Movetoaus

Honestly, that's twice you've rolled out that ridiculous threat against me. If you knew anything about the law you'd get off it and maybe throw something more intelligent into the conversation. :wink:

last time I checked and sent money international through a bank it cost....strangely the same as a bank draft $25 and takes over a week to clear because they hold it to collect the interest. The link you sent shows some dubious instructions on doing a bank transfer with them. Unlike most business that just give you their routing numbers and other bank details, they ask that you send them a secret email with all your details and then they will send you theirs! So what, maybe after a month you might be able to have the pleasure of sending them a transfer that will still cost you. I think you have miss read what I wrote. but this form makes me WANT to fly back there I don't have to fly back, I was saying, I'd like to fly back and commit a criminal offence on these *****, just to have a record worth going through all this damn trouble to get!!

Yes I know, that's my whole point of this thread. That they have set certain occupations above others, for no other reason than their own preconceived (and entirely wrong) idea's of who makes an honest person, based solely on what they do for a living. Some of the other occupations are just laughable.

It's discriminating against anybody that doesn't hold a job on that list. There are plenty of disbarred doctors and lawyers, bankers etc yet they are seen as honest. Just because someone sweeps a road for a living they are not. It's a typical standard of the UK where you have to be in a certain social circle to be deemed worthy. And no it's not the same in Australia. If I wanted a photo endorsed here, I just go to a justice of the peace and they sign it for free and no one asks or cares what their other job is.

Ah ok thanks on the TBH. Yeah it's an odd association to be in charge of giving out these certificates. I'd imagine all it is is a couple of clicks on their database, bung it in a envelope and job done. What a extortion racket, and they are supposed to be catching the crooks! What really got me was the list of occupations that you had to choose from to qualify being an honest person to verify your picture. Surely that is discrimination?

I can't figure out what you mean. What's a TBH? and why does it mean they want to charge more for it?

This has to be the dumbest application I've ever seen. Its run by the Association of Chief Police Officers. They want double the price of the police check in Australia, they have no online process, they require a bank draft which will cost another $25 and they have a page of jobs that they feel make a person honest enough to be able to just sign the back of a frickin photo to say its actually you! And that person has to have known you for 2 years! Where do they get these limits from? Its typical British bureaucracy that made Britain the sh it hole its become. I don't have a criminal record in the UK, but this form makes me want to fly back there just to get one!

Offshore and onshore are completely different time lines. It will vary depending on what state you applied in, and to what office. I was recently told by the Brisbane office that they are running 12 months before they get to assign a CO. If everything is in order you may never hear from that CO, if they are missing paperwork or there are questions they will contact you and then put your case in a pile where it may lay for some time before they get back to it.

What they are talking about is http://Powder actuated tools I haven't heard them referred to as explosive power tools either, but I'm 100% sure that's what they mean. In Australia you need to be certified to use them.

Also check out the ride share section of Gumtree, always lots of backpackers and others looking for and offering rides. http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-rideshare-travel-partners/brisbane/c18332l3005721

Well considering thats about $20 cheaper than I could find to get my bike shipped from New Zealand to Aus, I think you are doing well. I brought my other bike over in a bike box and its not that bad, but I have a fancy hardcase one with roller wheels on it. Virgin use to ship bikes for free, but not sure if they are still doing this. They stopped with Virgin Blue.

Downloaded the form the other day. Filled it out got all the things they required, took it in, no waiting. All very pleasant and was done and given a receipt with the number on it in less than 30mins. Since Im on a bridging visa, mine is only good for a year and it was back dated to when I was approved on the bridging visa. But she said if I'm still on a bridging visa when the card runs out, I just have to re apply.

Oh my goodness, is this thread still going on!? You lot are starting to sound like a bunch of politicians, bla bla bla, and nothing has changed. Shall we just agree to disagree and move on with our lives the best way we can?

Well Pom Queen, thanks for all your heart felt help and concern. I hope people were as helpful to you as you have been to me, during what is for everyone a stressful process. I'm not sure what the purpose of running a forum to give advice about immigration matters is, if all you do is tell people they will loose all their money and they should get an agent. :nah: Anyway I spoke to immigration today and there is absolutely nothing to worry about, I've done everything correctly. In Brisbane at least, partner applications are taking 12 months to process and they are currently just getting to applications filed in Feb 2013. I was told I can either hold on to all my info or just mail it into the immigration services address I was given and it will be added to my file. If I choose not to send anything in until I'm contacted by a case officer then chances are my file is put back in the heap and it could delay it while they wait on me to send the relevant information.

There's probably people here a lot more knowledgeable than me, who hopefully will respond. But here is my take on it. I had also considered the spouse visa offshore, but ended up going for a partner visa onshore. I seem to remember that if you apply for the spouse visa offshore, there shouldn't be a problem with coming in on a visitor visa, but then she will be required to leave the country before the spouse visa is issued. I think they contact you to tell you it's approved and at that time she would leave and then the visa is issued. Her current ETA is good for 12 months with a maximum of 3 months stay at one time. So if she got it last June its close to expiring. There is nothing to stop her re applying for another ETA now. When you apply online it will tell you that it recognizes she already has a ETA and are you sure you want to continue as that will cancel out the current one. Just continue with the application and you will get another ETA good for another 12 months. The deal with the return ticket, well actually it's not a return ticket required, its a ticket out of the country. So you could just get a cheap ticket from Gold Coast, or Sydney to Auckland. But the real problem is the airline when you get on your flight to Aus. They will usually insist you have an outbound ticket. Ive gone through immigration many times in Aus and sometimes they ask to see my outward bound ticket, sometimes they don't, but the airline has pretty much always asked for it and they wont let you on a flight without it.