martymarty5436425

Thanks both for your help on this.  

Hello,

We're hoping to activate a partner visa in the next few weeks by entering Australia.  Obviously, there is a lot of risk that this may not happen (flights etc.) but assuming it does.....

I have two passports (neither are Australian).  Both passports were submitted as part of my partner visa application, but I'm not sure if I need to travel with one or the other when entering.  I imagine it doesn't matter, but I'd appreciate some views rather than relying solely on my own assumptions.

Has anyone got any experience of this scenario they could share?

Thanks in advance.

14 hours ago, Robin’s Emigrating said:

Hey folks - has anyone who applied for a 309/100 visa run into issues waiting for their kids citizenships? We're in that boat and getting very close to our flights now so considering applying for a visa for them using their British citizenship instead. Would anyone have any idea which visa we would apply for in this situation? Just an eVisitor visa?

Hi, yes, we had that issue and applying for the exemption (which I do think you will need to do) seemed to trigger the process and the citizenship came through.  Oddly, it took 10 months for our eldest and just over a week for our new born.  Both came through about a fortnight ago a couple of days after the exemption applications were processed.

I can't answer with any authority re which visa is the right one to apply for I'm afraid, but I would assume the same as you if you want a fall back option.  The issue with that is it will give you 90 days and then after that period I think they would have to leave Australia.  

I hope you get what you need.  This sounds very stressful and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.  

On 24/12/2020 at 09:10, Bella88 said:

@Anais_V thank you so much. I hadn’t clicked that button! Hadn’t even see it!  

I would also reply to the email you received letting them know that you have uploaded the documents, pointing to where they are in the system if you can (to make their job easier) and that you have clicked the mentioned button.  I was informed these emails are read and so worth doing to potentially prompt someone to look into your account.

2 minutes ago, Robin’s Emigrating said:

Assume this isn't right?

Correct: it's if you've stayed in any country for 12 months or more only. 

On 14/12/2020 at 21:01, Robin’s Emigrating said:

I was surprised to see Form 80 as appears to be mostly the same as information provided on the electronic application. Is this required again?

I am not an expert, but I didn't submit this form and have a visa, so presumably not required!  I assumed it was needed in the past or for someone who is uploading a paper copy of the application.  

2 hours ago, Robin’s Emigrating said:

Thanks @bicek. There is a category in our uploads section called 'Photos-Other'. The description for it is "Provide a recent photograph of the visa applicant (other than a passport photograph)." so am assuming I will just pick something recent from social media.

That's what I did.  I just made sure my face was clearly visible and I was facing the camera in the photo I selected.

49 minutes ago, psuwara said:

We uploaded our documents last night/today! Fingers crossed they'll give the VISA tomorrow. 

One question, how long have you been Married?

We've been married two and a half years.

Hopefully good news for you tomorrow.  

18 hours ago, JMcKie said:

That's good news! I keep checking the post here every day and come away disappointed when it's not arrived.

Hopefully you can get your visa granted soon!

Haha, I know the feeling.  Endless hoping! 

To give you an idea of how the progress goes, I submitted everything against the RFI request at around 16:00 UK time yesterday and the grant was received at 11:00 this morning.  

They are at least quick and hopefully they will be on your one too.  I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

1 hour ago, JMcKie said:

Do you think yours may be taking longer due to state restrictions?

Funnily enough, it arrived at the Australia address today and my in-laws have just sent it over!  Hopefully you'll get yours shortly too. 

19 hours ago, JMcKie said:

I have asked them to send an additional copy to my partner's mother in Sydney. I was just wondering how long it took for other people to receive theirs.

We did the same thing and it was confirmed as sent to a Brisbane address on 12th November.  The AFP still hasn't arrived at that address unfortunately.    

I'll let you know if it surfaces.  Hopefully yours is quicker!

12 hours ago, bicek said:

Has anyone else got any experience of how long it took for your ACRO police check to be turned around?

It took about two weeks in total to process and some of that was throughout the current lockdown.  This was our second one and the first one took the same amount of time (throughout the first lockdown).  

After processing, it took about 2-3 working days for the paperwork to arrive at our address.

1 hour ago, bicek said:

Hi all, wondering if you can offer some insight. We've just had a request for more information (yay they finally opened our application!!) and they've requested the health check and police acro. We only just last week booked the health check, so luckily we have that booked very soon. But the RFI also states that we must provide the info in 28 days. I didn't realise there would be such a quick deadline for this!! The health examination is booked for 2nd December, and we must provide the info by the 16th December, but it's not clear how long it will take for the examination results to get to the immi office (they send it direct from what I understand). Has anyone had any problems with this? What did you do?

We are planning to upload the booking confirmation and any paperwork to prove we are getting this underway, is that enough to prove we are trying to get it done within the allocated timeframe!?

Would love some reassurance on this if anyone can provide it! 

 

I completed the health check in London and they update Immi directly once the appointment is complete.  They did so within a couple of working days after the appointment.  They don't send you anything in the post or via email afterwards for you to upload.

After having the health check, you can see if they have completed the necessary update by checking the 'Health Assessment' section of the portal (underneath 'Attach Documents' on the left hand menu).  If they have made the update, it will read (as mine does now): 'All health examinations required for the specified visa subclass have been finalised...'.

On 10/11/2020 at 15:44, Almat said:

I would of thought you carry on as you are as the baby isn't even born yet... then apply for citizenship by descent when baby is born. Although if you're planning on moving after the baby is born you'll need to be on the ball with applying for the CBD 

 

Yes, I think you're right.  This is what you would normally do, but my other child's CBD was lodged in mid-May and is yet to be processed.  I do not believe the timings on the website are accurate for this type of application.  This is what prompts the need to investigate options beyond the CBD route.

4 minutes ago, bicek said:

I am hoping to sort citizenship by descent as soon as they are born. Not reassuring to hear it is taking a while for those to be processed though, so may consider the visitor visa/travel exemption if we are forced to.

Hopefully I've just been unlucky and your case flies through!  I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

1 minute ago, bicek said:

Did you apply for this online or on paper? Sorry to hear they have slowed right down - I hope you hear back soon. 

We applied online and everything uploaded on the day.  The challenge with doing it quickly would be providing the identity evidence, as ID is required that confirms name with a recent photo.  We used our daughter's UK passport for this.

8 minutes ago, bicek said:

Either:
1. apply for citizenship by descent and get aussie passport before you travel to Aus
2. apply for citizenship by descent and they travel on UK passport into Aus. Show documents at border and then apply for their Australian passport once there.
3. apply for a visitor visa and travel exemption at the same time. Apply for their descent and passport once in Aus.

Thanks for sharing this and the link.  Lots to absorb.  Option three looks attractive as there are no lead times and perhaps we can have some local control (i.e. go and see someone in person to get the situation resolved). 

10 minutes ago, bicek said:

I just hope those options are all suitable when considering we are in the midst of applying for the partner visa!

Exactly!  The lack of any idea of timing is the real challenge, otherwise a plan could be formed!  

48 minutes ago, bicek said:

Hey everyone,

My husband applied for the 309 visa back in March 2020 and we front loaded everything apart from the health check and police checks. We are organising the health check now as this got sidelined due to the first lockdown here in the UK. We have been together since 2008 and have two children together. Both of our kids have citizenship by descent and Aussie passports, so on my husbands form we were able to put that no family members were migrating with him.

HOWEVER..

So our situation is sort of unique in that we are now expecting another child in the middle of this process, and they will be due to be born next year. Obviously we won't have had their citizenship by descent/aussie passport sorted until after they're born! Does this complicate matters with the visa still being processed? Does anyone have any suggestions for how we should proceed on this? I am hoping the visa is approved in the next few months (which seems to be the pattern judging by other people posting - roughy 12 months for processing at the London office). The last thing I would want is for the visa to be rejected on a technicality that we are now expecting another child who wouldn't be classed as Australian yet. 

Not so unique: we are in exactly the same boat...  Congratulations!

We're stumped as to what to do.  We don't really want to add our new little one to my visa application, as we'd rather she got straight citizenship instead of a 309/100 (although I'm making assumptions there is a practical difference).  

Our current thinking as a backup is to apply for a long tourist visa for them and then get the citizenship sorted out when we're already in Australia, as it'll surely be easier to do when there and potentially possible to do in person with evidence etc.  Again, I'm making assumptions re this and need to look into it further.  

32 minutes ago, bicek said:

Hey,

Just to say that we were really surprised with how quickly the citizenship by descent applications were processed for my kids last year. We submitted it on a Friday and they were approved the following Monday! You just need to put the work in getting all the documents and information together. Hard to say if they are working as quickly now but it seems that processing times are starting to look more typical now after the blip at the start of the covid pandemic. 

These requests are also being held up based solely on my own experience.  My daughter's application was submitted in May and we still await any update or status change.  

Thanks Paul.

Hi all,

Is anyone having issues logging into their ImmiAccount? 

For the last couple of days, I haven't been able to get to the ImmiAccount login page.  I'm trying this url:

https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login

And I get this response in all browsers.  No login page appears:

I just wonder if it's a general problem as I couldn't see anything to suggest any advertised outages.

Thanks Paul for your reply.  It's actually reassuring in a way to know it is unknowable and not just me being unaware of something.  

I will see how things play out at the beginning of next year before acting.  

Hi all,

I'm not sure of the best route to take, so any advice would be appreciated.

I have a partner visa pending.  Based on current timelines, I expect that visa application may be responded to around the end of Mar 2021.  

I am applying for the 309/100 from the UK.  I am married to an Australian citizen and we have one child. 

Our first child's application for citizenship by descent has been lodged.  Current processing times are ~ 4 months.  This child is not part of my application for the 309/100 visa, as the expectation is that they will be a citizen in their own right by the time my application is considered.

There is another child on the way, due in Feb 2021. 

My current plan is to lodge the citizenship by descent application in the same way as we have done for our first child.  However, there is a lead time for this application which may change and I don't want us to be stuck in the UK waiting for that application to progress when my visa has just been approved.  

I'm not sure how the 309/100 is impacted by the inclusion of a child with the application instead of citizenship by descent.  Perhaps I should I go down this route instead of applying for citizenship in their own right?

What I'm trying to avoid is:

- Being held up in the UK for a time unnecessarily after my current application is (hopefully) approved;

- Our second child having to wait long than they otherwise would to become a citizen, as they technically are already, just born overseas;

- Complicating the current application to the point where it would be seen as a negative to include our second child as part of it and therefore risking a rejection.  FYI: our current application is very straight forward and uncomplicated.  There are no guarantees, but I'd expect it to go smoothly. 

Any input gratefully received.

Thanks

I had a medical in London towards end of June.

8 minutes ago, martymarty5436425 said:

8 minutes ago, martymarty5436425 said:

You can find out more about this here:

https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/who-can-pay-voluntary-contributions

The Government Gateway has a useful tool for forecasting pension here:

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

You will have to login with the gateway ID for the forecast to be shown for your record.  It'll show current pension if you stop contributing NICs and a forecast assuming you work to state pension age or complete 30 (or 35) years of contributions.  

There's a link on the forecast page that allows you to see all past year records so you can see how many years NICs you have paid, what years are missing and how many years you need to get full pension at state pension age.

You can top up any missing years within the last six years and continue to top up from there. The cost will differ depending on your situation (and so what class of NICs you are eligible to pay).  You can find out more about this here:

Given most on this forum are moving to Aus, the most likely class will be class 3 (living abroad but making voluntary contributions rather than out of PAYE).  The weekly cost for this currently is: £15.30.  

Hope this helps.