rheia

You are applying in London?

They actually ask you to only submit the police checks after about 4 months (once your CO is assigned they will give you a time frame). This is because police checks (and medical checks) usually expire after 12 months and depending on your visa processing time you might be cutting it close with your first entry date after approval (you will have to enter Australia on your visa before your police/medical checks expire).

And yes, you will have to do a medical check, but again only after submitting your application in the time frame provided by your CO (for me this was again 4months after the date of application).

Well, I'm not in a similar situation to yours but to be honest yours sounds like a straightforward application if I've ever come across one!

Unless there are any issues like criminal history, dependent children from previous relationships etc. and if you're willing to put the work in, I'd say go for it!

We decided to not use a migration agent as we felt that without any complicating circumstances we were perfectly capable of compiling the application ourselves. Sure, there were many hours of head scratching involved but using online resources like this forum we managed to resolve all questions.

For us it was partially also a financial decision. Saving on a migration agent on top of all the other costs that were heading our way made a real difference.

Edit: Just to give you an idea, we started planning for our application in April 2013 and applied October 2013. This is not because it took us this long to compile everything (though getting statutory declarations from other people can be a bit of a drag...) but because we were very thorough and had planned ahead to when we'd ideally like to move.

Hello, I got my visa already as my wife was main applicant. I did not need to have my skills assessed. However to get a job is it necessary to have skills assessed by relevant authority? Mine would need to be done by australian computer society

Good question. I was wondering the same thing (I'm in IT too, have applied for partner visa).

I have been assured that no one will be asking for a skills assessment, which would be great as I could really do without the additional hassle & cost.

I was told to only bring the e-medical referral letter (which you generate when you fill out the online form your CO sends you the link to), my passport, contact lenses and/or glasses if you wear them and a report from my GP only if I was treated for something serious.

There's space for a photo on the medical referral letter but they said they'll take the photo at the practice, so no need to provide one.

Oh yeah, and the money of course

(cash or credit card)

I'm actually a little bit confused about when the date of lodgement should be! Is it the date they sent the letter and give you a CO or is it the date that its sent off? I sent the visa on the 13th June 2013, then the money came out on the 23rd June and then a letter from our CO on the 25th June - does this mean our date of lodgement is the 13th? my CO also advised me she had everything she needed and it would take approx 9 months from date of lodgement but by the sounds of things, they are moving through the applications a bit quicker. Did anyone else get told this?

In my case, the date of lodgement was mentioned in the acknowledgement letter from my CO (in the first line of the letter actually).

Something like:

"I am writing to confirm receipt of your migrant visa application that was lodged with this office on 22 October 2013."

Which was actually the date the money was taken out of my account (they received the application the day before).

5 weeks + 1 day for me

Applied for 309/100 in London as well, end of October 2013.

I've seen quite a number of people in the same situation posting on forums recently saying that was roughly their time frame for acknowledgment as well.

Hey everyone, I lodged my spouse visa at the start of December. It was only 2 weeks ago but are we suppose to have heard from them yet to say they have received it? We sent tracked so we know they it arrived, but have no idea what next.

My advise: Be patient.

We lodged end of October and it took just over 5 weeks to hear from them (via email). We also knew it had arrived safely because of Royal Mail tracking.

Hi Everyone,

 

Congrats to all that have had their visa grated recently, it’s such good news.

 

I have been on the forum many times and everyone is so helpful. I was wondering if I could ask everyone for their option on a question I have. I am going to apply for the spouse visa in Feb/Mar time, but I was wondering what people views were about visa agents? Do you think they would aid or hider my application?

 

Any advice would be welcomed?

 

Thanks

Personally, we decided to go through the process without the aid of a migration agent.

Our application was straightforward and we felt that we could easily get it done well on our own. It took us 6 months from starting to look into the visa to finally sending off the application but with the help of resources online (forums / Immi website) we didn't encounter any major issues.

The main stage at which I felt a migration agent would have been useful was to review our application before it was sent off - whether we had included the most relevant information or should take out some pages, add others etc.

But then migration agents do tend to offer that as a service, separate from going through the whole application process with them (at reasonable rates).

I would have gone with a migration agent if there were complicating circumstances, i.e. if we hadn't lived together for the full 12months before the application, I was from a high risk country, there was a pre-existing medical condition, criminal convictions etc.

If you decide to use an agent, make sure they are registered! (https://www.mara.gov.au/)

Applied the day after Rheia and lilacdreamer, and today got my CO. Delighted!! Been told to wait till after 21 Jan 14 to go for my medicals, that's fine. At least I can get it booked in.

congrats on the co!

re the medical, if you're going for the central london clinics be prepared for only being able to book a month in advance. I might have been keen as well and called them up for a february appointment today... no chance!

other clinics might have similar limitations.

How funny! We might get granted same day too!

 

We applied for the 309/100 too, but we've been living together for 4.5 years, so he said we are eligible to skip straight to the 100.

 

Did you include an envelope for them to send your stuff back? We didn't, but we sent copies of everything, so I'm not fussed if we get it back.

Yes, we included an addressed return envelope as we included some original cards (birthday, christmas etc.). Guess we'll see what we actually get back...

No skipping to 100 for us, I'm afraid! Only been living together for about 1.5 years...

We finally got our CO!! So excited, it all feels quite real now! :jiggy:

 

We got DP, he was really lovely. We have also been advised we are eligible for a 100 visa straight away - which is such a massive relief.

 

Just need to sit back and let it all play out now. We are very lucky that it will all fall in line with when we need to leave. My ancestry visa for the UK runs out in July next year, and he advised we should be able to leave the country together.

 

I can't believe what a weight has been lifted!

Haha, guess what - applied the same day, got DP assigned today as well!

(we're applying for a 309/100 visa)

And from Royal Mail tracking I know that some of our evidence must have been sent back as well - expected to arrive in the post tomorrow....