Aya

4 hours ago, kiwi_sparkles said:

Tried calling to see whether our application has been uploaded into their systems yet.  The call centre person agreed it should have been uploaded within a couple of weeks of being received, and a notification sent to us.  We know that hasn't happened.

They checked everything - passport numbers, address, emails etc - no record of our application, even though we have the courier receipt dated 19 March.

Also got told to check our Immiaccount payment (as we had to prepay the fee) as the application needed to be made within 30 days of submitting payment.... Sure enough - even though both the application and payment were received on 19 March, the Immiaccount thinks there is no application associated as the payment hasn't been claimed and it's sitting there waiting for me to request a refund.

So frustrating!  The call centre person doesn't know whether we should apply again or wait.

Just to be clear - I'm not complaining about processing times.  I'm just annoyed that no one seems to know *what* has happened to the application in the first place.

Oh no! Sounds stressful... It is annoying that they can't tell you if it has been lost or if it's sitting in a pile because of lockdown delays... Fingers crossed that your application is found soon! 

On 13/06/2020 at 06:58, Aleshia said:

Hopefully the borders will of opened again by the time the visa is processed too! It was only a 2 month wait for us in London last year

Hi! Good to hear that your visa was processed so quickly! I'm still waiting for mine, a bit jealous! I wonder if any visa will be processed during the coronavirus crisis...

9 hours ago, TheWayOfThePony said:

I was wondering - you don't have work or study rights but would you be eligible for volunteering? Heaps of places rely on volunteers and it's a great way to get out of the house, meet people and help the community! It also provides some local experience & contacts, which can prove very useful when it's time to apply for jobs.

Hi! I was wondering about that. I read somewhere that I was not allowed to volunteer if you don't have work rights, but I am not entirely sure. Maybe it is ok if it is only a few hours here and there. Does anyone have that experience?

I have actually just found this article that seems to clarify the situation: http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/blog/migration-agent-articles/australian-visitor-visas-volunteer-work-allowed/

9 hours ago, Ant S said:

I feel your pain! I applied for a 461 visa onshore from Sydney back in August 2017 and I'm yet to hear a peep from them! Really disheartening to see the processing times increase month-on-month with no additional communication or feedback from the Department. Fingers crossed we all get through this hellish process soon...! The total lack of insight is the most frustrating part of it all!

Hi! Hopefully your application will be processed soon! Almost 26 months... Let us know if you hear anything!

On 04/07/2019 at 10:58, Jay M said:

HI Aya, did you hear any news now?

I'm on the same boat - Applied last March 2018, still no news - and the processing time have now jumped to 27 months!

Hi! No news on my side either... You should be first on the queue though, I "only" applied in August 2018!

On 15/05/2019 at 16:19, Priscila said:

Hi Aya, Im Priscila and I am under the same situation, I applied for the 461 visa on April 2018 and still waiting - I totally understand when you said you wouldnt be coming to australia if only you knew about the difficult process. I feel your stress too. I wasnt prepared fot that either and had a successful job back home in Brazil working at a bank. Had to leave everything behind because my husband wanted to join our family who moved from NZ to the Gold Coast 7 years ago. So i had to follow him. I wish you good luck! 

Hi Priscila, sorry to hear that you had to leave a good job behind!! Any news on your application?

2 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Well, you did have the luxury of choice - he could have rejected the job, as you say.

Right. Except I could not have known it would take that long (see my posts above). I was prepared to wait for a few months and fine with it - not for 2 years. If I had known that, no I would not have come here. Whatever you think (that I should just not complain), it is still difficult and very stressful, and so it's best that Aleshia gets all that information before leaving - that way she can look for the best options for herself and her husband, no bad surprises.

15 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

It's seen as "jumping the queue" and for that reason, the wait time is much longer than if you apply for the same visa offshore.

I'm also wondering: where do you get that information from? There is nothing on the immigration website about longer delays for onshore applications. But I do have a feeling onshore applications take longer from reading forum posts. I didn't see any official information about that, and I was definitely not told this by my migration agent.

2 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

People who choose to move without waiting for the visa can't really complain, as they put themselves in the position. 

Well I'm sorry to say, but when you move as a family, you don't necessarily have the luxury of the choice. My husband was offered a job, with a starting date that did not allow for me to apply from my home country. Indeed I should have checked more carefully beforehand - he could have rejected the job offer. But we have lived in several countries before and never had that issue, so we did not imagine it would happen. Also the migration agent told me when I arrived in Sydney that I would get a visa within 2 months. I think when I originally checked from home it was 8 or 9 months (75%). Now it's 21 months. So I don't think I could really have predicted this, or that this is normal.

Hi Aleshia,

If you can get the 461 visa before coming here, then your husband should be fine! I have heard that it can be faster offshore, but don't know if it's true. Also, I believe that when he applies to renew the visa, the bridging visa will carry the same conditions as his previous visa, which means, if he was previously allowed to work, he will still be able to work. In my case, I arrived on a visitor visa, therefore I have no right to work or study.

If you are planning to stay in Australia long term, it's definitely worth looking at PR, but there doesn't seem to be many options for NZ citizens.

Thank you for the clarification. I don't think we would qualify for financial hardship... (I mean we can pay the rent and food) Not sure there is a way around it. I should have considered this more carefully before coming to Australia, it was a bit naive on my part.

2 hours ago, Raul Senise said:

Is this because your bridging visa has no work rights? If so, have you explored the possibility of applying for work rights on your bridging visa?

No work or study rights on my bridging visa. My migration agent did not mention this possibility. I read somewhere that you can only apply for work rights in case of hardship, is that correct? 

Hi!

Still no news... and the waiting time keeps going up (now 21 months (75%) and 25 months (90%)). I've given up the idea of ever working here, we will probably stay another year then go back to Europe instead.

I guess it all depends on your goals and where you are going but I find that it's difficult to meet people in Sydney if you don't have a job, and also very expensive to do anything if you don't have sufficient income. Not having a visa is quite isolating for me, and also stressful for my partner.

If we had known about this visa thing, I don't think my husband would have taken the job offer in Australia - are there any other visa options your husband could consider? Could you and your husband be sponsored? It might be worth considering, even if it's a bit more expensive at the start, it might pay off in the long run!

Ok, this is good to know, but my application could still be in the 25% that are processed after 19 months... and the delay could become even longer? It seems to keep changing.

Has anyone gone through that experience? What did you do while waiting?

Hi there!

I have submitted my application for a 461 visa (partner of a NZ citizen) in August 2018 in Australia. The processing time is now 19 to 20 months. Has anyone received a visa before the indicated processing time? My application should be considered low risk, pretty straight forward.

The waiting time seems extremely long: how do you keep busy while waiting for your visa? Any tips on how to settle and enjoy your time in Australia when you cannot get a job, study or have little money to spend?

I'm interested in hearing about your experiences!

Aya