mildygirl
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Just kick back and enjoy Australia, MeCe! Keep positive.... the real drama is when applicants have health issues - if the powers that be decide that your health (medication, medical treatment etc) is likely to cost Australia $35,000 (I believe that is the recently revised - upwards - figure) over a five year period (or a three year period if you are 75 or over) then they can, and probably will, turn you down on medical grounds. That's where we are at the moment - a 90 year old mother in law who is essentially extremely healthy and extremely agile, (doesn't wear specs and has all her own teeth! Not bad, eh?) but has one or two very mild issues with her heart.. they don't need medical attention, and probably don't even require any additional medication, but the chest X Ray flagged the problem up, so for the last four months we have been on the edge of our seats - she's had an echocardiogram and we are still waiting to hear whether they are satisfied, or whether she needs to see a specialist. Her BP medication is a cheap common drug, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that she will fall into the $35k threshhold.. we have to just keep positive, hoping that they will give her a queue date and won't try to pursue it anymore. All the best for your own applications, and enjoy our wonderful extended summer weather!
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Hi MeCe, not sure if my other message went through. I just need to re-iterate - BV A, doesn't mean you are in a queue for the Aged Parent Visa. It just means you have been granted an interim visa (A) to keep you lawful. ie it will take so long (2 or 2.5 years) for them to even pick up your application, that your initial visa will have expired and if they didn't give you a BV A, you would become unlawful. Just sit tight and enjoy the two years or more that you will have with your children before the real stuff begins! After that, provided all is well with police checks and medicals, you will go in the queue. Until then, I'm afraid you are 'just a number.'
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Hi, MeCe! I'm afraid that the bridging visa A is only a visa that allows you to stay in Australia once your tourist/visitor's visa has expired, while you are waiting for a decision to be made on your application. It's just the first part of the process, that applies to pretty much everyone, which maybe I should have explained in my earlier reply to you. My mother in law (along with everyone else who sends in an application for an 804 for example and needs to remain lawful) got a response very quickly to say she had been granted a bridging visa A. I don't want to sound like a wet blanket, because it does mean that you can expect a couple of years to elapse before anything else happens but it's too soon to cheer I'm sorry to say. However, it's not really part of the process of actually being granted an 804, it is literally just a visa that allows you to remain lawful while they get round to considering your application. I'm not sure about having 'all the rights of a PR?' You will be on a BVA for a couple of years or so, then they will actually pick up your application and look at it, and that's the point at which you will be asked to provide police checks, medicals etc. Once those are received and are satisfactory, you will be given a queue date and will then have to wait 5, 6, 8 years or whatever, for the final decision. I am sure one of the established members of this forum will jump in pretty quickly to explain if I've got something wrong!
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Hi MeCe My understanding (and experience) is that you will have to obtain up to date police checks once the Department gets round to looking at your application with a view to adding you officially to the queue (rather than in the midst of the applications, where you are at the moment). That means it is not a good idea to get police checks at the moment, as they will almost certainly be out of date by the time you are required to submit them. My mother in law applied in August/September 2010 for her 804. She heard nothing at all until just before Christmas 2012 when she was asked to supply Australian and UK police checks, and to arrange for her medical. The UK ones take around 3 - 4 weeks to come back, but there doesn't seem much to gain in sending off for them at your stage as you are almost certainly going to be asked to obtain new ones in about 2 to 2 1/2 years time - that's how long you are likely to have to wait for any communication from them, as things stand at the moment. And yes, it's everyone, not just who have fallen the wrong side of the law back in the UK - that's what DIAC wants to check! I hope this helps.
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Hi Hels I am sure that others more knowledgeable than I will reply. However, I can speak from our own experience. They can come on a visitor's visa but on arrival must have no intention of staying. (A tourist visa is exactly that, but if they then decide they wish to stay, it is perfectly legal to apply for an 804, non contributary visa). From personal experience it is possible to leave Australia whilst on a Bridgiing Visa but there have to be extenuating circumstances... going back to the UK to sell a house, for example, is very bad as it smacks of deceit. Going back to attend a funeral or for medical treatment for a relative for example, is perfectly acceptable. My main reason for writing though is to ask why on earth you would be considering a contributary parent visa when a non-contributary 804 is available. If your parents were of working age, there might be a reason for them applying for a contributary parent visa which offers much faster processing at a considerably greater cost. Because your parents are well over retirement age, they would be far better going for the non-contributary 804. There is _nothing_ to be gained from going for a contributary visa... only money thrown away. They can apply onshore for an 804 provided their visa doesn't state 'no further extensions.' They just need to apply for an ordinary tourist visa and once they are in Australia, decide they do wish to stay. The contributory visa will get them residency sooner, but there is no point in doing that as they are already above retirement age (so won't be able to work). The non contributary visa (804) is way cheaper. It takes much longer (probably looking at 8 years all up at the moment) but as they wouldn't be working in anycase, that won't matter. They will still need to pass the medical, but apart from that the 804 would be a much better bet.
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Couldn't be doing this without you, Alan!!
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Hi John Just managed to get back on the site after an op and various other issues. With regard to your above statement, please can I clarify - at what point did you have to name the person providing the support, requiring them to demonstrate they can pay the bond? We'd understood that nothing at all was done re the AoS until it was actually called for! Kind regards!
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Gentlemen - after some long gap, I am now back with a reply which I hope might be helpful. It seems that the requirement for the first medical has not been changed. We applied (mother in law) in September 2010 if I recall correctly... nothing at all was heard until just before Christmas when she received notification that she was to attend for her medical. There was no mention of a case officer, but presumably this step means that she must now finally have got one. So that was 2 years and three months without hearing a thing. Not being a great believer in coincidence, I found the following situation somewhat interesting - following a call from her GP surgery letting her know that her Medicare card had expired, we started the process of renewing it. Medicare refused to accept the letter from DIMIA stating that she was now on a Bridging Visa etc etc, and she must keep the letter as proof, blah blah, and insisted that she obtain an up to date letter. We did this through the Migration Agent - always very efficient I have to say - who contacted DIMIA for us....but in less than a week, mother in law had received her instruction to attend her medical! (And no sign of the letter she needs from them in order to renew her Medicare card!) So - we have sent off for the Police Checks (got the Australian one back, still waiting for the UK one), and she has had her medical. It was surprisingly good, given her very advanced age (she's 90), just some (according to the Govt doctor) very minor heart issues associated with a previously high BP which has been under control for some five years now; we now sit and wait. It's all been sent off, but I have no idea how we find out whether the Department's medics will require more information or whether she will be now placed in the queue. Hope this bit of information is helpful to someone!
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Hi Alan Yes, it's something we're trying not to have sleepless nights over! However - do you know if what I've been told is correct...that they are considering dispensing with the initial medicals? Otherwise, do you know how long we are likely to be waiting before needing medicals? Just that 21 months seems quite a long time to be waiting. Kindest regards Mildy
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Hi Tony Thank you for the reply. I've been hunting for the post you mention but it appears that I am not much good with the search engine on here as I've spent a couple of hours trying every which way, and can't find a posting that mentions it! Please, do you happen to be able to point me in the right direction? It would be brilliant if it was right, and that she doesn't have to have a medical - at turned 89 now, we are concerned that the longer it goes on, the more likely she is to fail it because she has certainly become much more frail in the (almost) two years that she has been here. We've heard nothing since the grant of her bridging visa, no case officer and no correspondence at all. Frankly, although she is still reasonably healthy with no known issues, we are not expecting her to be around in 15-20 years time for the actual grant of the visa and it would be brilliant if she doesn't need a medical. Best wishes Mildy
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Hi Mike and Sue Thank you very much for contributing. My concern was that we understood when we first applied that she would be sent for a medical at around the 17 months mark, but that obviously (assuming she passed it) she would need another medical before the visa was granted in 15-20 years time. So - if she passes the medical now, then to be honest, the likelihood of her still being with us aged 105 or more, was so remote that we wouldn't need to worry. But what we _are_ worried about, is 'what if' she fails the medical now? And as it is now (got the sums wrong the first time!) nearly 21 months ago that we applied, just wondered what is going on, as apart from notifying us that she is now on the Bridging Visa, we have heard nothing at all. I am a bit anxious about the idea of contacting anyone about it, as I really don't want to rock the boat as you'll imagine! I reposted this after Linday's advice, onto a different thread where Tony suggested that Gollywobbler had indicated that they were considering removing the requirement for a medical at the beginning of the process. How good would that be! I've spent 2 hours searching and I just can't find it on here. If you have any more thoughts, I'd be very grateful. Kindest regards Mildy
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Hi All On the subject of medicals - I posted a query on what turned out to be the wrong thread. I am hoping that someone might be able to advise me. We put the forms in for an aged parent's visa. They are now 89 years old, and after 21 months of waiting, we just wonder how much longer we are going to have to wait for the medicals and police check. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Kindest regards Mildy
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Hi Lindsay Thank you so much for that, I hadn't realised that! I'll follow your advice. Kindest regards Mildy
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Hello A couple of days ago I posted this, but so far haven't had a reply. I have done my sums again, and realised that in fact it is now not 19 months since we applied, it is actually nearly 21 months! I'd be very grateful if someone has any advice? Kindest regards and thank you in advance. Mildy I have a question and would be very grateful for advice. I have an 89 year old parent on a bridging visa waiting for a subclass 804 non contributory aged parent visa. Please can anyone advise how long it is taking now for the first medical to be required? The bridging visa was granted about 19 months ago since when we have heard nothing. They could well become more frail as time goes by...it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things but it is a bit nerve wracking waiting for the postman! We would be grateful for any advice Thank you in advance Mildy
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Hi all I have a question and would be very grateful for advice. I have an 89 year old parent on a bridging visa waiting for a subclass 804 non contributory aged parent visa. Please can anyone advise how long it is taking now for the first medical to be required? The bridging visa was granted about 19 months ago since when we have heard nothing. They could well become more frail as time goes by...it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things but it is a bit nerve wracking waiting for the postman! We would be grateful for any advice Thank you in advance Mildy