vava

Just a quick question - my parents now need to sell their house and have until April 29th to get to Australia. If by some chance the house sale isn't completed - would they be able to come here on a holiday and then go back to the UK to complete the sale? If so, are there any restrictions on how long they can be out of Australia for as permanent residents?

Thanks

Hi, your parents only need to validate their visa before the 12 month expiration date if their police checks. After that they can come and go for up to 5 years before they must take up residency. Our visa was granted 4 years ago and we've only been here 6 weeks!

Regards Val

Oh this is such sad news. I have such fond recollections of her posts. Ironically, I moved to Australia just 2 weeks ago and thought about her when looking at Stilton cheese in Coles the other day. Those of you who have read every one of her feisty posts will remember her altercation with a customs officer who challenged her about her gift of a Stilton in a ceramic dish from a posh shop in London for her brother in law. Most amusing and she got to bring it into the country! Good for her! I hope she's being just as feisty on the other side! Rest in peace Gollywobbler

Happy New Year Everyone

 

just returned from 17 days in sunny Cololombia celebrating round two of the wedding celebrations. It was raining when we left the Uk and it doesn't appear to have stopped since and with no sign of letting up in the future. COME ON IMMI !!!!!!!!!! Get a move on!!!!!! This weather is driving me mad.

 

Julie

I'm currently in supposedly sunny Queensland Julie and it's been raining for the last 2 days! Still, it's making us feel right at home!

Val

That's interesting - Post Office told me it couldn't be done because international tracking wasn't available for Australia! That's why I used the Signed For service - at a cost of £7.95 for an ordinary sized envelope, weighing no more than 100g. And more than 4 weeks to reach is destination! Crazy. I'm going to do what Steve2 suggests - send money to my daughter in Australia so that she can take care of it from there.

Yes, I was told the same thing at the Post Office. I ended up sending my payment via a courier at a cost of about £25 if my memory is correct.

Hi There Vava and Julie. I thought the credit card route, though expensive would be easy and cause our son less work and stress! Now we are going down the path you suggested. We have sufficient funds over there so just need to organise inter bank transfer and for them to get the counter cheque raised and sent off. It all takes time though and we have now lost a week and the money must be paid within another 3 weeks or we could lose the visas! lets hope it goes more smoothly now

Hi again,

Don't worry! You won't lose your visas. Just email and ask for another couple of weeks. I had to do this when we were about to get our 143. I have an ANZ chequebook so I wrote a cheque and sent it via courier from the UK and IMMI wouldn't accept it. They insisted on a "bank" cheque. Anyway we happened to be in the Canaries when the email came through so they had to wait for the dosh! Don't let them bully you - they need your $$$$$$$$$.

Hope it all turns out ok (though I know it will!)

Cheers, Val

The saga continues. My bank requires a one hour time frame for the Oz Immigration to present the payment because of the large amount of money involved. That's not going to happen - as we are all aware as the Immigration people just don't communicate! After a long consultation I'm informed that there is nothing that the bank can do to assist. I'm a bit at a loss now so anyone out there any ideas? Beware friends or when the time comes to pay you could end up in this situation

Hi there,

I think it would be an idea to transfer your funds to pay for the visa into your son/daughters account in Australia if you don't have an account there yourself. He/she can then raise a bank cheque and send it directly to IMMI in Perth. If you email your case officer and advise them of your dilemma, they will allow you some extra time to get things in order. It's extremely simple to transfer funds over to an Australian bank account. I did it this morning.......Christmas bonus went straight from our uk account to Halo Financial (other transfer companies are available) and they'll shift it over to our ANZ account. Easy peasy!

Good luck with it all and don't be too shy to ask for more help - that's what we're all here for!

Regards, Val

Vava,

Fancy suggesting something like that! To some of our lefty, namby pamby, wishy washy voters that would be called 'racist'. To all right thinking individuals it would appear the correct thing to do. What are the chances of it being introduced over here ? ..............Nil I would say! And besides, we don't have enough pen pushers to deal with such paperwork. I'm sure Mr Corbyn would be against it anyway.

Don't get me started on the way this country is run! I'd be wanting to emigrate even if my daughter didn't live in Australia! I can't watch the news these days without my blood pressure rising.

In just 18 more sleeps I'll be sitting on a plane bound for Brisbane.............and relaxxxxxxxxxx!

To me the form 80 is now completely OTT.

 

When it first came out 10 or so years ago it was a 3 page form.

 

Then the security concerns were heightened and as questions have been added over the years we have the present incarnation.

 

A cut down version for those from low risk countries would be most welcome ... and a measure of discretion as to the need for completion by those of more senior years, who (IMHO) are hardly likely to commit jihad - they are more concerned with being in Australia to spend time with children and grandchildren!

 

Onwards and upwards!

Oh if only the UK immigration people made migrants complete a similar form! We might then know who is living here!

Hi Ruth, You will need to fill in form 929 to change your passport details. We have also applied for the 103 visa and are now more than halfway down the list which has taken five years

Just as a little heads up, you ought to carry the expired passport with you when entering Australia even if you have filled in the form 929 and had the changes confirmed. I was horrified to log into VEVO only to discover that my visa still has the old passport number on it despite sending all the relevant documents to the Australian High Commission in London.

Regards, Val

WOOOOW, Finally co requested for 2nd VAC. So dear anyone knows which is the better way to pay either by checque or by credit card. Money has been alredy sent to our daughter. So kindly pls put some light regarding the mode of payment

Dear Vicky,

The best method would be to ask your daughter to get a bank cheque from her bank and send it to IMMI by courier which is the most secure way. She must enclose all your details so they know who its from. I think my daughter enclosed a photocopy or a print out of the request with ours.

Won't be long now......

Regards, Val

My MiL applied for the temporary contributory parent visa which has recently been granted. She wasn't asked for an assurance of support. I thought they always asked for this but apparently not.

 

Could she be asked for it when she applies for her permanent visa which she'll do as soon as she's onshore?

Hi, Because the 173 is, as you say, a temporary visa, they won't require AoS. Your Mum's sponsor will have to arrange for this if or when she applies for the 143. She must allow enough time for the 143 to be granted before the 173 expires so she doesn't find herself without a valid visa.

Hope this helps,

Regards, Val

Hi Guys

 

My parents and 23 year old dependent brother (21 when they applied) applied in August 2013. CO got assigned on 16th July 2015 and requested documents to prove dependency and other documents which we sent first week of August 2015 but still no reply from CO. I know they got hundred of files to process but this wait is just terrible.....Any idea when will we hear back from CO. Team 1.

Hi,

I'm assuming if a CO has made direct contact with you asking for documents etc then you should have their email address and a name. Check back through your emails to see if it's there.

Regards, Val

Another change is they are not saying "please wait another 2-3 months to do medical, police check" and they are not saying "the wait time is 18-22 months". I would say that is a good thing and they are hoping to get it under 18 month again

 

Cheers,

Nassim

 

 

--Edit----

 

oops there is a whole paragraph regarding this one ...

 

Some clients will have previously been requested to commence medical examinations and police clearances by a specified date and are concerned that these may now become invalid.

Once your application is allocated to a case officer documents may be requested to consider the application further. This may include a request to provide medical examinations and police clearances obtained following lodgement of the application. A case officer will assess the suitability of information including the validity of health and character clearances and contact will be made with the applicant or their authorised representative if further information is required. In some instances applicants may be asked to provide updated information. This will be assessed by a case officer and an applicant notified if this requirement applies to them. Thank you for your patience in this matter.

 

 

Not 100% sure what they are trying to say here.

I think what they are trying to say is that they tried changing the way they did things and some applicants were given time frames for medicals and police checks. Immi then got so far behind and now some applicants are complaining that their meds and police check validity is almost out of time. They could say "sorry, we got it wrong" but they won't so they are going back to the old way where you have to wait to be asked for these. Hope this makes sense!

Regards, Val

On checking dates our application arrived in Perth on 27 August 2013, our form 80 was lodged in Jan 2014 and the 1st part of the VAC $3090 was paid. We were asked for police reports early July 2014 and lodged them in 22 July ((£45 each and 10 processing time by Police). Medicals were requested October 2014 (£300 each plus 3 hour drive each way to Edinburgh). Assurance of Support bond paid $14000 also requested and paid October. Just been speaking to our agent who confirmed that there are a few people in our position and these delays are very unusual. They have emailed our case officer but have received no reply as yet. They are going to send some more emails as our Police checks have now run out these were requested by Perth at that time and Perth have not been able to process within the time limit on the Police checks - not a very satisfactory situation!

 

Bob

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your frustration. I can't understand why they changed the way they processed visas. When we applied we got the acknowledgment then nothing until a CO was appointed. We were then asked to do medicals, police checks and to begin the AoS application. We were given 28 days but could get more time if needed. Once all those things were received, we were given ankther 28 days to get the 2nd VAC to them and a few days later the grant letter was emailed.

I hope you are going to let them know how annoyed you are that you have to buy more police checks due to their incompetence. I know I would!

Good luck with the rest of the process.

Regards, Val

Any young single parents on here, or even young parents who are still together? Heading out will not even be in the pipeline for another couple of years before application etc begins once I finish my degree, work, gain experience and save for a while by which stage my son will be maybe 5. Any experiences would be super to hear. So far my research has led me to the conclusion that this isn't going to happen for us unless I find a very rich man between now and application time lol x

Hello there,

I have a feeling that you've stumbled upon the wrong thread for your needs. This thread deals with the parents of people who have already migrated to Australia, settled there and maybe had a couple of kids. We miss our kids and grandchildren in Australia so much that we are prepared to pay the Australian government around $50,000 each in order to do that.....oh, and they make us wait about 2 years to give us their descision!

I hope you find the thread that you need and also hope you find your dream of getting to Australia too!

Good luck! Val

Hi Val

 

Any luck with your house sale?

 

Regards

 

Steve

Hi Steve,

No, nothing doing. Everyone nearby with a For Sale sign up is still there. That's the thing with these pretty semi rural areas - no industry so therefore no jobs. On top of that we have quite poor transport links into the big towns and Manchester.

We have booked to go to Brisbane for a few weeks at Christmas and will use the time wisely researching housing and maybe even jobs too.

Well done on your sale, at least you'll be ready to go when your visa is granted. Or, you could just go and be a tourist for a few months till you get it. Trouble is, you won't be able to ship your stuff till it is!

What have we all done!

Take it easy, Val

Thanks Val!

 

I just saw the 'breaking news" advisory, and it says:

TEMPORARY TO PERMANENT (subclass 173 - 143 and 884 - 864)

We are currently assessing for finalization applications lodged on 21 January 2015.

 

so it seems the timelines would be 6 to 7 months too. I thought it would take years..

 

Thanks for your inputs.. will keep you all posted

Hi there,

The 173 visa is only valid for 2 years so it stands to reason that they wouldn't take too long in granting the 143. That said, I'm sure it mentioned on my paperwork that it was the responsibility of the applicant to ensure their 173 to 143 application was done within the time constraints as there could be an overlap where you wouldn't have a valid visa and therefore no residency rights.

Hope you applied in time - we all know how strict they are!

Good luck, Val

Hi Val

 

Sorry to hear that you have not had any progress with the house sale, it must be extraordinarily frustrating for you.

 

We've been on the market a week and so far had 8 viewings and one offer pending sale of theirs (but not holding our breath).

 

Never followed anyone on twitter and a bit concerned at upsetting Immi and rocking the boat.

 

All the best

 

Steve

Hi Steve, I don't mind rocking the boat as I already have my visa lol! Here's the question I sent via Twitter - I've yet to have a reply.........

@DIBPAustralia Why such a long wait for CPV143? Costs over 40k$$$$$$ yet poor customer service for applicants - why?

0 retweets 0 favorites

They normally reply quite quickly and they probably won't now but if they do I will let you know.

Cheers, Val

Whooooohooooo!! Your bones are right Tabitha! Finally, at long last. Our son did phone the bank and all he was told was that it had been received and we knew that! Anyway, it is champagne tonight - the next one will be somewhere in Brizzie with Maisiedaisy, Vava and who ever else is around!!

 

Good luck everyone and will be in touch soon.

 

Petina

Congratulations! We've booked to go for Christmas so there's every chance of that drink before the end of the year!

Val xx

If anyone is looking for a friendly efficient and reliable international removals company go no further than John Mason International.

We had them last week for our move from NE England to Perth . Everything went without a hitch - BRILLIANT

Hi Veronique,

Yes, we were very impressed with them when they came to quote - pity our sale fell through and not had any offers since but we'll definitely use them when we're ready to ship out.

Regards, Val

I.

 

Hi Val

 

Makes you wonder if something is going seriously wrong at immi.

 

Any joy with your house sale yet?

 

All the best

 

Steve

Hi Steve,

No news on the house sale front. Its like living in the land that time forgot! It isn't only me - there are 2 more on my avenue and 3 on the next. They've all been for sale as long if not longer than mine. We have decided to visit Brisbane for Christmas this year though so at least we'll see the grandchildren again.

I have no idea why the visa centre became so impersonal. Perhaps it was a cost cutting measure but it seems, to me at least, that their customers are mostly dissatisfied with the service they are getting in view of the vast sums they are handing over. I'd follow them on Twitter if I were you and make my grievances known. They might just start taking the feedback on board if enough people let them know they're not happy. It can't hurt to try!

All the best! Val

I sent an email myself recently regarding the lack of an official notification in the post of the grant of a 143- somehow after coughing up 60k it eels a bit slapdash & actually a bit disrespectful to only send an email. do you think they cared? no....

but the worst aspect of the process is the delay of the grant once they've taken the huge 2nd VAC- mine was long enough to annoy me, but I'm pretty stunned that Petina's has been nearly 2 months & still waiting.. that is disgraceful- I wonder why it's happening?

Yes Freesia, it must be annoying for you all. They used to do things differently when I got my visa; you actually knew the name and email address of your very own case officer but I don't think they do that now. Its all very impersonal. Also, all those weeks waiting for the official nod must be eating into the time allowed for validation. Its not good enough!

Perhaps its time to start Tweeting..........I've always had a reply when I've complained via Twitter to other service providers.

Regards, Val

Hi all

 

One last thing I'm still not clear about. I get that you cant go over on a PR visa and then keep wandering off for months on end, but can someone reassure me that if we waited and moved over to oz a year or two after the visa was granted, I would have no problem going off to the UK for a month or so each year to see my mum ... or would this still require a returning residents visa? Thanks

Yes, you can come and go as you please for 5 years after the grant. So if you got your visa then waited a couple of years, then moved over to Oz, you would still be able to pop back and forth for another 3 years. Then you would have to get a Resident Return visa. We've had ours since 2012 and we're still here. There are conditions attached to the RRV but if you can prove you have a compelling reason to be allowed back in then, as I understand it, you should be alright.

Hope this helps, Val

Hi vava

 

yes they have applied for the 173 and now wanting to go for the 143, they know they will have to pay again for the application they were not planning on moving over until they got the 143 anyway so they timeframe of actually moving to Aus would only be extended by a month or two. I think they are no worried that if something happens to them or family in the 2 years of apply for 173 and getting 143 they have wasted their money.

It's just so much money to spend, if they have the 143 approved they will moved straight away.

Hi Fluffy, I suppose its all down to preferences and circumstances. We got our173 in 2011 then we were granted a 143 in 2012 and we are still stuck here in the UK with an unsold house. Luckily for us the visa is ok till 2017. There not much difference in the cost of doing it via the 173 then 143 route but you do have further application charges.

Hope they make the right decision in the end

Regards, Val

And the Melbournites?:wink:

 

Is that what I'm going to be called? (Eventually).

Looks like we need to organise a PIO jamboree! It could be a yearly event held in different states! :wink: