Picachu

Hi Sam, I answered 'Yes' and I had never been on any form of medication for it so I would say if you've been treated with meds definitely answer 'Yes'. I have been attending counseling via group therapy sessions (treatment is on-going) for mild depression and anxiety. I took a letter from my GP stating my depressive and anxiety symptoms were mild and stable and he also confirmed I’d never taken time off work. I also had a letter from the group therapist stating the dates I started, that I had no diagnosis of a clinical psychiatric disorder, had never been on medication and that my low mood had improved since starting treatment. There was no issue whatsoever with my medical assessment and it was cleared in 24hours. I would really recommend you take a supporting letter from your GP stating the dates of your depressive symptoms and that you received treatment through antidepressants and counseling services (psychology/psychiatry). Then he/she can confirm you are no longer on medication and that you have never taken time off work. It would be really good if you could also get either the psychologist or psychiatrist to confirm you have no diagnosis of a serious psychiatric disorder as this will ensure your case does not get referred further because you’ll already have a specialist evaluation report. Perhaps I was being excessive but it gave me peace of mind to attend the appointment well prepared, plus if my case had been referred it would cause delays and more money for me. Both my letters were attached to my examination results that got sent away. The doctor on the day of the medical reassured me that they are only interested in conditions such as major depression or serious psychiatric disorders. I know it can be stressful – I was dreading the medical assessment and felt really nervous but please try not to worry, just make sure you are well prepared and you won’t have any issues! Best of luck! :smile:

Thank you so much for the fast response. The final stage of the process seems to be the most nerve-wracking

When lodging my visa application - page 15 asks: "Have any of the applicants lived in a country other than the primary applicant's usual country of residence?" It then asks: "Give details of the last permanent address in this country." It asks for the address details and directly under that it asks for: "Date from - Date to" I've had 2 addresses in this country. Do they want the date from to be: when I first arrived in the country? or when I first moved into my 2nd address? (I spent the longest in the 2nd address and it is also my last permanent address) Or should I include both addresses with dates? - Thanks everyone

:err: Is this a serious question? It would be impossible to prove a de facto relationship with a stranger. You would need proof of this relationship such as evidence of shared residence, joint bank account, joint mortgage payments, shared house ownership etc. ... and through such evidence you would need to demonstrate the relationship existed for a minimum of 12 months prior to your visa application

I think what country you are a citizen of is irrelevant because they list all countries here: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa/Char " If you are over the age of 16 and have lived in any of the countries listed on this page for a total of one year or more in the last 10 years, you must get a police certificate from that country. The certificate must cover the period of time from the issue date back to the age you ceased to be a minor, or must cover the whole time you were in a country. For immigration purposes a police certificate is deemed to be valid for 12 months from the issue date. "

Do you need police clearances from a country if you lived there more than 10 years ago? I was under the impression that it was no longer relevant?

Hi Mark, Thanks for responding. You are correct, my ACS skills assessment contains relevant work experience from both companies – but they list the new company name only. If I may clarify, the company I worked for has split into 2 new companies (both with new legal names). The old company name is not in use anymore. However, my contract has remained under the old company name meaning all my payslips show the old employer details. The HR reference is on company letterhead which displays the new company name. But it then states I am employed by the old company. My manager’s reference is also on company letterhead, showing the new name. It also states that I started working under the old company name and then changed to the new company. There is no issue with DIBP contacting my employer for confirmation. I'm just a bit concerned because of the different names and I thought I could plan ahead to provide further evidence, if required. But from what you’re saying, it sounds as though they would be conducting their own investigation, which is fine by me – perhaps the company can explain all the legal complications better than me!

The company I am employed with split into 2 entities in 2014 so am now legally employed by a different company. The location of the company, my role and my manager/team - never changed. The new company contains the same name as before but now has a different ending. My contract remained the same as before. My manager’s reference states the old company name (as they are who I started with) but clearly states I am now employed by the new company. His contact details are also under the new company name. The HR reference, is on the new company letterhead, but states I am still under the old company contract (this is the part that confuses me). My P60s for 2014 onwards are headed under the new company name, the ones prior to that are headed under the old company name. I have received a positive ACS skills assessment which lists only the new company name, although part of the experience was with the old company. In my EOI I have only mentioned the new company name. Should I be concerned or would I need to further clarify my case? Thanks in advance!

Thanks Bungo. After searching for a few hours, I actually managed to find my P60s for all the years I have worked. They are hard copies, whereas year 2015 & 2016 are electronic. Do I need to scan the non-electronic ones and have them certified as true copies?

\Bumping Can anyone please confirm if P60s are required for every year worked as proof of employment when I have references from HR and manager stating my start date? As mentioned above, I have P60s for 2015 and 2016 and payslips. Thank you!

Hi all, I have 6 years work experience with the same employer and want to check if I have sufficient proof of employment history. I have the following documents: HR reference on company letterhead, confirming my employment and stating my start date Manager reference on company letterhead, confirming employement, duties, and start date eP60 for tax year 2016 eP60 for tax year 2015 ePayslips for past 6 months (can print out more months if necessary) I have hard copies of my P60 for years 2012 and 2013 - I seem to have misplaced or lost the remaining years. When lodging my online visa application would I need to attach P60s for every year worked? Both references contain my start date. I was thinking that just attaching the P60 for year 2016 along with 6 months payslips would be enough? Can someone please confirm or advise? Thank you!

Thanks again for your reply Ali. I think I will ask for the reports to contain a summary of my progress too. My mood has significantly improved and I’m sleeping a lot better. I’ll l be sure to update everyone on how I get on with the medical. Hopefully all will go well!

Thank you for the reply Ali. A couple more questions: - Isn't the doctor expected to be specific about the treatment I am receiving? "Psychological intervention" sounds a little ambiguous. I am attending analytic group therapy, provided by the Psychotherapy department. - Would he not need to disclose dates? That's my main concern, that the treatment is on-going. In both instances, will the examining physician ask for further information if what is provided seems too generic and not specific enough?

Been more than a week without any responses so I thought I’d ask again if anyone has had a similar experience involving on-going treatment/therapy during their medical. I’ve read many posts regarding past treatment and issues, but given I am still attending the group sessions, my case is a bit different. Would really appreciate any input - thank you!

Thanks again for the advice - really appreciate it! Good luck with the rest of your application

Thanks so much for the reply Larad. It really helps to see what others are doing because I'm applying without a migration agent. I am employed for almost 6 years in the same role so I can't imagine they'd expect me to provide over 60 months worth of payslips? This is what I've done: I have the original employment reference letter that was approved to the ACS (certified by JOP) and am also attaching a signed declaration from my manager stating I am still in the same role & company (also a certified copy). I have printed out 6 months worth of payslips (certified by JOP also). Regarding the P60 - I never needed this for the ACS assessment but my payslip does clearly state the following sections: Deductions: Tax paid / Employee NIC / Student Loan payment Tax Year To Date: Tax Paid / Taxable Pay Are you planning to attach a copy of your employment contract to your application also? Do you know if attaching a P60 is mandatory? Thanking you again!

Anyone? .. I'd really appreciate if someone could at least let me know how many months worth of payslips are required. Is 3 months enough? I can't find specifics regarding payslips on-line. Please advise. Thank you.

I have already asked a migration agent on the forum about this but would really appreciate advice from people who have perhaps gone through a similar situation. Background: I visited my doctor a couple of times reporting symptoms of low mood, stress, and difficulty sleeping. My doctor referred me for further assessment. I met with a psychologist who suggested anti-depressants, but both my doctor and I agreed medication was unnecessary. The psychologist then recommended I might benefit from analytic group therapy. I met with a psychotherapist to assess my suitability for the group and now attend a session every week. He explained the group could help me explore my feelings of anxiety relating to social interaction through talk therapy with other group members. The treatment has no set timeline, you decide when you have gained everything you can out of the group and when to stop attending. I have never been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition/disorder. I am not on medication and I have never taken time off work. My assumption is I need to declare that I am receiving treatment under question ‘ Have you ever suffered from mental health problems ‘ on the medical history form, despite having no diagnosis or listed condition on my medical record. The migration agent advised it would be a good idea to bring a letter from my GP along to the medical, simply confirming I do not have a mental condition and am not on any medication. However, whilst browsing through the forum I have read a lot of people getting forms from specialists detailing their condition, investigations/treatment and prognosis. Would a letter from my doctor really be enough or should I also get hold of a specialist letter from the group therapist detailing what my treatment is? Will the fact treatment is on-going be an issue? I appreciate I’m probably overthinking this but I really want to make sure I go to my medical as prepared as possible All input welcome! Thank you

I have been thinking about how to proceed. As an update, I will be certifying all documents I upload when lodging my VISA. This will include: Certified copy of ACS confirmation letter Certified copy of IELTS result certificate Certified copy of 3 months of payslips (is 3 months enough?) Can someone please offer some advice on the reference letter? As mentioned previously, I already have a certified copy that was written 5 months ago. Can I attach this or do I need to provide an updated letter? Similarly, my passport and degree certificates/transcripts were also certified 5 months ago - do I need these re-certified so they are 'up-to-date' ? - Have I missed any other document I should be uploading when lodging my VISA application? I would really appreciate some feedback - thanks everyone!

Hi all, I received an invitation to apply and have some important questions on how to proceed. Along with my passport and degree documents/transcripts, these are the documents I have so far: ACS confirmation letter IELTS letter 1. Do both these documents need to be certified copies? On the DIBP website it states I need to provide an employment reference. I already have a certified reference that I provided for my ACS assessment but it was written 6months ago (I am still in the same role). 2. Do I need to provide an updated reference? The DIBP also states the reference should include: payslips, tax returns and salary earned 3. Do I need to upload payslip(s) to my employment history? Or just the latest one? 5. Does the payslip need to be a certified copy? My final question relates to timelines. I have 8 weeks since receiving the invite to lodge my application and I am coming up to 3 weeks: 6. Once I've paid the VISA fee does the 8 week deadline become extended if I need to upload further information? 7. Is there a minimum document requirement at the time of lodging the VISA? For reference, I don't have police clearance or medicals completed yet. I really appreciate your input - thanks everyone!

Thanks again for your response SOMV. You are right that it is not serious. I am not concerned that I would fail my medical because of the group therapy sessions I am worried that if I do not mention it, the department will somehow find out and then deem I have been dishonest. I have no understanding of the extent of their investigation regarding what is declared on the form. I was thinking of bringing my printed medical record to my assessment and also attach supporting documentation from my doctor. Then, instead of declaring a non-diagnosed condition, I thought I could speak to the examining physician, show them my documentation and get their perspective on whether to declare or not. Does this sound like a sensible idea? Are there any medical experts who could maybe offer an insight? Thank you all for the valuable input

Thank you for your response SOMV, I really appreciate your input. I can certainly elaborate further: I have never been diagnosed with any psychological or psychiatric condition/disorder. However, I visited my doctor a couple of times over the course of a few months when I was going through a rough patch, reporting symptoms of low mood, stress, and difficulty sleeping. To be on the safe side, my doctor referred me for further assessment. I met with a psychologist who suggested anti-depressants may help, but both my doctor and I agreed medication was unnecessary. The psychologist then recommended I might benefit from analytic group therapy. I met with a psychotherapist to assess my suitability for the group – it was not an evaluation for a condition but an assessment on whether I share similar concerns to the other people in the group. The group is simply a safe environment in which everyone gets the chance to talk about difficult feelings. There is no set structure, you choose to join and you are completely free to choose when to stop attending. My concern is whether or not I should declare these details. I have no formal diagnosis so I’m not even certain of what exactly to declare. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to risk having my medical declined if it was deemed the information I provided is misleading. There is a question on the form that states “have you ever suffered from mental health problems?”. I asked my doctor about it and both of us concluded it’s down to individual interpretation of what classifies a mental health ‘problem’ vs a diagnosed condition/disorder. I would really appreciate your expert advice here. Thanking you again

My questions relate to form 26 "medical examination". My case is as follows: I have in the past spoken to my doctor about feelings of anxiety and depression. I have never taken time off work and never been on medication. In fact, when I received a print-out of my medical record, it did not contain any mention of these. I assume this is due to the fact there has never been a formal diagnosis. However, in the past couple of years I was assessed for psychotherapy and, despite not being diagnosed with any condition/disorder, have agreed to attending group analytic therapy sessions which help me talk about my feelings. The only record of my symptoms is in the communication between my doctor and the community health/psychotherapy department. The main question is - should I be declaring any of the above information given that I have no formal diagnosis and there is no condition mentioned on my medical record? I have no obligation to continue with my group sessions but I would really like to know if attending them will cause issues for my visa. If I declare the above, how does the examining physician follow up on this? Could I attach supporting documentation from my doctor onto my assessment or would they contact him directly for further information? Would I need supporting evidence from the psychotherapy group? My doctor is happy to support me in stating my mood is stable. I just want to understand what is in my best interest to declare so that I’m not in any way misleading the department. I would really value a response. Thank you