CollegeGirl

I don't know what you mean by "visa appointment," though. Most people don't get interviewed at all. Basically once you apply for your 820, you'll have a Bridging Visa A, though it won't come into effect (as I said) until your WHV expires. If you need to leave before your WHV expires, you can still apply for and receive a BVB (which you definitely should do if you're going to be out of the country still when your WHV expires). You can be out of the country normally six months at a time on a BVB during the processing of your visa. You may even be able to extend it or fly back in and apply for and receive another to spend even more time out of the country - I'm not sure. But when they're ready to grant your 820, you'll need to be in the country. They'll notify you as long as you keep them up-to-date on your travel plans/contact info. Once they grant it, you have the right to be in or out of Aus as much as you want during the two years of your 820 - just, again, make sure they have contact info so they can notify you when it's been two years since your 820 application and it's time to provide documents for your reassessment for your 801. Once you get your 801 (PR), you have the right to travel in and out of the country as much as you want for five years. After that five years, though, you'll need to have lived in Australia for at least two of those previous five years in order to get a five-year Return Resident Visa which allows you to go in and out of Australia as you like for another five years.

DIAC often gives incorrect advice (like what the OP talked about in his post, actually). When you've already applied for a partner visa and the WHV expires, you'll be on a Bridging Visa A. While you're on your BVA, you'll need to apply for a Bridging Visa B (BVB) in order to be allowed back in when traveling overseas. The BVB is sometimes granted for just three months, but is usually granted for six months these days (especially if you request it to be that long). That being said, though - am I understanding you correctly that you only intend to be in Aus for three months, and then you're returning to live in the US permanently? I must be misunderstanding you - a Partner Visa would be sorta useless in that scenario unless you planned to move back to Aus again in the next several years.

Well, you wouldn't really be on the BVE for three years if you apply for the 820 now. When the 820 is granted in 12-15 months (or maybe even as few as six months if you get really lucky... but I wouldn't count on it) you'd be on the 820 and not the BVE anymore. I really think you need professional help on this one. It'd be really nice if you could just apply onshore for a tourist visa and have it overwrite your 457 so you could be on a BVA earlier... that'd be awesome, in fact. But I haven't heard of anyone doing that before, which makes me think it's not possible. A registered migration agent could tell you for sure if it is. I wouldn't be leaving the country if there's any chance your 457 might be cancelled in the meantime... it'd be awful to not have a visa to come back on and not be able to get a tourist visa. Seriously - your situation is REALLY complicated. I would be getting a really GOOD agent involved ASAP.

Have you ever seen The Castle? When I saw what you were looking for, and then what the price was that you listed, all I heard in my head was "Tell 'im 'e's dreamin.'" Hahaha. Seriously, though, best wishes. If you're looking at the above areas listed by MaryRose you'll find the train options are best at Revesby (we live in Georges Hall, and hubby drives to Revesby both because of there being more train options AND because there's a free parking deck there for train commuters).

For what it's worth, I was never notified that my medical was referred NOR when it cleared through the MOC. I only found out it was referred by calling my panel doctor myself. I only found out it was approved by the MOC after MONTHS of anxious waiting had elapsed and I called the embassy.

Hang on - if you've been living together that long, make sure you provide three years of evidence of that. Three years de facto or longer goes straight to permanent residency (or two years or longer if you have a child together).

Thanks oppyddrum!

Thank you so much, Pom Queen. Really nice to get a response on this.

Why do people randomly bump old threads for no real reason? :confused: Anyway, congrats Chloe! It's great they just needed a letter. :wink:

Believe me, jimjammer, people do it! I don't understand it either. They get impatient to have the wedding, I guess (I understand THAT after waiting like 15 months for my now-husband's 186 and my PMV to be processed). Still, we waited it out because the evidence needed for the PMV is so much less than the 309. We'd never lived together, so while we had plenty of evidence our relationship was genuine, we had very little financial evidence. Glad we waited! Anyway, I'd do a new NOIM, Chloe. I know it's a pain in the rear, but if you're getting married in Australia, that's LIKELY what they'll want. I've seen other couples requested to do new NOIMs when their date has passed. Not for London specifically, so I'm not sure if they have a different policy on this, but like I said - I think that's likely what you'll need.

Bet you're relieved, eh?

Yep. Just so you know it's true, Immi's website says it many places. One place is here, under "Your Permanent Partner Visa," where it says: About two years after you lodged your application for this visa [referring to the 820], you will be assessed for a permanent Partner visa (subclass 801). Emphasis and bracketed comment mine. Glad I could give you some good news.

As Snifter said, if you apply from outside Australia you may be able to come over on a tourist visa while it's processing... but you won't be able to work. You can only work if you apply from *in* Australia. Then you get a bridging visa that kicks in whenever what visa you're on when you apply expires, and you can work once that happens. No bridging visa if you apply from outside Australia.

Your two-year wait to be eligible for your permanent visa actually starts from the date your temporary visa was lodged, so you'll be eligible for PR on 17/11/2015.

Anybody have a link to the story, by the way? Don't see it on the ACA website.

A child born to an Australian Citizen/Permanent Resident and a Temporary Resident on an 820 or 309 Partner Visa is absolutely considered a reason to grant permanent residency even in cases where the relationship breaks down before the two years has passed. See the Partner Migration Booklet (page 50): http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1127.pdf or http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/801-820.aspx (click "Visa Holders," then "Your Permanent Partner Visa.") Here's what that second link I provided says: (Emphasis above is mine) Of course, this is assuming she was originally here on a partner visa, which I think is a reasonable assumption. However, DIBP are NOT in the habit of forcing an Australian minor child to live in a different country from his/her parent, so even if she was originally on a different visa I bet there is recourse for her.

I tried to catch it but remembered 15 minutes too late that the show had started. Did this woman have a child with her now ex-partner who sponsored her for the visa? If so, she's likely eligible for PR! No need for her to be here illegally.

820 Visa granted today!!! We are over the moon. We married and applied for the 820 several weeks before my medicals expired since they were referred for the PMV originally - we didn't want to have to go through that again. We applied for the 820 at the end of April, and, as you guys probably know, generally PMV to 820 gets granted in just a few weeks or less. But we waited... and waited... and waited... and saw my medical expiration date come and go. :confused: We were so worried they were going to make me take the medicals again because of them being referred last time. Also, I'm job-searching pretty intensely, and only having a nine-month visa to show employers has been less than ideal. So I emailed the partner temporary visa processing centre team on Friday - imagine my relief when they responded with a grant today! Like I said... over the moon. :jiggy:So relieved I don't have to do medicals again.

You can actually apply for Medicare as soon as you apply for the 820 - you don't have to wait until the BVA takes effect. That's both something I've read multiple places, and something I (and others on another forum) have experienced ourselves. In my case, I applied the day after I applied for my 820. I still had several months before my BVA would have come into effect. You just need the BVA grant notice.

Doh, missed that it wasn't a partner visa! Good catch, Oz and Blossom.

I don't believe the visa has to be activated in order to count against the five-year limitation - just granted. I agree, give a good RMA a call.

You do realize this is just a year-long visa, right, and not a permanent one? Just checking. Getting a visa to move to Australia permanently is much more difficult.

I'm sure there are TONS of people in this same position. Unfortunately there are really only two options: Find a way to come up with the money (prohibitive at best for most people) or decide not to migrate. It's awful, I agree.

It's highly likely there are exemptions under the FOIA for other people's tax information (I know there are in the US as that used to be part of my job. ) Doubtful they'll tell you anything.

Shouldn't take too long. My understanding is it's just a few weeks (or less) these days. Hopefully someone else will chime in if they know differently, as I haven't seen a lot of posts about referred medicals recently.