SusieRoo
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@Kathss56 what's your best guess for our visa processing timeline? I know we are both March 2016ers and I need to get husband to loose a stone before his medical (he says he is now going to become a vegan like all the millennials). I'm thinking we could get our medical call late this year or early 2019, what do you think?
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Congratulations on 15 years. Can I ask out of interest, what was the old retirement visa? Also, how is house price inflation on the Sunshine Cost? We are seeing some very nice houses available now on the internet, but we are still 12/18 months from getting our visas. Would you think it reasonable to factor a 15% price increase by the time we arrive?
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£ to au$ is looking good again today at 1.79 and a possibility of going back above 1.80 in the next few days
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This is just what I need to hear, especially the last part. You may have read in my previous post that we are also considering moving to the Sunshine Coast. Can I ask you about the climate? It has been suggested by Australian friends that we would find the humidity very difficult. We have visited a few times but not in the summer and the weather has always been idyllic. Also, do you have any knowledge of Peregian Springs, we have been investigating buying a plot of land to build on when we finally get our visas. Any thoughts from a local would be greatly appreciated. I know there are other areas in this forum where these topics are covered, but I find everything on this treads is a little more tailored to us dinosaurs.
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I am sorry to hear this sad news. We have also been down this same thought pathway and when last visiting Melbourne, we were incredibly disappointed to see how little we would get for our money. I understand how easy it would be at this point to stay put in the UK. My husband spent a lot of time in Australia before I knew him and he always said I would be disappointed with Melbourne. He wasn’t exactly right (as usual), but I do think we Brits can get a false impression from everything we have seen on TV and the media. And in truth Melbourne is a very busy and very, very expensive city. (Only surpassed by Sydney). Melbourne is also very ‘urban’ in a way that is often hard for my generation to fully appreciate. But my Son and DIL love it and it seams to give them all they need. I fully agree with you, and we would not give up our lovely home in the UK for a tiny flat or unit in Melbourne. But if you think about it, the same thing would happen if we moved to London. And we have never dreamed of moving anywhere close to London, even when our son lived there. So for us, it’s about finding an area that gives us close to what we have (or better) and then we will make the rest work. I have a lot of admiration for Fisher1 in finding their solution, living in a very beautiful area and being a simple train journey from family in Sydney. There are many options for this also around Melbourne. We are now considering Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, which is probably where we would choose to live anyway. And the short fight will take us less time than we used to spend driving to our sons in the UK. We know it’s not going to be easy and we’re prepared for difficulties. But life is far too short for regrets and we are just ready now for an adventure. It’s very sad to hear of people having to give up on their dreams particularly after three years in the visa queue. I hope you take the time to reconsider and whatever you decide, I wish you all the very best.
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With the 173 visa we don't need to do all the AOS stuff, so you would hope this reduces the timeline by a good few weeks. Also immi’s ‘Global Visa Processing Times’ are showing 1 to 2 months less time for 173 visas. Most contributors on this thread are on 143 visas and you can see from many of the previous posts, there are significant delays and frustration with Centrelink and the AOS part of the process. (Sadly we still have to go though this at a later stage) It’s very difficult to tell how immi really works, particularly now they’re contacting applicants, ‘pre’ case officer. Historically you would plan on about three months from case officer to second-vac payment request. But if we also get a pre case officer call, then assuming everything is in order, we could see our processing time reduced significantly. If everything checks out and your application is accepted, you have 28 days to make the payment. Visa grant is just few days after immi receives their cheque. Where are you up to yourself, and when did you apply?
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Very sorry to hear this, but please do not be too hasty in retracting your application. We too have been looking at prices in Melbourne and have been disappointed by how expensive some areas are. We are now considering Queensland's Sunshine Coast as an option, where you get so much for your dollars. It's a beautiful area and although it's long way from Melbourne it's still a lot closer than the UK. Don't give up on your dreams, just give yourselves a little more time and I'm sure you will find a compromise.
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Happy Australia Day! Don't think we'll be throwing a shrimp on the barbie here, but might try a glass of Australia's finest (if I can work out how to open the box).
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Please feel free to share any info on this. We are following in your 173 path and also have kidneys for sale. Did you, by any chance, ask if you could change to a 143, before your 173 was finalised? As this is something we would like to now do. I think the processing times have grown to over 18 months now for this upgrade. You will qualify for a bridging visa, although you will need to get your application in before your temp 173 expires. Best not to worry about everything and just take the process in small chunks. I would deal with one form at a time. I guess you don’t need to take medicals yet, it’s just the application form for now. Remember you’re not alone, and I am sure there are many on this forum who can offer advise on every aspect of process.
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I don't fully understand the significance of Ray & Geri’s post, but I guess if it makes Australia safer, then it can only be a good thing. It looks like there will be now even closer links between security and immigration. The terrible events in Melbourne this week (although not officially terrorism) may give good reason to consider tightening immigration policies. And who knows how this could affect future parent visa criteria. My main concern for the coming year is what’s going to be in the next budget. We are still waiting for the new (delayed) parent visa to commence, and to see if there are any additional consequences for other parent visa types. 2017 has had its ups and downs, but fantastic to hear of so many visa grants and big moves this year. Particularly when following individual stories on this forum. The last few weeks seem to have been endless rounds of document requests, AOS and case officers. Congratulations to all of you. My New Year wish is for progress to continue at the same brisk pace, with the queue getting shorter, more places allocated and no price hikes. Merry Christmas and best wishes to everyone on this forum, past and present.
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Happy Christmas!
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"Visa application processing times - Last updated: 16 November 2017 (for month ending 31 October 2017) 143 Contributory Parent (Migrant) 37 Months - 38 Months" For what it's worth, I think these are the same as last month's update.
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Thanks for the extra info. I just think it's great to hear good news stories for a change. Good luck and please keep posting updates.
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This is very good news to hear of progress like this, and thank you for sharing it with the forum. I don't wish to detract anything from your parents good fortune, but it would be good to try and understand why their application has progressed so far in advance of most others. If they were asked to submit documents nine weeks ago (early October), at that time immi were only stating “We are currently assessing applications lodged up to and including 29 January 2015” I wonder why your parents would have been contacted so early? (Sorry for being such a stickybeak) but is there anything unusual or complicated about their application? And do they have a MA with an office in the UK? This is a very exciting time for your family and I hope it isn’t too long until the visas are granted.
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What about a punt on bitcoins? Pounds to Bitcoin now, then change to Au$ next year. Any thoughts?
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Great news to receive your request, but early June 18 seems like a long time until moving forward with a case officer. I guess this is immi's new way of working.
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But what exchange rates did you get from the comparison today? Having no fees is great if you don't loose out on the rate. It would be really good to know how your comparison of £20k looks when it turns into Au$ or just the exchange rate you were offered from both companies.
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That's interesting Catlady, I was under the impression that Moneycorp was slightly less favorable when compared to Currencyfair and Transferwise. Do you have a breakdown rates and costs for your comparison? As you say there is probably little difference between each of them, but it would be good to know which gives the best deal. We have just been sending the money over for our 2nd Vac payments, but there will come a time when we need to move the proceeds from our house sale. Then I suppose those little differences will all add up.
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I'm no expert, but I think you can open a free 'Borderless Account' with Transferwise and hold money in UK Pounds or AU$ (or other currency). You can then exchange money whenever you wish and you can also make electronic transfers in and out of these borderless accounts in the UK or Australia, just like any normal bank account. You do get 24h to make payment after you have setup a transfer (with the rate fixed) but if you repeatedly don't make the payment you loose this option. I think it's always best to try a few small payments to see how everything works in the first instance. For anyone without an Australian bank account, we opened one with Westpac by just walking into their branch/office in London. It was all very easy and we now get 3.5% interest on savings.
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Hi Fisher1 I hope you are settling well into your new life. I do understand how you feel about your personal data, but the way I see it, I would expect any reputable company to be doing due diligence. When we have to trust a faceless internet company with our money, it's good to see some level of professionalism. But I also think I only needed to send photo id when setting up a virtual Australian account (which we haven't used this yet) and I don't think the id was required to send money directly to a regular Australian account. Exchange rate has passed the 1.80 mark today.
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The exchange rate is up again today to just over au$1.79 to the Pound and I wonder if we will see go above 1.80 in the next few days?
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This is a good comparison of fees, but we would need to compare the respective 'rates' to make a true comparison (which would be good to know). What is the 'Exchange Rate Margin' and how is it calculated? I am guessing this is the difference between the actual rate and the rate you get, but when I read their website there is no explanation. Which is the reason why I don't truss companies who do not make everything transparent from the get-go (never believe the sales pitch until you have read to small print). However, I do believe you are getting a reasonable deal with Currencyfair, but I still suspect in a true £ to au$ comparison Transferwise will be slightly ahead. Really for the sake of a few cents is not too important which company we choose, as long as the visa queue keeps getting shorter and the sun keeps shining in Australia.
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Good to get the facts clear for this condition on the 600 visa. Also I recall you have raised concerns with the suitability of a 600 visa for queuing parents preempting 143 grants. Particularly if selling up in the UK and moving with household contents (which is something we have been considering). It is sobering when reading "The purpose of imposing the condition is to prevent the visa holder from using the visa to maintain ongoing residence in Australia" and makes me think this may be not the best way for us to proceed. Don't suppose there is any news or movement with the new parent visas?
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This is a great question. Unfortunately one I can't answer, but I would love to hear a definitive answer, as it has been brought up on this thread many times. I know others have interpreted the 3 years as split into two separate periods (which would give your parents until 02/19). The problem of course is getting a three year exclusion if you overstay. Please keep us informed if you manage to discover the official verdict.
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Welcome! The official position from immi today is "We are currently assessing applications lodged up to and including 05 March 2015". So no need to worry yet, but you should expect to hear something in the next week to 10 days. Immi isn't exactly consistent at your stage of the processes, so it would not be unusual to see parents with similar lodgement dates getting their emails weeks apart. Also, worth also checking your email junk/spam folder and definitely worth downloading and completing form 80 in anticipation. I hope this helps and I know it must be a worry (but still very exciting!)
