week,its all go, not sure where were are going mean time, have to be out of the house by the end of October so have to find somewhere to rent soon.

 

Hope we get out CO soon.

Good Luck to you too.

Wilma

Hi Wilma,

I had a dream that there was an email waiting for me this morning from my CO! Sadly, not yet but I'm sure it won't be long.

Where abouts on the Gold Coast are you heading?

I am off to Bonogin which is a lovely area in the Hinterland, just a few minutes from Mudgeeraba and close to Robina. There is everything you could ever want close by and the beautiful beaches are to die for. If anyone needs any info on the area please ask as I have spent quite a while there on various visits.

Is anyone else heading close by?

June (junejuno)

Hi,

For information only, if anyone is interested, my police check came back within 6 working days via standard mail.

June

Hi MickP

 

Welcome to Poms in Oz.

 

Which "queue" are you describing, please?

 

It sounds to me as if you are probably describing DIAC's "Queue Calculator" tool, which is below?

 

Parent Visa Processing Priorities - Family - Visas & Immigration

 

If I am right, it is a waste of time to look at that because CPV applicants are not placed in an "Offical Queue" in the way that applicants for non-contributory Parent and Aged Parent visas are. The DIAC Queue Calculator has merely been given some dummy figures for Contributory Parents, just to prove to the IT people that the software works.

 

The only really reliable indicator for CPV applicants is the tracker website, which is here:

 

Australian migration, contributory parent visa, information and progress tracker

 

Sandch runs the tracker website. He is a member on here (and is a regular contributor to this thread.) He also more or less runs the CPV thread on British Expats, which is below:

 

Contributory Parent Visa - Still Sparkling!!! - Part 4 - Page 75 : British Expat Discussion Forum

 

The tracker that Steve (Sandch) only contains a tiny sample from amongst thousands of CPV applicants but at the same time. it is a large enough sample to be reliable. The "applications in progress" chart itself is here:

 

Australian migration, contributory parent visa, information and progress tracker

 

At the moment it is taking 15 or 16 months from the formal date of lodgement of your application until a Case Officer makes contact with you to start the final processing. The lodgement date is given in your acknowlegement letter, just below your Client Reference Number or whatever it is called. (It was at the top right hand corner of my mother's acknowledgement letter.)

 

On the applications in progress chart, if I were you I would keep an eye on Les Avalook's progress. He is an active contributor to both forums, this one and the British Expats forum, and he is bound to tell us when his CO makes contact with him, I reckon.

 

If you applied in December 2009, you are not likely to hear from a CO until about March or April 2011.

 

At the moment, I am watching Yomvard (Sandy and her husband Colin) because again, Sandy is taking great care to keep everyone informed of her progress and to contact Sandch regularly so that he receives the latest information from Sandy and updates the tracker website. Yomvard applied for their CPVs in April 2009 and heard from a CO in early August 2008. She has now been asked for the final payment - the 2nd Instalment - which she is organising at the moment.

 

I would suggest that you join the British Expats forum as well as this one and I would also suggest that you e-mail Sandch via the tracker website, to ask him to add your details to the applications in progress chart.

 

Which visa have you applied for? The sc 143 or the 173?

 

Are you using a migration agent?

 

Whereabouts in Oz are you headed for, please?

 

My mother has a CPV 143 and she now lives in Perth, West Australia.

 

Cheers

 

Gill

Another CPV application has made it to the "other side" today and got it's red star, yipeeee.

Won't be long for us now Les! You are just a little way behind me.

June (junejuno)

June, Time will go quick enough in time!! It seems so slow now but once they say `visa granted` you wonder where all the time went and why you never have enough hours to do everything else you want to do.

Good Luck with everything, hope that Australia brings you all you hope for x

Thanks Joanne. I know it will be all go and I am sorting stuff out every day while I can.

My daughter, son in law and two grandchildren are out on the Gold Coast and have been in Oz for four years now. I can't wait to join them. I have had lots of visits out there and I know for sure that it's right for me.

All the best to you too x

Hello June - Better to wait for your CO to request it I think.

 

Cheers

 

Steve

Thanks Steve. I'm getting so so excited now as we are so close that I just wanted to get it all done, LOL :laugh: