vava
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Hi Moira, Well done on the flat sale - one less thing to stress about!. I'm sure the covering letter explaining the reason for the change of sponsor will be ok. Best of luck! Val x
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Hi Wannabies, Would it be possible to use the address of your child in Australia. We did initially and then changed it back to UK address when we came back here. Hope this helps, Val
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Hi Moira, I have copied & pasted a quote from the parent visa site about who can sponsor. As you'll see, the sponsor does not have to be a relative - they could just be a friend. We almost asked a friend of mine to be our sponsor but unfortunately he returned to the UK. We were worried that our daughter and SIL wouldn't earn enough but everything worked out ok for us. Here's the quote: [h=2]Sponsorship[/h]All applicants for parent migration must be sponsored. At the time the visa application is made, the sponsor must be a 'settled' Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or 'eligible New Zealand citizen'. 'Settled' means a person must have been a resident in Australia for a reasonable period, which under policy is usually two years. If the child of the parent is 18 years or older, then the parent can be sponsored by that child or by that child's cohabiting partner. If the child has not turned 18, applicants may be sponsored by the cohabiting partner of their child if the partner has turned 18, a relative or guardian of their child, or a community organisation. I hope this puts your mind at rest. Would your son be able to sponsor? I assume he has been there long enough. Good luck, Val x
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Hi Daniela, I would think that the 2006 student year would not have counted. My understanding is that your daughter and SIL would have to be settled permanent residents for 2 years. Not good news I know but better to wait a while then to be turned down because they haven't been resident long enough. Twelve more months isn't such a long time in the grand scheme of things. Good luck Val x
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Hi there, Its the route we took after being advised by a migration agent. If we had known then what we now know, we would have just got it all over and done with and done the 143 at the start. The 173 costs a huge chunk of $$$$$ and is only valid 2 years. In the meantime the cost of applying for and paying for the inevitable 143 increases by 10-15% per year. Lets be honest, I doubt anyone would part with all that cash and only stay 2 years so, having done the 173 then 143 thing myself, I would just do the 143. That said, we had the $$$$ standing by and earning interest in Oz already. I know others have to sell their houses to release the funds. Its all a matter of personal circumstances. Good luck with whatever you decide. Val x
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Hi Player, Firstly there is a balance of family test - meaning at least 50% of your parents' children (including step-children) must be permanently settled in Australia. There are no hard and fast rules on what DIAC consider to be "settled" but its usually two years. There are lots of options for visas for your parents and I suggest you have a look on the website and search "parent visas". Many of the contributors of this thread have gone down the 173 (temp) or 143 (perm) route. Both are extremely costly - approx UK£65,000 in total and time consuming - think minimum 14 months and you won't be far off. It all depends on their circumstances and the ages of your parents too. You'll always get answers on this thread though and point you in the right direction. Good luck, Val
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Hiya Nutmeg, Sorry, no idea how long. DIAC seem to be acting rather contrary these days. Our daughter paid assurance at Centrelink in Brisbane early this month and I emailed DIAC a few days ago to ask if they could confirm they had got the confirmation. I expected them to reply and ask for the final VAC but they just said they would be in touch when they needed anything further from us. Have a look on other applicants timelines and check on www.gainwave.co.uk too. We have had all our visa money in Australia for a long time now earning much better interest than it would here. So all I have to do is request a bank cheque and they will send it to my daughter and she will courier it to Perth. Some people on here use FORex. There are loads of others to choose from. I myself use Halo Financial in London who were recommended by ANZ bank. I'm not sure but I think they can only transfer directly into another bank. DIAC have changed the payment system since we got our 173 last year. Somebody will know for sure and post on here. I'll be curious to know if I can pay electronically when my time comes. At least you've sold your house - we are nowhere near ready for putting on the market yet. Hope to in the spring after we return from OZ. Hope it goes to plan for you..................Val x
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Hi again Nutmeg, Wow, that seems very harsh! I hope that Centrelink will pull out all the stops and get it all sorted for you asap. If you dont meet your deadline, does that mean that you will have to begin the whole process again, ie do the 14 month wait? I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed for you - good luck and do let us know how you get on next week. Best wishes, Val x
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Hi Nutmeg, Sorry to interfere but your deadline can be extended by simply emailing Perth and asking. Centrelink in Brisbane took from May until earlier this month to process our daughter as our assurer. The parent visa centre are aware that Centrelink can be a bit slow. As long as you keep them imformed of any potential delays there won't be any need to re-apply so rest easy. All the best, Val x
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Hi Mike & Sue, Yes you're right - communication is a concern. Especially when every email reply begins with "Please do not reply to the sender of this email as you will get no response". It doesn't fill you with optimism. We only applied early in May this year and only 8 days later were contacted and asked to arrange the AoS so I naturally assumed things would progress quickly. Centrelink have taken up all the time from late May until now. DIAC don't appear to be in much of a rush for their final VAC so let it earn a bit more interest at ANZ. We have a Christmas visit booked (bargain flights) so if the visa is granted by then, great. If not, so be it. We haven't sold the house yet so we can't rush. Hope you're both enjoying life "on the road" - you ought to start a blog, I'm sure it would be an interesting read! Val x
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Hi Mike & Sue, Congratulations on your visa grant. Was such a pity they didn't let you know at the time though. I don't know what is going on with DIAC at the moment, they seem to have changed all the rules since last year. I note that it was almost 2 years to the day between your 173 acknowledgement the the grant of your 143. Well its our 2 year 173 acknowledgement this week but sadly no 143 visa grant for us just yet. I hope you'll keep in touch with us all - I'm waiting to hear all about your shipping/import stories and beyond. Best wishes to you both............Val x
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Hi there!, Really pleased for you - you'll be feeling quite high for the next few days I'll bet. Good luck with the Form 80.................if you're anything like us, we used to go abroad 2 or 3 times a year till our child in Oz had a baby. Much of it was approximate guesses. We had a reply from DIAC this morning too, acknowledging that they had got the Centrelink forms - its only taken them 3 weeks to reply to my email! Won't be long now until you have the visa...............Val x
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Hi Kim, Yes the letter says that they have informed DIAC but when we got our 173 visa last year, all the communication was via email. This time for the 143 they seem to send everything by normal post. This is the reason for the initial hold up. They sent me a letter which I then had to send back to Oz to my daughter. If it had been emailed I could have forwarded it in seconds! I have told them to contact me via email but it hasn't sunk in. Not really in too much of a rush to hand over the $32010. Now the Centrelink stuff is sorted, DIAC can wait for their money, I'm certainly not ringing them to ask if they want it! We should surely have the visa by November in time for our next visit, if not, we'll validate it some other time. It'll be a good excuse for another visit! Val x
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Back in May we got a letter through the post asking us to give our assurer the enclosed letter to give to Centrelink. Its taken all this time with one thing or another. Centrelink seem to have no concept of time or urgency. You have to be very patient with them. Our daughter only received her letter the other day confirming that she has been accepted. I'm assuming they have told DIAC because every email I send to the parents@immi.gov address, all I get is an automated response telling me where to look for advice on their website! They haven't asked for the final VAC yet so at least we're getting some interest on it while we wait. Is it wine o' clock yet? Surely it must be somewhere in the world.................... Val x
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Kim - I agree wholeheartedly about Centrelink - they are proper heel draggers! Add to that the fact that I didn't realise that my account at ANZ would only allow me to withdraw/transfer $1000 per day! Not much help when you need to shift £14000 into the daughter's bank account without delay! I know we moan about banking in general in the UK, but at least they let you spend your own money! We too saw Dr Smith in Manchester and he was really lovely as were all the staff at the Bridgewater. Nearly there..................... Val x
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Hi all, Congrats to all of you who have come to (or almost come to) the end of this very stressful process. We are waiting for the final VAC request - should be any day now (she said hopefully). Just the small matter of selling the house, winding up the business and packing all our belongings. Stand by for lots of advice and info on shipping! Best of luck, Val xx
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Thanks for all the feedback re bank accounts. In the several phone conversations with various ANZ employees, none of them could offer me the option to increase the daily limit over $1000. Everything they suggested would have taken over a week to put in place. I have written to the manager to ask her to let me know the proceedure for closing my accounts. I'll do a bit of research to see which bank will be the best to suit my needs and I'll sort it out when we go in November. Thanks once again all, Val x x
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Well folks, was up all night last night trying to get my branch manager at ANZ to do a simple online transaction of $14000 to my daughters account. You would think I had asked her to break the law! I solved my problem by ("borrowing") 10k from our business account, transferring it to our personal account and then forwarding it to one of those foreign exchange dealers in London. 3 clicks of a mouse and it was done! Rubbish exchange rate but needs must! Are all Australian banks so behind with online banking? Can anyone recommend a bank that doesn't stop you spending your own money in amounts of $1000 or less per day? All advice gratefully received.................................Val x
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Yes we're at the mercy of Centrelink in Brisbane too. They have asked my daughter for the $14000 but ANZ will only let me transfer $1000 per day into her account! I have been up all night ringing Australia trying to get to speak to someone who can help me. In the end the lady in the ANZ branch in London has sorted me out! I never thought about checking the limit when we opened the account while we were there last year. I ought to have given my daughter access to my account too but hindsight is a wonderful thing! I'd better get on with sorting the final VAC cheque now if its taking this long to do the Centrelink payment. Nobody could ever accuse us "Parents" of not moving heaven and earth to be with their kids could they? Val x x
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Hi Linday, We must have both been typing at the same time! But both our replies prove that there is no definate set time for the 173>143. It takes as long as it takes as we have found out (mainly due to Centrelink dragging their feet) but hey-ho we'll get there in the end. Val x
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I can answer a couple of your queries too. We applied for 173 in July 2010 and that visa was granted in November 2011 (it took 17 months altogether) the fee was the one which was applicable at the time of lodgement, ie July 2010. We are now in the final stages of our 173 to 143 application. The forms went to Perth in May and our daughter is sorting out the Assurance of Support this week. The final visa charge will also be the one set at the time of that application, ie; May 2012. Hope this helps and good luck Val
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Congratulations Cath, You can relax now (hahaha) Regards, Val x
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Hi Angie, Welly Point is my favourite area. Birkdale is really nice too. The British shop and chip shop are there and my son in law works at the railway station most evenings, although he can be sent anywhere between Wynnum and Cleveland. Not sure how close to the bayside we will be able to afford to live but we can dream! We have another daughter but she is currently living in S. Korea teaching English so maybe one day she might be able to join us if she wants to in a few years. Hope the meds go well for you, luckily the police checks are very quick. As for us, we have our extra time now so Centrelink can take as long as they need. Just means more interest for us till we get the nod to transfer it all. We are going for a holiday at the end of November to meet the new baby so there will be lots of research to do re housing and jobs etc..... You're on the home straight now - nearly there. Val xx
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Hi Val, Yes I think you're right they appear to be doing things differently maybe to speed the process up. The email says that they haven't looked at our application yet to ensure we qualify so this means if a parent does not pass the BOF and the 'settled period' then the cost of the medicals etc would be wasted if the application was then declined! Makes you wonder if it is good idea or not! Angie Hi Angie, It sounds like you're heading for the same area as us (daughter lives in Manly/Wynnum). I agree, I would be a bit hesitant on the medicals because of the cost BUT if you are sure that all the other things are in order, there is no harm in having them done a bit early I suppose. Val x
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Hi All, Finally, daughter has managed to speak to somebody at Centrelink. She was told that they have a standard time of 28 days from handing in the forms to the interview letter being sent out. So, if by 4th July she has heard nothing, she has to get back in touch. They would not give her a contact name or a landline number. I'm wondering why then, does DIAC only give 28 working days from the date of their letter (which they posted to me in the UK)? They were amenable to the extra time but its not rocket science to give more time in the first place. Surely they must know Centrelink are slow! GGGRRRRR! Oh well, at least the sun is shining here today! Is this another element of the process which could be "front loaded" to save time at the end? Good luck everyone! Val x