valandmatt
-
Posts
109 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Articles
Everything posted by valandmatt
-
Brilliant, brilliant news!! You must be feeling so excited, relieved, ecstatic...... I could go on! The very best of luck for the move - a very hectic next few weeks for you! Keep in touch and let us know how it all goes (if you can find the time)!!! Congratrulations!!! Val and Matt x
-
From one Val to another! Yes, I am as high as a kite! Now all we want is to become one of the 100 Lotto Millionaires on Friday and life would be sweet! But will settle for a Visa! Hey Ho!! Have started filling out the Form 80 and you are quite right regarding previous holidays etc, almost impossible to answer. Luckily, I have all our old passports so at least all visits to Oz are accurate, but elsewhere/Europe and passports don't get stamped any more do they? And I have had more jobs than hot dinners, so that is going to be a shot in the dark too! Hubby o.k. with that one as he worked in the one place all his working life! Hmm, think I'll have a coffee to try to rejuvenate some brain cells! Val x
-
Woo Hoo! We got our Case Officer today!!!! So excited can hardly speak! We have to provide Form 80 and copies of passport, but Ohhh the relief! Did you all not hear my screams of joy at 05.50 this morning!!! Val x
-
Hi Angie, this is the most positive news! As we have the same ack date as you we surely will hear something soon!!!!!! I know they have the wrong email address for us, so which email address did you use, as when I emailed them with the right address all I got was an automated response, and so I feel as if there is no-one has read mine! It will take forever if they post everything to us! Oh my goodnes Angie, so close now............. Val x
-
Hi Kim, sorry to hear your daughter is unwell - hope she's better soon. These are the times you really feel the distance, and are unable to help when they're poorly :-( When you have your Visa do you plan on going asap? So, just by transferring the money to Oz as opposed to paying the VAC in London (which is what we thought we would do) saves over £1000+????? Blimey, we better have a re-think - that is a lorra lorra money to save! Val x
-
Fantastic news Kim, sooo exciting! Very happy for you - not long now to the end prize! As its on topic at the moment, (and if you don't mind me asking) :confused:what's your intended method of payment? Val x
-
Thankyou Jon and Eirian, yes we got our meds and PCC done in AprilMay, shippers sorted, house on market, de-junked (just waiting for some dry weather to have car boot sale) - can't do more until "D-Day" or should I say "CO Day"!
-
Oh, believe me, I do watch this space, many, many times a day!!! I really hope you hear something this week, that would be fantastic! I really thought there would have been a noticeable increase in allocation after 1st July, but it doesn't seem so does it. I suppose there are many other applicants globally that are not on the tracker - I tend to conveniently forget about them! Val x
-
So do you think those names at the top of the tracker, say the first 8-10 names, do you think they have all either got their Visa or have been allocated a CO, but not updated the tracker????? My acknowledgement date is now past one year and its "excruciatingly" slow going, the anticipation - I'm afraid I wake most mornings at 5a.m. and rush to check email! My 7 year old grandson today said (big sigh) "but Nanny Val WHEN are you coming to live here? How many more sleeps? I miss you......." Oh the agonising reply - I don't know yet, but soon! Come on DIAC - get a move on! PLEEEEEEASE.......
-
And also on a tourist visa you would have to buy a return flight (so I've been told on here) but for the sake of waiting a few extra weeks and getting your 173/143 visa you would only have to get a one way ticket! This was our plan once we got through the long dark winter months, we decided to hang fire and not go Feb/March/April time but just sat tight and think that flights and spending money x 2 (in our case) = cost of car or shipping our stuff over, or a host of other things we will be needing once we get there! Val x
-
Hi Cath, fantastic news - so exciting isn't it! Congratulations on getting over the first hurdle! Val x
-
I have some news at last! Received a letter in the post today from DIAC regarding getting medicals and PCC's done etc. HURRAY!!!! At last!!!! It states at the top of the letter "sent via email" - which I have not received, hence posted as presumably email would have bounced back to them as I noticed they have incorrect email address as "a01" instead of "aol" seems a bit of an odd error to me, but hey-ho! The letter also states a Case Officer will assess our application within four months. Happy Days!!! Val x
-
Hi Angela, well, one thing you can be sure of on this thread, you are not alone, we all have sons, daughters and most precious grandchildren all growing up without us. I'd really love to cheer you up and be able to tell you t won't take long, but I'm afraid to say that it seems to take approximately 15-18 months on average to get to visa grant. And the time will drag most of the time. There is nothing much you can do to speed up the process either. Sorry, that's the bad side, the good stuff is reading the positive posts on this forum, and generally trying to gather information for when you will need it. I am not an expert but I have picked up some good info. My application was received June 2011 and am ever hopeful to be allocated a Case Officer in the next few weeks. I have both a son and daughter in Oz and five granchildren who I haven't seen for over 18 months and its agony most of the time - I miss them all so much! Also we have not had any luck with the sale of our house so far. But fingers crossed not much longer to wait. I believe you are in a very fortunate position regarding not working and the sale of your house and could easily wait out your time in Oz. I am pretty sure that if you read Booklet 3 on the DIAC website you will see that they are happy to issue you with a 3, 6 or 12 months visitor visa - e676 (you must inform them of your 143 application) and when the time comes of visa grant you "hop" over to NZ for a few day so that you are offshore. But you definitely cannot work on this visa. I hope this helps, if I could wave a magic wand, I would! All the best, Val x p.s. Have you seen the Tracker? Check this out - www.chireckles.com/cpv/tracker
-
WOW Angie, I dreamt we had that email today, and was up at 5 a.m. to check - obviously I must have been dreaming of you!!!!! At last, something is moving, can't help but feel even more excited now! I've just noticed your heading to Redland Bay - so are we hopefully, fingers crossed. Our daughter lives there. We love the village feel. I do hope we all don't have tooooo long to wait for a CO now that we are all getting so much closer, although someone posted on here a few days ago that their acknowledgement letter said they were allocating for April 2011. Fingers crossed. Val x Val x
-
To John and Eirian - aha! you are now on the "special" list of Visa grantees - you are on Australian soil now, methinks!!!! I wish you and your family a wonderful future and everything that being together means to us all. I hope that you do not forget us (and from time to time could write some precious words of wisdom, (perhaps on a wet Sunday afternoon!) and offer encouragement and inspiration by way of an update, to those of us still waiting! I woke at 5 a.m. this morning and was convinced that today could be the day I received "the email" from DIAC - the excitement was bubbling until I got up and checked - NO.....not today....but perhaps tomorrow......I live in hope!!! All the very best Val x
-
Hi Gill, thanks once again, your explanations wonderfully clear and sooooo helpful. I have copied and pasted to my "Oz folder" for when needed! My two pennorth re wicker - was told by shippers - if its open weave it's no go - if its closed weave its o.k. Not really that helpfull, so I will probably not ship my lovely useful baskets etc, but I do have an old fashioned wicker sewing basket, which I will risk, as my Mum gave it to me many, many years ago and it seems to be a closed weave-ish! Oh well, can but keep one's fingers crossed - wing and a prayer! Val x
-
Hello Gill, really positive vibe from reading your post, and I am sure I shall read it several times more to remind myself as to why I am putting myself through this torment of applying for a visa and parting with a helluva lot of money in the process of moving to the other side of the world! What an amazing year you have had, and what a brave and gorgeous little grandaughter you have with a beautiful name too! Thank you so much for taking the time to write it. Regarding the financial side of day to day living your system seems to be working very well for you and would like to ask you further questions - nothing too deep, just to make sure I understand one or two things, like the Super fund. I thought this was equivalent to our private pension schemes here and that you had to have money invested for a good few years before you got any payout? And I shall certainly start a Post Office account/credit card - very useful bit of info. Thanks once again, has really made me feel more positive - as I wake up each morning, switch on the computer to see if today is the day I have a Case Officer!!!! Val x
-
Hi Moira, we thought this was the case also until I phoned the medical centre and told them we were paper application and had not yet got a CO. They were quite happy to go ahead with the File Reference number on our acknowledgement letter. We had our medicals done in April at The Bridge Clinic in Maidenhead. They were very efficient and put us at ease - cost £200 each - so I should think so too!!! Like John and Eirian we also wanted to know if there were any problems likely to put a stop to our plans! Hope this helps. Val x
-
Haha! but if the subscription is a schooner and a glass of vino count us in! Whereabouts in Sydney are you planning to live? Just had a look at the tracker and I don't think its me but it shows you as still waiting..........???????? and others too which I think must have got their visas by now. The last visa to be on the visa granted list is early April. Am I doing something wrong? Val x :frown:
-
Hi guys, congratulations on getting your Visa - don't forget to update the tracker so that we can all move up the list - and you get a big red star - you've earned it! Although we'll be based in Brisbane we will be regular visitors to Sydney where our son lives so please can we join your group and come to play sometimes??? :wink: We'll be over in September hopefully! Have a safe flight. All the best, Val and Matt x
-
Hi Cath, check to see if they've taken the first application charge, at least then you'll know they've received it o.k. Ours was taken 2-3 weeks before we received the acknowledgement letter. Val
-
Hi Kim, what exciting news! Thankyou so much for sharing. Val x
-
Hi all, I feel as if we're the class of 2012! Anyway, have received our Police Certificates yesterday, do I upload them and email them or do I post the originals to Perth Parent Visa Centre? I feel as though it may be best to wait for a CO but not sure why - I suppose in case it gets lost somewhere in the corridors of the PVC..... any advice? What did you do if you front loaded. I wish something would happen on the tracker soon - no CO's for March 2011 acknowledgements yet!!! Aarrgghh!! Have had a few viewings on the house but not even a sniff of an offer or even a second viewing yet - agent says things are very quiet. I know....patience...... Val x
-
Hi Liverpoolloo, you really put into words exactly how I feel sometimes. The trouble, I think, is that there is too much time waiting for the Visa and so we have wobblies and worries where there probably is none. If it was all processed quickly we wouldn't have the time to worry about the various costs - the money would be handed over and we would be there seeing for ourselves how we cope with living costs. Obviously, from a practical point of view, most of us need the time to get our finances etc in order, but really there is not much to be done until nearer the time anyway. I wake up some mornings thinking that maybe my daughter doesn't really want us to go - absolutely stupid thoughts I know - but shows how paranoid I have become - totally impatient and feel my life is in limbo whilst waiting for Visa - and of course, that's not definite yet. I am sure you and all of us will be absolutely fine once we get to Oz - we will "cut our cloth accordingly" and being able to see our grandkids as and when we want is priceless! This is the thought I hang onto when doubts start to creep in regarding the huge outlay to get us to Oz. You are not alone! Val x
-
Hi Megancun, yes I remember the conversation on here a few weeks ago. I just phoned the Medical Centre and explained we had not yet got a CO or HAP ID, but wanted to get the medicals done sooner rather than later in case there were any issues that had to be sorted. They completely understood and they were happy to go with the FileNo from the acknowledgement letter. Also you have to confirm that the application is paper based only, and therefore cannot be done on the E Health system. They had absolutely no problems with this at all. Val x
