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Izzielizzie

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  1. Izzielizzie
    Hello! We're moving to Melbourne (from interstate) and would be keen for anyone to provide updated opinions on primary and secondary schools in Point Cook? DS is quite shy, studious and introverted. We'd like a school with a culture where academic excellence is "cool". Because DS is in year 5, we're only considering schools that offer K-9 (or K-12 though I've not read of any). I've done some research but would love to hear first-hand advice please? Alamanda College - seems to be good on paper based on rankings, NAPLAN results, etc. Any feedback? How's the admin? Any bullying? How're the older kids?? Featherbrook College - just opened this year - any feedback from parents who have visited or whose kids are currently enrolled there? Caranballac P-9 - read some not so great reviews so very hesitant - only thing is it's the zoned school for Sanctuary Lakes which seems nice (and safe?) Point Cook College - good reviews but also quite full? Just concerned because of stories about teens in state schools (well, anywhere but there seem to be more horror stories??) - realise it can't fully be avoided but we'd like to lessen the chances of DS getting bullied and/or exposed to bad habits at an early age. Thank you and hope to gain some advice and insights! PS. We're looking at the estates zoned for each school of course so any comments RE the same in relation to the schools would be great, thanks!
  2. Izzielizzie
    Thanks everyone! I hope you get yours soon - will be adding you all to my prayers. @syd2016 @badaich87 @jess6 @Zee14042016 And yes, it hasn't fully sunk in yet - reckon I'll burst into tears when I drive to work tomorrow. My husband is still in disbelief. Ha ha ha! Hope to see you guys in the citizenship forum next year (if they don't change residence requirements) otherwise, a few more years' wait is fine. We've had practice being patient. ?
  3. Izzielizzie
    Thanks everyone! HO HO HO - Christmas has arrived early in our household. We will celebrate with food and some vino haha! Best of luck to everyone - what a crazy ride!!
  4. Izzielizzie
    FINALLY - best news ever oh my god. After nearly a decade we're permanent residents!!! We got the grant early today. It hasn't fully sunk in yet. I haven't cried in relief yet! Thank you to everyone for the support and for sharing your experiences - it has made a big difference knowing we're not alone. I'm updating my details on the spreadsheet now, along with my signature here. Good luck to everyone - hang in there I know how shockingly rough the wait is - I hope you get your good news sooner rather than later! Shout out to my fellow comrades waiting for a year and longer @Zee14042016 @badaich89 @Raj1985 @Apr 2016 and to other Marketing Specialists @Jess6 - praying for you guys!!
  5. Izzielizzie
    Hi @Alice 1 and @Ozbozz, can you provide the below? I'll add in your details: Is your country LR or HR (high risk)? No of people on your application Stream: Transition/Direct/Agreement? Nomination application date? visa application date? Dates granted? Document/s requested? Processing team (state)? Occupation Ozbozz, already added you on the 'Jul 2016' tab - just need to add in your occupation, HR/LR and number of people, thanks!
  6. Izzielizzie
    Hi @Alice 1, that's an awfully long wait! Did you lodge your nomination and visa around the same time? I hear ya - my employer's MA told us 4-6 months, ha! Thanks @Ozbozz - hope we both get it soon already but yes, not wishing for it is probably the best recourse for now. Still doing my countdown to 28 days though. By the way, can I add your details to the spreadsheet? Think it helps everyone being able to see how others fare.
  7. Izzielizzie
    Hi @Ozbozz, I heard from IMMI that the CO who processed your nomination doesn't necessarily have to be the same one to finalise your visa application as they work in teams now. Technically, when they request for a follow up requirement, they give applicants 28 days to submit, after which, they theoretically, should pick up the case and assess. Supposedly anyway but I'm not sure myself. You're not alone in getting the cold shoulder via email! We were asked for one form for my spouse (though info was already submitted in another form!) and we uploaded it the same day. We emailed and pressed the button confirming the same on the visa portal. Also rang them but we were told to wait after the 28 days since file automatically goes back to the queue! If you look at the spreadsheet (see link below) and also through this thread, some get lucky and their visas are granted swiftly after providing documents though. Others wait longer. We're over a year since lodgement now so haven't really been lucky but praying we get it soon. It's really ridiculous and painful.
  8. Izzielizzie
    Hi @bevan, CONGRATS! Just noticed that after you submitted the file two weeks after the request, you got PR the same day! Did you chase this? Ring them? We were requested for form 1221 (for my spouse) about a week after nomination grant and submitted it on the same day however, when I rang to tell them, we were told it went back to queue and to wait for the 28 days...It's been over a year since we lodged so the wait is extra painful. We don't have a migration agent though and I already followed up once.
  9. Izzielizzie
    Hi @Ozbozz, didn't you get your automatic BVA sent your way after lodgement? Did you lodge your visa application yourself and is your email the designated email? If so, you would have received BVAs for your fam and that automatically activates once your 457 expires. But you should get your PR long before then? Do you know if your visa has a CO already? It's odd that it hasn't been granted yet? I thought they looked at requirements after 28 days?? We're counting down our 28 days so feeling anxious as well...
  10. Izzielizzie
    Hi @Vickiw89, over 12 months now as well. Congrats to all the new PRs and hope we see more grants this week! So sorry to read sad updates on the forum - pray that better things await. Also, anyone here got their nomination approved and are still waiting after visa follow-up request?? We submitted form 1221 for spouse (form 80 wasn't enough) on the same day requested but apparently, it goes back to the queue(!?) so we're counting down the 28 days. Does anyone know if they will definitely pick it up again after that? Grateful it's in progress, but can't fully shake off the anxiety especially with the new changes. By the way, if your lives are affected in any way by the (proposed) NEW citizenship residence requirements, it's not too late yet as the law hasn't passed - until June 1st, we can still send our opinion letter for consideration via citizenship.submissions@border.gov.au. Hope this shout out is okay? Add your details to the EDITABLE version of the 186 timelines spreadsheet: https://goo.gl/7g7FjC
  11. Izzielizzie
    Hi guys, I agree and hope the owner is reading our messages and can open it up again. Personally, I wouldn't want to use my private email to edit either. Oops, sorry, just read the replies and @jess6 provided an open link - here's a short hyperlink we can share to the editable 186 timelines spreadsheet: https://goo.gl/7g7FjC
  12. Izzielizzie
    Hmm maybe? But there are several recent ones from NSW and VIC too - maybe it just depends where you're allocated? Good luck to you too! By the way, are you able to work on your BVA given the 457 was cancelled? Or do you have to wait for 186?
  13. Izzielizzie
    Yes, thank God - got it a few days away from one year but we're only halfway there SO we're not breathing until it all comes through - scared/happy, ha ha! Oddly enough, I rang them last week and the lady said that visa hadn't been allocated but that she could not disclose information RE nomination. She also said that we were still technically within the 90% (processing timelines) as we hadn't reached on year yet! I didn't share this here, as thought it might give false hope. I'd actually told my employer that I felt the IMMI lady was subtly trying to indicate that my nomination had a CO - but we laughed it off to wishful thinking. Who knew?? Oh and the nomi grant states WA PESE..
  14. Izzielizzie
    Thanks for the well wishes everyone! Longest wait of our lives after being here for so long - hope we hear more good news soon...can't really celebrate when we're only halfway through - we're still not fully relieved but so thankful! @mahenderntpc, have you followed up recently? Hope you hear good news soon! @badaich87, yes, unbelievable - making peace with uncertainty is helping my sanity. RE updating documents, only thing I know is that my employer's MA uploaded updated employment confirmation to their account a few months ago in anticipation (given how long we'd been waiting). I also added my YE 2016 PAYG late last year along with some recent payslips.
  15. Izzielizzie
    Hello world! Happy to share that our NOMINATION was finally approved! Nomi lodged: 08 Apr 2016, Visa lodged: 18 Apr 2016 Nomi approved: 05 Apr 2017, Visa: ??? 186 DE Onshore, HR, Marketing Specialist Details are on the spreadsheet. Hope this brings some relief to fellow DE and also early 2016 applicants (we haven't been forgotten!) - we still have to wait for PR though but it's progress - good luck to us all! @Zee14042016 @badaich89 @jess6 @APR15
  16. Izzielizzie
    Yes, @syd2016 I agree although some HRs get approved quickly so I wonder if it's dependent on actual nationalities, ie. some countries are looked at less favourably in this Trump world. For instance, I read that Australia will now have stricter border processes for all flights coming in from the middle east, following the US and the UK. Just wondering if they have similar filters for visa applicants? Or maybe they cap per country. Who knows..it's all so secret isn't it? Funny bus analogy - maybe they should've invested in a high speed train system given how much $ immigration brings in to the economy. By the way I think @scorpion69 is a software engineer - congrats mate, so lucky!
  17. Izzielizzie
    Hi @Elliotkan, you never know - I had a good feeling and was riding the wave of optimism the first several months...until we went past 7 months and still nothing..and then 9, 10, 11 months and still nothing, ha ha. Now we're a few days from 365 and I'm a bit resigned and sad. I'd really like to know though what the maximum wait time is for a CO to be allocated - at least that much information would help us plan our lives better. Good luck to you - who knows, you might be one of the fortunate ones!
  18. Izzielizzie
    Hi @Elliotkan, it might be more than that - my multinational employer's been operating several decades in Aus, public profile includes 5000-10,000 staff in Aus with a revenue of $500M to $1B AUD a year. I thought that would mean a quick nomination approval, but we're waiting nearly one year now (Apr-2016) for both nomination and visa. If you backtrack in the forum, we've discussed this many times out of frustration and it seems random - at least based on limited information on the spreadsheet. Maybe occupation has something to do with it, volume of applicants per occupation? Supply/demand? Maybe country/nationality? Location within Australia? Some observations: IT/Nursing/Engineering/Teaching/University Academic occupations get processed quickly TRN generally a few months ahead of DE Based on limited data, seems they process 60-70% of cases per month, then move on to a later month with a few other grants trickling in thereafter Or maybe it's luck based on the team we're lined up for and the cases they have. So much wasted time and energy on this process. In the end, all we have is today.
  19. Izzielizzie
    Hi @Dale_g and @Zee14042016, I wonder what the maximum time we can wait is?? Surely, there's a ceiling??? Can someone ask their MA about this? That would help our sanity immensely and help us plan our lives better too. I'm afraid my last call to Immigration was too recent to bug them again, ha ha. We've been waiting 1 year now but seeing our peers waiting from 2015 scares me.
  20. Izzielizzie
    Hi @Bikbik and @paramsahota, so are your applications still 'RECEIVED' from 2015? No word since JUN and NOV 2015 at all? No worries @badaich87, I'm guessing the key to our sanity is to have zero expectations as far as timelines go - and to not try to analyse why/how/when, etc. Looking forward to seeing an early 2016 grant hopefully soon. @dev, the spreadsheets aren't abandoned - there are plenty of us still waiting from early 2016 and even, 2015 - I know a few are sporadically checking in and I'd be very surprised if they weren't eager to update once there's news to share. Most are probably tired of checking in..these days, I only check to respond to private messages as it's less stressful "forgetting" while we continue with the extended wait. Congrats to the new PRs and hope we all get our turn soon! 186 DE Onshore | Nom + Visa (Complete): April-2016 | Status: RECEIVED Add your details to the 186 timelines spreadsheet: https://goo.gl/bFWMIY
  21. Izzielizzie
    Thanks! Lastly, may I ask what document/s they asked for? Did you re-submit (expired while waiting?) or you had yet to submit? Thanks @DE COOK!
  22. Izzielizzie
    Hi @DE COOK, CONGRATS and hope you get your PR very soon! I added you onto our spreadsheet - by the way, may I ask if you're from an LR/HR country? How many people are on your application and which processing centre please? I will update on the sheet - will give the rest of us hope! It's refreshing to hear from another APRIL 2016 applicant - I hope your nom approval heralds more good news for the rest of us waiting from early last year @Zee14042016 @Apr 2016 @badaich87 @Gary1985. @paramsahota - Hi, have they never been in touch? Have you tried following up lately? What's your occupation? I can't see you on the spreadsheet. @bradfords - I rang IMMI about this and was told that police checks from overseas don't need to be redone EVEN if we had gone for a quick visit after the checks - it's only affected if you have travelled to that place for X amount of time (I THINK at least 2 months) after the checks expired. IELTS has to be valid upon lodgement so it's okay if it expires before decision. As for the medicals, I'm not sure BUT a few years ago, we had a temporary visa application (while onshore) that took longer than expected and we were asked to redo it because it had expired...but that may be up to the CO's discretion? They should really review that practice - it's not our fault.
  23. Izzielizzie
    @syd2016 Of course, we're all in charge of our own perspective and yes, we all have our own unique circumstances. We've been here nearly a decade now and have seen doors shut because of policy changes and unstable employers so yes, apologies as I'm coming from a jaded perspective. But thought I'd share my experience (in response to Zee) in case it helps others manage their own expectations. Because personally, it would've lessened my stress and anxiety had I not expected a swift turnaround. But of course, this is only my personal opinion and people can take it or leave it. How long have you been waiting by the way? Also, my employer has had other nominations come through before mine already, and the only differences are nationality and occupation so they are dumbfounded. So who knows how they're allocating really. Good luck to all! I'll update the spreadsheet once I have any status changes.
  24. Izzielizzie
    @Zee14042016 I hear ya. All the overthinking isn't worth it - doesn't help us in any way whatsoever! IMMI has a crap system and if they're moving on to subsequent months to hit targets, while just leaving other files unattended? I'd understand if they had already started processing but we don't even have a CO allocated yet so that means our files are just sitting, waiting. Sure, they can't give an estimated MAX time for processing BUT they should commit to a max time for case allocation at least! So we're part of the 10% but 11+ months without even getting our cases allocated to a CO? What does that mean for our timelines?? But unless we pull out our applications, what can we do, hey? @jess6, exactly what i thought before too - but our application is straightforward - extremely stable sponsor; no age/english/health/family issues, complications or exemptions; only submitted work experience in Australia, including 3 years with sponsor. Only possible issue is if they're culling or capping specific nationalities. But you might get lucky because they're still touching June files and you're from EU. Just a heads up that in my experience, it seems that there's a strong element of chance in this mad process, ie. maybe files are lined up for certain teams and if you're unlucky enough to go to a team that has complicated, long case work, then too bad, so sad. My only advice to all the ones who are early in their journey - lower your expectations and try not to think about it. I believe it made it harder for us because we were advised by employer's MA to expect 4-6 months given the simplicity of our case and our employer's history with IMMI. It's tougher when you have set expectations. I basically started waiting week on week, day on day from about October...finally stopped that nonsense, but still worry from time to time.
  25. Izzielizzie
    Oh that gives me hope - thanks @sunshine11111 - we've been here that long now too and IELTS is not YET expired so hopefully they consider that. @badaich87, it's been a roller coaster ride for me - some days I can be positive but the last two days I've been a wreck. Lack sleep which probably hasn't helped...but then this extended visa process doesn't help that particular problem. Chicken/egg issue! :wacko:
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