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datstheone

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Everything posted by datstheone

  1. datstheone
    I think that getting a driving licence in Australia actually invalidates your UK licence, though I am not sure if there is communication between the licensing authorities. So if you are only in Australia for less than 3 months on this trip then just drive on UK licence and get state one when you arrive for good. Having just printed out the NSW application form it does need bits of information that identify you and give an address, or you need to get someone who has known you for more than a year and has NSW licence to confirm your residential address.
  2. datstheone
    My must enter by date is 3 months after both my medical and police check! I suspect CO typed December when they meant September as that would have matched date of medical. Everything else on grant is correct so I didn't bother to query this as I am flying out on Easter Sunday anyway.
  3. datstheone
    Having resigned myself to waiting until next week I have just received my grant email! 9 months. And straight to a 100. (Though unlike some others I have only got the one email granting the 100, not 309 and then 100.) Didn't come from my CO, so perhaps other members of staff can work through ready to go grants even if CO not in office. One other strange thing about the grant is that I have until 15 December to enter the country when my medical and police check were done in September, doesn't even match up with getting an e-visitor visa at beginning of December last year. Not an issue to me as I hope to be entering in a month. Really happy to get the 100 as we only got married in July having spent more and more time together in both UK and Australia since we met 6 years ago, but without merging our lives completely. For example, I handled all the sterling spending and my wife the Australian dollar spending, with spreadsheets keeping track of things! Wasn't sure whether that would tick the right boxes. Now to get things moving and rejoin my wife in our new home. Good luck to all of those of you still waiting.
  4. datstheone
    No, nothing for me either. With recent grant times, a part-time CO and the fact that February was a short month I wasn't really expecting to get it this week. Given that some people who lodged after us were granted on Tuesday I now feel rather disappointed that mine didn't come through. Mixture of feeling happy for them and upset that they got their grants before I did! If I don't hear anything on Monday I will send a reply to an earlier email along the lines that I am seeing later grants, believed that visas were granted in order and wondering if there is any issue with mine that is causing it to be delayed etc. If I get a grant next week I think that will still give me time to go with my plan to leave at Easter, several things make that the perfect time to leave including the friend buying my car being able to pick it up from Brighton and all of my sister's family being at home for Easter.
  5. datstheone
    I have the same CO as Rikkeskill, unless there are two COs with same initials. On the original email about visa being lodged and her being appointed my CO there was a note saying that she is only in the office Monday to Wednesday.
  6. datstheone
    I have been lurking on the forum and following all the grants without updating my details. My 309/100 application was lodged on 5th June and my case officer is also JM. I applied after booking our wedding but before it took place, so only additional information was to send the wedding certificate after we married in July. Given recent grants and a part-time CO it would be good to get my grant today or Wednesday, but to avoid disappointment expecting that it might slip till next week. I have things lined up to go once the visa is granted, agents for renting flat, shippers, friend buying car etc, so hoping I can clear flat just before Easter and fly out on Easter Sunday. While it won't change the tax I have to pay I am hoping that there may be a form filling advantage in leaving UK in one UK tax year and arriving in Australia and starting to get rental income the next! I was fortunate to spend most of January in Sydney helping my wife reclaim her house after it has been rented out for the last few years, so first stage of setting up home already done and it is not going to be a total leap in the dark. As I took early retirement a few years ago I am not faced with having to find work. Not sure if I could have managed what many of you are doing in making a complete leap into the unknown to build a whole new life in Australia. Good luck to you all.
  7. datstheone
    I saw this and did some checking. The response from immigration implied that the bit about not having to go off-shore when 100 is granted only applies when this is granted after entering country after 309 was granted and then going through the provisional phase. If you apply off-shore for 309/100 then you have to be off-shore when you get first grant, even if you get 100 straight off. But if you move to Australia on 309 then the 100 will be granted without you having to go off-shore then. I am just back from a few weeks helping my wife settle back into her house ready for it to become our home when my visa is granted. I decided not to make full move until visa actually granted but I had no problems entering on an e-visitor visa, and nothing would have stopped me staying and then going out for a few days when visa ready to be granted. My 8 months are up in a couple of days but I'm not holding out much hope of getting visa until early March, but can't wait to get back and start living in Sydney.
  8. datstheone
    I applied for my partner visa at the beginning of June ahead of marrying in July. Other than supplying marriage certificate after wedding no requests for additional information and health & police checks ok. Seeing all the recent posts about processing time increasing I am now confused as to why things take so long is it - that there is a monthly quota so everything is queued and queue is getting longer because of number of applications Or - that so much going on that things just taking longer to get done? If it is workload related at what point is a decision made about whether or not the visa will be granted? (I did postal application since since I didn't spot that they had started to accept on-line applications after I had started preparing the application, so can't check status on-line). Does the fact that CO has given go-ahead for police/medical check without asking for any more evidence mean that actually the visa information has been processed and they have found that everything is in order and so it is a case of when not if the visa will be granted? My wife has just returned to Sydney and gets back into her house tomorrow after current tenants move out. I have just got a new valid tourist visa and since I am retired I could rent my flat out in the New Year and head out to join her, with a trip to NZ when visa ready to be granted. However, don't really want to do this unless I am certain I will actually get the visa and there will be no last minute requests for extra information that would be difficult to provide if everything packed up waiting to be shipped. If clear that everything is ok then I am getting tempted to arrange the move towards the end of February and hope that if I alert my CO at the beginning of February (i.e. end of my 8th month) that I am going on-shore and will need to arrange to go off-shore for the grant it may trigger an immediate grant to save them the hassle associated with co-ordinating grant with applicant making off-shore trip :-)
  9. datstheone
    Hoping to get my partner visa in February and come to Australia as soon as possible after that. Trying to work out whether it is worth shipping my car. Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Zetec 3 door with air-con bought July 2013 and in good condition with 8000 miles. Bought for £13000. Looks as though I could sell for £8500 to £9000 in UK. EcoBoost engine is Ford's fuel efficient 3 cylinder engine. Currently the only Australian model with this engine is a Sports Fiesta released about a year ago costing around A$20000 second hand. Would like to keep the fuel efficiency if the economics for shipping work out, rather than go for a similar spec normal engine e.g. Ambient version, which seems to be available for around A$16000. Resale value not really an issue as would plan to keep the car for many years. I assume that if Ford are selling a car with that type of engine in Australia that servicing would not be an issue? Any advice and guidance welcome.
  10. datstheone
    The UK DLVC link says "If you’re moving abroad, you can’t register your new address on your British driving licence. Contact the driving licence authority in your new country of residence." Nothing about having to surrender licence, or how to do that. Perhaps they don't care since if not driving in UK on that licence they would not need to contact you so address doesn't matter. I assume that you sent your UK licences back from Australia after having used them to get Australian licences. I will do some more searching on UK end.
  11. datstheone
    Thanks for all the useful information. Looks as though I go for getting NSW licence as soon as I arrive and use this if I come back to visit UK since I would be able to use that for a year. The link about changing address on UK licence when moving abroad doesn't say that you have to inform DLVC so I will just keep the old licence in case it is useful for getting a new UK licence if I do move back. If the information on my medical letter is correct I am being assessed for class 100 permanent resident partner visa so I should be able to go for full licence. Given I have a clean UK licence, and have had for 40 years, and Australia drives on the sensible side of the road, will I need to take a knowledge test as part of getting a NSW licence?
  12. datstheone
    I am waiting to be granted my partner visa and hope to be living in Australia, Sydney, by April next year. I know that one of the first things to do is to get a NSW driving licence both to allow me to carry on driving after 6 months and for id purposes. My question is what to do about my UK licence, in particular reporting change of address. I would like to keep it valid in case it comes in useful in the future. What have other people done? Have you left it with last UK address (I will be renting my flat out so I will still own that address), change it to Australian address or to a friendly UK address, such as, in my case, sister.
  13. datstheone
    If the information on my medical information letter is correct then I am being considered for 100 straight off without any asking for it. I also saw the bit about not needing to be off-shore when 100 is granted and sent a query on London contact form to get clarification. Sadly all I got was a standard reply saying that there is no visa designed to allow one to be in Australia waiting for a partner visa, and no clarification of my actual question. I would also be grateful to know if one can be in Australia on tourist visa and then go straight to PR when 100 is granted without needing an off-short trip. I suspect that the wording on the website refers to the 309/100 route, so if you were off-shore when 309 was granted then no need to go off-shore again when 100 is granted in its place after the 2 year period. My guess is that if one is granted a 100 straight off that will still require one to be off-shore when it is granted. I would be happy to be proved wrong on this if someone gets a specific clarification from their CO.
  14. datstheone
    After nearly 6 years of long distance relationship splitting time between UK and Australia my Australian partner and I are planning to move to Australia and set up home together in her house in Sydney. I have just had a CO appointed for my partner visa application, submitted at beginning of June, and the one remaining item of documentation will be submitted after we get married on Wednesday! Because of the lease on her house we will not be able to get back into that until December 2015. Assuming my visa comes through towards the beginning of 2015 on the 8/9 month turnaround we are planning an activation trip in March/April allowing us to make the big move in October/November. I know that one has to be a resident of Australia for 4 years and there are limits on being out of the country in this time, but when does the eligibility period start? Is it from the first visit on the partner visa even if this is just for a holiday, or only after one enters the country declaring that one is emigrating on the arrival card? Thanks David
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