ozjourney

Thanks! I'll take a look but will be back with more questions.

Looking at Canterbury College as a possible school so Waterford is a starting point.

Can anyone recommend any areas south of Brisbane CBD? Looking for something between the city and the Gold Coast. Thanks!

Once requested by DIAC, how long will be given to get medicals completed?

Brisbane, hopefully. Are your contacts not national? Just had that thought!

Yes thanks.

Can I take you up on the recruiter details offer too?

Confirmation that skills assessment is completed was emailed to me overnight. 7 weeks and 1 day from receipt in Melbourne.

It’s now 5 weeks and 2 days and still no assessment. Despite several calls to Australia and the European office, I still haven’t received a definitive answer on the progress. The GM of the European office has spoken to me and emailed me about the lack of service received. Every promise of a deadline, an email, a call back hasn’t happened from the Australian office(s). The turnaround is now 8 weeks and I have a ‘no promises’ date of 3rd July – this being 8 weeks from their acknowledgement of receipt. My issue isn’t necessarily about timescales (it was up to 4 weeks when I submitted though) but the lack of service and information coming out of CPA Australia. Officially frustrated now.

Called this morning. Told it would be about a week. I said I was told that last week. The guy apologised but there had been a "system upgrade" and a new database had only been made available today. I'm not convinced. I didn't realise that the determination would be posted out and no info can be given over the telephone or electronically. It's a rule from DIAC, I was told.

I've gone the CPA route via the MRA with CIMA. Felt it will be part of "fitting in" should we be success in getting a visa.

I decided to use the MRA that CIMA and CPA Australia has to get membership. Some will say that it's not needed, they're probably right, but felt that it was an important part of "fitting in" should we be successful.

I'll keep you posted! I've decided to call in the morning because that gives them all of Wednesday virtually. Just desperate for an answer (assuming it gives full points) so we can enter our EOI.

I'm trying to fight the desire to call them. I'm just too impatient and the whole migration process requires the opposite!

When do you think the best time is to start planning removals, finances etc? It seems to be a trade off between planning and the position of the application. Although nothing is guaranteed until a visa is granted, that seems too late in a way. Don't want to go down the "activation" visit route if possible.

It appears that a "website upgrade" means that you can't track your migration assessment on the CPA Australia website.

They only did that when I called and I hope they stick to it! As I said previously, my membership application was a series of missed promises from them.

I will chase again on Friday if I haven't received a decision.

I took the Academic and got: L 8.5, R 7.5, W 9.0, S 9.0. Was gutted over the reading! It was enough to submit for the skills migration assessment so re-took IELTS but sat the General. I'm glad to say that I got band 9's across the board. For me, there was a noticeable difference in the reading as I finished after 20 minutes in the General. The Academic was quite difficult, as you'd expect, in it's use of language.

Sent at end of April. Had email confirming receipt on 8th May.

It's not detailed - "in progress" is all it says.

Called on Thursday and was told it would be about a week before they could give a decision.

Adelaide. Haven't really done SA yet. Maybe even ride the Adelaide-Darwin railway? Tasmania needs a visit too!

I applied for membership and it was supposed to take 10 working days. Took nearly a month. Not overly surprised by change but disappointed.

It's now saying 'up to 8 weeks'. Have you received an email to say they've got it? It took a week from sending to get the email to say it was being processed.