AlanSteel

Hi Alan

I believe Bali is a good cheap destination, cheap flights and accommodation can be had.

Bev

Thanks for the heads up Bev, at least we have something to plan whilst twiddling our thumbs in the waiting room!

Not technically true, as we have to work in Oz, but my wife Karen, today handed in her notice after 28years with the same employer! BIG step taken.

Life is sweet!!!!

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Hi Steve, do you have a web link to the e651 visa please? I can only find sites asking for cash? Thanks

Found it doh!!

Buy

 

 

Morning

 

Very disappointing news and like you we'll have to go out on the e651 (which is free by the way and allows stays of up to 3 months each time and is valid for a year so plenty if time?)

 

Bad day silly o'clock club members.

 

Steve

Hi Steve, do you have a web link to the e651 visa please? I can only find sites asking for cash? Thanks

Hi

 

still not got my head around it yet?

 

when we enter Oz on a 651 can we get in Ok without holding onward or return tickets? I know we have to go offshore for the grant but I don't want to buy return tickets in order to enter Oz in the first place.

 

having looked at the return airfares to Oz this morning am starting to feel sick!

 

Julie

Hi Julie, when we booked our tickets, it was cheaper to buy return tickets, so although we hope we wont have to use them, we do have return flights booked for sometime in August. We decided to leave in a bit of comfort, so we our going business class, although the return tickets are for economy. Happy to put you in contact with the company we bought from if travelling business class?

Hi Alan

 

good morning, the problem with getting up at silly o'clock is that you get all the disappointing news from IMMI before breakfast. Back to the drawing board for our plans. As it now appears likely that we will both be going into Oz on tourist visas do we need to have a return airline ticket or can we get in on a one way?

is it too early for something alcoholic? Plan A has gone out the window this morning along with plan B so having to rethink and come up with plan C.

 

Julie

Morning Julie, totally agree regards all the disappointing news, but at least we can by e-visitor visas now, knowing we actually do need them, and not just spending out for the Plan B - Security Blanket!

We thought you had to go offshore for at least 7 days, so a grain of good news from within IMMI's message, we only have to go for 5 days. So happy heads back on, where shall we go! Singapore? NZ? China, already feeling better thinking about where to go!

Just gets worse.

 

Finally had response to our email.

 

Firstly they point out that they have now changed update to 24 months from 23 months Se we are now not over due???

 

Next they say we MAY be in this years 7175 allocation of places which is up to 30 June this year or we MAY NOT???

 

Then they state they will not be getting to us for at least another 2 weeks but won't commit to actually when.

 

Kindly finish off with token 'we appreciate how stressful this must be'.

 

Words simply fail me

Morning all, we just had our reply, which is along the same lines as @Skeelsy. It is what it is, so we will sit here a little longer, and sometime soon our turn will come I'm sure. Brave faces everyone!

As your lodgement date is 30/05/2014 and we are currently assessing applications lodged up to 6 May 2014 it is very unlikely that your application will be finalised by 31 May 2016. There were a very large number of applications lodged between those two dates and as a result processing time is now up to 24 months.

Zilch. As on e visitor our 3 months up on Monday so another $1000 wasted flying to NZ and back. Let's hope they let us in as only away 24 hours and will be really unhappy bunny if then get CO and have to turn around and fly back out. Everything ready just waiting waiting waiting and waiting Kim

Feeling your pain! We fly into Perth 5 weeks today, so it's very unlikely we will have our visa by then, so started to look at options for going 'offshore'. I have emailed them asking what the chances are of being granted before our flights, but think deep down we know the answer.

Stay strong! Incidentally, have you been using the e-visa for visitors? Reckon we need them now :confused:

As I am 23 May I should have had a Case Officer 3 days ago to be in line with "up to 23 months'. We couldn't hold our tongue any more so have sent an email to immi asking for some indication as they have gone over 23 months in our case. @Val Tibenham is 2 days in front of me and in same boat Kim

@Skeelsy, did you get a reply?

Lets hope this trend continues, still some way to get bak to Aus$2+ per £1 but better than this time last week!

[h=3]Latest Exchange Rates: 1 British Pound Sterling = 1.91720 Australian Dollar[/h]

Hi Alan

well I just asked and they said no it's too early, but in your case I think it's worth a try!

julie

I'm not sure if this might seem a bit presumptive to ask, thats why I was wondering if anyone else has, and what response they got.

Hi Amanda

i notice form your timeline that you have completed police checks. We went to complete ours last week and we were a bit concerned about the question "do you have a case officer if so put their name on form" decided not to continue as worried that we might get asked to do them again.

I think I'm getting neurotic and should just get on with them.

 

Julie

Get on with them :wink:

Hi Julie, I'll let you know as soon as I get it - but perhaps try again end of the first week of May or so? I felt naughty too haha, and they don't sign off with a name either so it makes it harder to know if someone else. The AOS sounds a right pain to deal with too and not fast either by the sound of it - perhaps things have improved. Not long for you now then with your June date to leave your accommodation. We managed to secure a 6 month lease here which is quite unusual so we have until September there to get this all finalised. But I do remember that when I first applied (same time as you), we calculated we would be hearing about now that the visa has granted, and would have booked our one way tickets by now. That feels tough, can't wait to get there like you too! Sigh...

All the best,

Amanda

Has anyone ever requested their AOS in advance, and been given the details? Just curious, as we travel 5 weeks today.

Thanks for the link to this ruling, Alan. I have looked at it and tried to make sense of it! Certainly useful info to have both for me and other users of this forum and not something which can be explained in a two or three line message! I presume that linking in to Medicare will have the same sort of principles re residency?

Angela

Congrats!!

Hi

 

Good luck I hope you get a positive reply.

 

I reckon they'll say that due to unprecedented applications during May/June 2014 that progress will be slow for a while - I really hope that I'm wrong.

 

We're fed up waiting so have booked flights for 19 July in the hope that our timing and everything else works out.

 

All the best

 

Steve

Good on yer Steve! Thats what we have ended up doing, so in 5 weeks we travel, and have now started to look at likely destinations to jump off and back on again. e-visitor visa being purchased later today, for our initial journey. We are staying in Lockridge with our son, we already have a car waiting for us out there, so we thought we would rather continue waiting out there than here.

As I am 23 May I should have had a Case Officer 3 days ago to be in line with "up to 23 months'. We couldn't hold our tongue any more so have sent an email to immi asking for some indication as they have gone over 23 months in our case. @Val Tibenham is 2 days in front of me and in same boat Kim

Good luck if they answer it would be nice to see what they say. As for ValTibenham, her signature says applied May 2015...

Trying to think of something polite to say about it, but I can't so I shall say nothing!!

Hanging a positive slant on things, maybe to keep in line with the 23 months statement, IMMI could afford a 2 week lull, and they will pick up those nearing the allocation of a case officer, with May 2014 dates, over the next week or so.....

I just don't believe it - Immi - no ***** change from 6 May

Aaaaarggghh!

Hands up all those in the waiting room, if you think you might be suffering from this? A chuckle for Monday, hoping that IMMI will have put the auto responder message back on tomorrow :-)

See anyone you know? Just a bit of fun for the weekend!!

Hi Harvi. As far as i know, you and a few other people somehow were able to request for medical HAP and AOS done just a year after you guys lodged your applications. That really suprised me. Just wonder how did you do it? might as well follow u guys to make the process quicker maybe

Hi Tien, we asked by emailing IMMI if we could have a HAP number, initially they said no, but we asked again, and they said as we were getting close to being allocated a case officer, we could have the HAP numbers. As for the AOS, we haven't asked or done anything on this part of the process. I hope this helps a bit

Thanks Fisher 1, that at least answers a couple of the issues, re allowable time lag between getting the green light and actually activating the visa and whether I could initially stay on the tourist visa. Hopefully some one else will be able to answer the residency issue. Many many thanks also for all your contributions over the time you have been waiting. They have been VERY helpful and informative, even if many of your experiences seemed very stressful! Always better to be forewarned.

Glad that all has now worked out for you. Enjoy your new lives in Australia!

Hi Angela, and good luck, having read what Fisher1 has put, and being that he is ahead of me in the process, I cant add anything of use for you.

Im not 100% certain, but I think to be a permanent resident, ie Oz citizenship (if this is what your asking), is 4 years, but please don't quote me on that. I think I have read that previously on the forums.

Hello Everyone,

 

I’m new here and resigned to sitting at the back of the waiting room for a while.

 

I would love to hear any advise from you guys and the front of the queue?

 

Is there anything you would do differently if you were starting again?

hi SusieRoo, don't think we would change anything, it's a long process that you can only wait and wait as it takes its path.

As frustrating as it is, especially as dates you hope might be the ones, pass and go, I wish our system was similar to this one.

Good luck with your journey

No update this week! :mad: