Miss Swan

Thank you Ozmaniac. I've gone through the ministerial discretion information. It doesn't seem to suggest that being the spouse of an Australian citizen would automatically put me on the course of citizenship in another 2 years. It suggests that I still need to prove continuing ties with Australia. I'm just not sure if having a couple of in-laws, a bank account and a Super would suffice.

Hi guys, I've been reading a few threads on RRV on this forum, but I couldn't find a conclusive answer that reflects my circumstances. My husband has been offered a job overseas and is in the process of putting in the work visa application; if it goes through, then I'll be joining him naturally. The husband is an Australian citizen and I hold the partner visa 801. At that point of time I should have crossed the 2-year mark of my partner visa. If the hubs really likes the job, we may be overseas indefinitely. 5 years, 8 years, maybe even more. I'm hoping that we'll move back to Australia eventually...one day. I had a read-through at the ministerial discretions for RRVs but I'm not very sure if my case would be a clear-cut assessment or do I have to put in 101% effort to prove that I have 'close and continuing association with Australia', which is one of the requirements. Here's my current evaluation of the 'close and continuing association' criterion. Your feedback would be lovely! - whether the person has any children who are Australian citizens this is highly likely as we do plan to have kids down the road - the length of the person's relationship with their Australian citizen spouse or de facto partner not an issue - whether the person has any extended family in Australia I only have my mother-in-law and sister-in-law in OZ - the frequency and duration of any return visits to Australia we will probably return once a year for 2 weeks each time - the duration of all periods of residence in Australia 2 years as a partner visa subclass 801 holder - whether the person intends to reside in Australia I'd love to! - if the person has employment in Australia No, since I'm just following the husband - if the person owns property in Australia No, we can't afford one yet - evidence of income tax payment in Australia won't be paying taxes if I'm overseas - current bank accounts in Australia yes, I plan to keep my OZ accounts and I have my super My final question is, I initially came to Australia on ETA, was on Bridging Visa A for 5 months, before being granted 801. Do the 5 months on BVA count towards 'permanent residency' when totalling up the '2 out of 5 years as a permanent resident' requirement for the RRV?

Hi oshi, have you had English teaching experience before?

Awesome! Thanks for the head's up! It's very refreshing to know that this is a law, as I've worked in companies in other countries where the contract states that unused leave cannot be cashed out.

I've been offered a job after sending out hundreds of resumes, so I'm absolutely stoked about that! The industry, scope and location are all very acceptable and satisfactory to me. I've been given the contract to look over and to raise any issue I have with it. And as a matter of fact, I have come across some conditions in the contract that I've got questions on. "All Annual Leave applications are cancelled during the Notice Period. Annual Leave is not granted during the Notice period." Now, is this reasonable/acceptable/legal/common? It's the first time I've come across such a condition. All my previous employers allowed me to offset my notice period with my annual leave balance, or better still, allowed me to encash my balance leave :laugh: The other thing is, I'm supposed to be working 38 hours per week, but I start 8.45am to 5.30pm, Mondays to Fridays, with an hour's lunch break. I did some calculations and realised that my total working hours excluding lunch breaks are 38.75/week. Is this something I should bring up to my employer? I'd hate to sound nitpicky over an extra 45 minutes. Thoughts, anyone?

Hello, I'm asking on behalf of a work contact. A private college for adults in Brisbane is seeking an experienced and passionate English trainer. This is a casual position, with lessons scheduled at twice a week. The students are Asian internationals and the work location is at Sunnybank. The trainer will be working with a small cosy group of students, ranging from 1 to 5 per class. Please send me a private message if you think you're suitable for this position.

Hurrah! Thank you so very much for the quick and wonderful replies. You guys are gems and 100x quicker to contact than ATO's number! I should stop panicking over every tiny little issue like this At least I should count my blessings that I have got a job offer and an average salary but who cares? The job scope and company seem tbe pretty amazing and I'm absolutely psyched!

Thank you GeorgeD. I feel so much more relieved phew! Now how do I go about proving your red point? Does ATO need evidences? After all, I'm still on bridging and at the point of the next tax return I doubt my TR would be approved by then. I've just read through the paper version of the tax return and I don't see anywhere that asks me to declare if I intend to stay permanently. All I see is "Are you an Australian resident?", for which I'd have to tick 'No'.

Thanks for sharing George. That's quite a unique case you have there. I'm still on bridging, so the TR is still a fair bit away. I could consider asking an accountant but am not too sure if I'd be charged a consultancy fee for enquiring with them on this, and I called ATO earlier but they were experiencing high call volumes and the system didn't bother putting me on the waiting list. Thought I'd hear what the forumers here have to share first before I enquire further.

Yes I got my work rights at the end of October. Oh very nice..I hope it does work out as nicely as you wrote it. When does ATO start counting for the 6 month mark? Start of tourist visa, start of bridging visa or start of work rights? I haven't seen the tax returns yet so I haven't any idea what information would be required of me to clarify my resident status.

I'm terribly muddled by this issue! Would some kind soul please throw some light on it? I have just received my TRN number but saw that I'm registered as a non-resident. But I also came across the ATO website that states this:[TABLE] [TR] [TD]Generally, we consider you to be an Australian resident for tax purposes if you:[TABLE=width: 100%] [TR] [TD=class: ContentUL] have always lived in Australia or you have come to Australia to live permanently you have been in Australia continuously for six months or more, and for most of that time you worked in the one job and lived at the same place have been in Australia for more than six months of the income year (unless your usual home is overseas and you do not intend to live in Australia - for example, you are a working holiday maker) you go overseas temporarily and you do not set up a permanent home in another country, or are an overseas student enrolled in a course of study for more than six months duration. [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Now I arrived in OZ on a tourist visa this July, was on bridging visa in October, and will be starting work in Feb 2013. Technically I'd have been in OZ for 6 months counting from my bridging visa on my 2nd month of employment. Can someone tell me how I'll be taxed in this case (i.e. resident/non-resident?) Thanks heaps!

That's right. I was able to save my forms just as you would a Word document.

Quite a fair number of us did it without agent. Agents aren't bad, but they are just expensive. The only reason that one would hire an agent is to give a peace of mind because depending on what visa you're applying for and the circumstances surrounding your situation, it could get quite tricky in sorting out paperwork. If you're very busy in your daily activities and hate doing paperwork at all costs, then an agent would be helpful. Their role is just the middleman between you and the IMMI dept

Thanks GeorgeD! It's strange, when I tried to Google for information, this page didn't come up. Maybe I wasn't typing in the right key words

Congrats on finding a job!

Oh that's right silly me! I got you mixed up with another member from another forum! I'm in Brisbane

I think your journey's coming to an end! Mine just started 3 months ago..I still have 10 months of waiting time =X And yes I was in a very similar situation to yours. I started researching about my visa options since 2008 when my relationship just started! Even though I had to give up a lot back home - nice cushy job, best gal pals - I don't regret it too much! Love the fact that I'm with my partner now, even though finding a job is a toughie. I'll keep you in the loop for sure, though I really don't expect to hear anything from DIAC till 10 months later. But your journey's ending so I hope to hear some good news on your end soon

Well it sure sounds to me like there's a storm of applications coming in the last few months...yeah you're probably right. There must be heaps of applications after 1 July. There definitely weren't any make-an-appointment signs around when I was there in Aug, and the clerk who attended to me was very nice. Printed out my letter, explained the main details to me, even swung her computer screen around so that I could see that I have a bridging visa lined up after my tourist visa! The DIAC staff can get a little confused. Just not long ago I posted about getting a conflicting email about my migration status and very nearly thought it was about my visa approval until I realised it was about my work rights and the officer just wasn't too careful when editing his template!

I am holding a Bridging Visa A with work rights approved (yay!) but now my question is am I a foreign resident or considered an OZ resident? The reason I ask because there's a huge and eye-popping difference in tax rates at the lower tier.

Hello! I lodged on 6 Aug in Brisbane and got my acknowledgement letteron the spot so I'm surprised that you didn't. Plus I didn't make an appointment (and was told I didn't have to which was why I rocked up ) and waiting time to be attended to was very short - about 10 mins? And no, lodging in person doesn't make it quicker after all. I have been told by the lodgement clerk that processing time is now 13 months and that was double confirmed when I called DIAC on another matter just last week and this lady said it's 15 months! Also one of the migration agents in this forum mentioned that having a decision-ready application doesn't matter now because they just have too much back-log to deal with.

Thanks for all the replies Got it all sorted out! Called IMMI on Skype (most economical way for 13 numbers). I only paid US$2 for a 16 min call... It was quite an amusing conversation actually - the lady I spoke too sounded really nice and helpful and I explained to her what I got in her mail. She couldn't figure out the actual message either! Like everyone else, she thought it was just a notification for BVA until I pointed out to her that my BVA was already in effect 25 days before what the letter stated. Then I asked if this was related to my application for working rights and she realised that this was most likely it. Also earlier this morning I sent an email informing the sender about my confusion. He replied very shortly after apologising for his error, resent the mail and I now have working rights! P.S. I just went through the revised attachments. There isn't any mention of working rights. Is that the norm, or should I contact the DIAC officer again?

Thanks George for the clarification! Nothing but one of the best MARA agents to shed some light on the whole uncertainty

I'm getting a little paranoid now. A friend I spoke to said this could just be a letter officially declaring that I'm on BVA. Fair enough, but I have a few doubts: 1) I've never heard on anyone being given an official notice for the grant of BVA. I thought it was something that kicks in automatically. 2) The letter states that the visa has been granted on 29 Oct. That's not correct at all as my BVA was in effect since 5 Oct. 3) The timing of this email is uncanny - came in 2 weeks after I've mailed in all pending documents and informed DIAC that my application is decision ready. Thoughts, anyone? P.S. I know I know...I really should wait till tomorrow morning to call them But I can't help feeling all nerves at this moment...

Lol...they are indeed nonsensical! It'd be a joke in very bad taste if they said "oh sorry you haven't been granted a visa yet we sent it out in error" :mad:

Hi Rupert, now that you mention it, and it is rather daunting now, both letters do not mention partner visa anywhere. These are the attachments I got: VISA GRANT NOTICE Application details Visa Class: Bridging A (class WA) Bridging A (subclass010) Date of Visa Application: 06 August 2012 Application ID: xxx File Number: xxx Sponsor: xxx Sponsor Date of Birth: xxx Grant details Main Applicant Client Name: xxx Date Of Birth: xxx Client ID: xxx Passport Number: xxx Visa Grant Number xxx Visa Grant Date: 29 October 2012 Stay Period: Indefinite Travel Facility: No Travel Visa Conditions: Nil About your visa As you have now been granted a permanent visa, you may wish to consider withdrawing any other undecided visa applications you have lodged with this department. If you are granted another substantive visa this visa will cease and may affect your eligibility for benefits. To withdraw any other visa applications, you must advise the department in writing. No visa label required The Australian Government does not require you to have a visa label placed into your passport for travel to Australia. More information on label free travel and visa entitlements verification is available at www.immi.gov.au/visas/about-your-visa.htm Kind regards, Administration Team Partner Temporary Visa QLD Department of Immigration and Citizenship ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And the second attachment: Dear xxx, Notification of grant of a Bridging A (class WA) Bridging A (subclass 010) visa I wish to advise that a decision has been made on this application and a visa has been granted on 29 October 2012 to the applicant(s) listed in the attached Visa Grant Notice, which contains important information about your visa. Please keep a copy of this letter and the Visa Grant Notice for future reference. Questions about this decision If you have questions about this decision, or the process or information that was taken into account, you may contact us by any of the means listed below. Changes to your circumstances It is important that you tell us about any changes to your circumstances including your name, passport, contact details, address or family members as soon as possible. You are required to do this in writing. There are a number of forms available at www.immi.gov.au or at any of our offices. Client service information Our Client Service Charter and information on how to make a compliment, complaint or suggestion is available at www.immi.gov.au. Contacting the department In Australia you can call 131 881 between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm Monday to Friday. Details on contacting our offices outside Australia are available at www.immi.gov.au Attachment(s) IMMI Visa Grant Notice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's basically it! Now it makes no sense to be given an email telling me I have bridging visa A, because we all know it kicks in automatically and I already was on BVA since 5 Oct. So I'm terribly confused, and will def call IMMI tomorrow morning. The wait is just killing me!