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vava

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Everything posted by vava

  1. How wonderful Phoebe! Congratulations to you and all the family. The next two weeks will fly by and then you`ll be there - holding him in your arms. Enjoy every second..............Val x
  2. Hi Phoebe, I just usually go on the www.immi.gov.au site and search for "parent visa centre" then click on "how to contact"(I think thats what it says) and scroll down till you get to the email section and just fill out the form and send. They usually get back to you in a day or so. Hope this helps.................Val
  3. Hi Phoebe, Yes, I would think that your best bet would be to email the Parent Visa Centre in Perth although I doubt you would lose your place. To be safe, if you are going to do it, then do it before they hike the prices up again on July 1st. Hope they give you some good news instead of blah blah jargon like they usually do! Val:arghh:
  4. Hi Phoebe, Would it be possible to ask your daughter to telephone DIAC as its only a general question and wouldnt involve actually naming you. Please dont wait until you get a CO as it will be too late by then. I`m still waiting for the migration agents register people in Australia to do their investigations on my migration agent before we make our next move on whether or not to switch from 173 to 143. We believe, amongst other things, that she gave us wrong information. Oh, its all good fun (not!) Cheers, Val:biglaugh:
  5. There are a few criteria you have to fulfil for the CPV, firstly you have to pass the balance of family test. This means that at least 50 per cent of your parents children must have had permanent residency for at least two years. Secondly, I am not sure how the "No Further Stay" will affect a future application but I am guessing that they will not be eligible to apply whilst onshore. I hope someone will be able to give you more help later. Val
  6. I read your post to Phoebe with much interest! I had a look on the website and found the link (company is called Wide Span Sheds) the kit homes look fantastic. Will have to get the daughter and son in law on the lookout for land. All the sites I found didnt really say how much the asking price is but I`m sure it all a possibility. Thanks so much for the info! Regards, Val
  7. Hi Phoebe, No, we just showed our passports and they let us straight through! I even had loads of sweets and snacks and chocolates in my case and I typed everything on a list and handed to the guy and he waved us right out the door! I bet we were no longer than ten minutes from getting to the carousel to the exit doors. Might you have any room in your luggage for me? I am missing my grandaughter so much it hurts! Skype is ok but you cant squeeze them, can you! Have a fab trip and do some serious fact finding for all us parents in waiting please! All the best, Val x
  8. Your granddaughter Scarlett is gorgeous and I am so pleased she is doing well. I have just read your link. What a brave girl! Good luck with everything! Val
  9. We just did what our agent told us to do. She said it would save time later and to be honest, I am such a hoarder, I still had all our old passports and old photos helped us work out the countries we have visited so it wasnt too difficult. The hard part for me now is going through all that old stuff and deciding what to keep and what to chuck before we move! Val
  10. Hi Phoebe, Well, well theres a surprise! It sounds like you got the same reply as me when I asked about swapping from 173 to 143! Incidentally, I heard from the Migration Agents Register people this morning saying that if I want my agent investigating I have to give my written permission for them to contact her to get her side. Well all I can say is good luck if they can find her! I wish now we had done it all ourselves - we`d have been able to afford another air ticket for one of us if we hadnt paid her all that money! Hope your feeling a bit less stressed this week. Keep chillaxed! Val:wub:
  11. Form 80 is subtitled "Personal Particulars for Character Assessment" You need to give them lots of information about yourselves. ie; countries you have travelled to and when, previous passport numbers, all the names and dates of birth of your family (whether they are emigrating with you or not) Visit www.immi.gov.au and just put form 80 in the search box. Some applicants fill out the form when they are assigned a case officer and others (like me) send it with their application. It has to be done sooner or later in any event. Good luck with it! Val:arghh:
  12. Hi Phoebe, We borrowed all our visa costs against the house last summer. We had to do it then as my hubby knew he was going "self employed" and we wouldnt have liked to have risked not getting a further loan on our mortgage. Its just sitting there waiting and not earning very much interest. We wanted to change from 173 to 143 because we saw a job advertised that would have suited us both and also provided a house....but we found out that only permanent residents or citizens could apply so when we knew that DIAC wanted another 1st VAC we thought better of it. I dont think there will be another 1st VAC when you change from temporary to permanent once you are living there, I understood it was the third part of a three part application fee. I could be wrong and my head is spinning now with all the flippin stress! I must remember to ask the daughter if she definately wants us to go and live there because if she`s not bothered, neither am I Red wine definately on the menu tonight! Keep chilled Phoebe! Val
  13. Hi there, We stayed near Cleveland at www.auspitality.com.au Sharon and Neil are superb hosts and charged about $85 per night which included use of their pool. You have all your own private facilities and your own entrance so no disturbance either way. It took us about 20 minutes to get to our daughter`s house in Manly so its not too far away. Somewhere else we considered was Arthurs Retreat in Wishart. They advertise on www.seqrents.com.au Just select "short term/holiday" from the drop down menu, then "all areas" and on the next page, scroll down the list on the left till you get to Wishart and click on "more information". Their names are Kim and Keith Taylor and the address is 33 Mindona Street Wishart 4122. Hope this helps, Val
  14. Hi Phoebe, When I contacted DIAC a couple of weeks ago to ask about switching from 173 to 143 they replied saying that we need to complete a new form 47PA and a new form 40 plus a new first visa application fee of $1735.00 I wrote back to ask if they would consider waiving the fee as no work had yet been carried out on our application and the reply was a stern "NO!":arghh: I still have my print out from the immi website and last May the second instalment for a 143 was $34330 per person. I think they increased their prices by about ten per cent last July. I am sure you could switch quite easily but I think you will have to pay another 1st VAC which equates to around £1050. Hope this helps! Val
  15. Well, from what I understand from previous posters, meds/police checks are valid for a year after issue so it all depends on when you intend to validate. On the other hand, people are saying that appointments are taking a while. Might be an idea to ring the medical centre you intend to use and ask them what they advise. I started at a slimming club last week as I think my weight may be mentioned so that wont be an issue if I stick with it! Good luck, Val
  16. Hi Phoebe, I think we have likeminded daughters!! Thats exactly what mine said last night about the CO`s having nothing to do and the coffers being empty due to the floods etc! Well, they say that CPV`s are the "cash cow" visas! Do you think we will be able to have a laugh at all this in a few years time? Try to stay chilled! Val
  17. Hi Pete & Marg, Its always a worry knowing what to do for the best. We thought that if we switched now to a perm 143 then at least we would have permanent residency from the get go rather than faffing once we are there. All our funds are in place in readiness, its just a matter of liquidating our remaining asset (the house) without giving it away for a song. I`m annoyed our agent pointed us in the direction of the 173 but I suppose if we made a new application then we would only have to pay the 1st VAC again. Plus, as long as we did all this before July when they put the prices up, we would only be around a grand out of pocket. My head is spinning with it all so I might just take myself off to ASDA and get some 3 for a tenner wines and get sloshed! Cheers! Val
  18. Hi Steve, Your reply to Phoebe struck a chord. If things are going a bit too fast, maybe letting this application go and doing another later makes sense so I will certainly discuss that idea with the OH! We asked DIAC about switching from temp 173 to perm 143 a few weeks ago and they said we would have to submit a new application. Which ever way we do it - they win another £1k or so! My OH is self employed here and is really busy now (wasnt when we did the application) so we know that tax has to be paid somewhere along the line. I think we`ll have to let the accountant sort it out! Oh the things we do to be with our kids! Cheers for all your help Steve, Regards, Val
  19. Thank goodness for all you people who have already begun their adventure who are now giving us the benefit of their wisdom! Just been on the phone to daughter in Oz and was telling her that people seem to be getting case officers quicker than we thought. It scares and excites me in equal measures! My agent seems to have done a bunk and closed her office! Nice of her to let us know (she didnt). I have complained to MARA as that is where I found her details so we shall have to see what they say. Not relishing putting our house on the market just yet - there are three for sale on this avenue and not one has had an offer! Might have to see about renting it out till things pick up. Would it be possible for me to remain in Oz and the husband come back to the UK if he can pick up any work back here once we have our visa? He works away from home for 4-6 months at a time anyway so he`s used to being in a B&B. We noticed on our recent trip that there isnt much work about so it would be good to have some money coming in. I have had loads of questions that I wanted to ask the agent so I am really grateful to those who share their knowledge with us Cheers all, Val
  20. Is there a rule on PIO preventing us from naming and shaming these terrible migration agents? I would gladly post the name of mine! Val
  21. Hi Sue, Has the payment for the 1st visa application charge been taken yet? Mine was on the credit card statement 3 days after they received my application. Although I had to badger the agent send me the receipt and a copy of the acknowledgement. I think some agents give us the run around! Mine has gone AWOL so heaven knows how we will know when we have a case officer! Good thing we arent in a particular rush to get our visa! Hope things get sorted for you, Val
  22. You have certainly put my mind at ease Les, thank you. Houses arent selling at all around here and looking at the price of houses over there, we wont have a chance of buying our own until things improve - its very worrying. Plus we both have octogenarian parents pulling at our heart strings. Its not an easy thing to do is it! Regards ,Val
  23. Mornin all! Now, forgive me if I`m being a bit thick........................when we get our visa, will there be an amount of time by which we have to go to Oz to validate? If so, how long? Once validated, can we come back here and sort out our affairs etc and once all that is taken care of , do we then go and live there? Sorry for being so vague about all this but our agent isnt replying to our emails or returning our calls now the application (from her point of view) is done. We were in a rush to put in the application last July to avoid the cost going up (we didnt make it) and afterwards it all seemed too far into the future to give it much thought........................but now we have just returned from a visit, it all seems very real and very soon and I`m panicking! Hope somebody can help - thanks Val
  24. Not as annoyed as you will be when you go through some of the potholes in the UK roads. At least the tolls here go towards fixing the roads, not towards everything else! Cheers Matt Oh Matt, Dont get me started on this shambles of a country! We should start a whole new thread on that subject! Val :arghh:
  25. Good for you! It's a very reasonable request in the 'normal' world, and although you know what the response will be, it's good to occupy the moral high ground for a bit. And of course if we ask nicely - because the people answering our questions don't make the silly rules - the person at the other end may at least understand why the rule is queried. And will be a better person for it. And go on to become prime minister and make Australia and the world a fairer place for all.... Oh all right. Not going to happen is it? Hi again, Just read the reply to my request for waiving the additional fee: They say they will only waive the fee if the original application was for a subclass 103 and this had to have been lodged before 27 June 2003! Quelle Surprise!!! Val
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