Ceri

Congrats to all those who submitted in Oct on getting grants. 2 weeks today i will be landing on Aussie soil! it seemed like forever waiting to get a grant, and since weve been granted time has gone so fast! currently sorting through years worth of stuff, packing, sending emails, chasing up things, job hunting and saying goodbyes - exciting and anxious all at the same time.

Thanks both Sarah and CalNgary - this forum has been so useful in settling any concerns and questions.

Thanks so much for the advice it really helps. We had noticed that the rent prices appeared to have come down quite a lot as we have been looking for the past few months. My only concern at the moment is the employment contracts needed to rent as we are both yet to secure permanent jobs (hopefully this will be done before we arrive) but i may be on a temp contract initially. We have savings etc which will see us through for a while but were unsure of whether some letting agents might not accept this. But, as you say there seem to be a lot of properties, some of which have been listed for some time so fingers crossed we can get a good deal. xx

Lovely to read this Sarah. We are due to arrive in Perth on the 20th Jan. Feeling very excited but so much to do before we arrive, and no doubt once we arrive. Can i ask how was it arranging to view and apply for properties? i have been looking at rentals via the internet and wondered how easy it is to rent. We are staying with friends for the first few days/weeks but we are keen to get something sorted as to not impose on them for too long. What sort of info/documentation did they require etc. Thanks

Sounds great. Thailand is fab. We are heading straight to Perth but intend on having some time to settle before the job hunt starts. Good luck, keep me posted on your experience xx

Fantastic! So happy for you. Best feeling in the world isnt it. We booked our flights yesterday we leave the 20th Jan!

Fingers crossed for you! x

I still cant believe it. I'm half expecting them to send me another email saying that there has been some kind of mistake. When are you heading out?

Hi all, we received our grants this morning too! Fab christmas present!

Amazing! Congrats. Been following your thread closely as we have similar timings. Fab xmas present

Yeah i was thinking that

..

So frustrating really seeing that November applications have been looked at and granted and knowing ours are just sat there (potentially needing additional info) i know there are processes and procedures just wish we knew what they were

Does anyone know if visas are granted over the weekends or is it a Monday-Friday thing? (part wishful thinking, part to stop myself checking emails every 2 mins)

I've been having a nosey at the November invites threat which has been started and have noticed quite a few have been assigned case officers already (some within 11 days etc) does anyone know how the case officers work through each application. I know the different visas have a different priority level etc however, it just seems strange to assign case officers to more recent applications whilst older ones are outstanding etc.