BexLovelock Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Hi everyone. I'm new to PomsInOz... husband is Australian and I have a job due to start 25th Jan in Sydney. Have had my sc457 visa application in process, but there were problems uploading my medical details, so it hasnt' come through as fast as I'd have liked (both our children are on my visa as they still have British passports only - should have sorted it differently - hindsight's great eh?!). Anyway - we're all due to fly on 31st December (Monday) in the evening, and my visa still hasn't come through, everything seems to be shut for the holidays, and my migration agent is being less than useful, responding all all queries with a "we're monitoring the situation" ... or just not responding at all. I'm given to believe that I could apply for an ETA? There is a small risk that if I took it out just after the sc457 has gone through, then it would cancel that... but surely with everything shut, and if I did it on Sunday (so Sunday night in Oz) then it wouldn't be about to go through, and if I check it's still "in process" online then that should be OK? But also - would then being in Oz and having an ETA make a different to the sc457 visa application, and slow the whole thing up/mean I'd have to start again? It's probable that if I could wait here until everything opens again in Jan it will go through fine, and I could still get there in time for work, but that would mean losing so much money on flights... we (stupidly) bought the cheapest flights, so we can't change the dates on them. What to do??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisa Brain Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 I am going out on an ETA next week with my kids, whilst awaiting 457 as secondary entrant (husband out there already), but we were advised that we should have a return ticket in order to be able to leave Australia again when the ETA is up just in case the 457 didn't come through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Hi everyone. I'm new to PomsInOz... husband is Australian and I have a job due to start 25th Jan in Sydney. Have had my sc457 visa application in process, but there were problems uploading my medical details, so it hasnt' come through as fast as I'd have liked (both our children are on my visa as they still have British passports only - should have sorted it differently - hindsight's great eh?!). Anyway - we're all due to fly on 31st December (Monday) in the evening, and my visa still hasn't come through, everything seems to be shut for the holidays, and my migration agent is being less than useful, responding all all queries with a "we're monitoring the situation" ... or just not responding at all. I'm given to believe that I could apply for an ETA? There is a small risk that if I took it out just after the sc457 has gone through, then it would cancel that... but surely with everything shut, and if I did it on Sunday (so Sunday night in Oz) then it wouldn't be about to go through, and if I check it's still "in process" online then that should be OK? But also - would then being in Oz and having an ETA make a different to the sc457 visa application, and slow the whole thing up/mean I'd have to start again? It's probable that if I could wait here until everything opens again in Jan it will go through fine, and I could still get there in time for work, but that would mean losing so much money on flights... we (stupidly) bought the cheapest flights, so we can't change the dates on them. What to do??? Oh lordie what a mess, ok here goes... Are the children your husband's children or are they from a previous marriage? Because if he is Australian (not by descent) and their natural father then they are Australian and they are not allowed to have a visa, they are required to travel on an Australian passport. This is not a trivial matter. I am also wondering why you are on a 457 visa not a partner visa? Or are you planning to apply for that when you get there, it is more expensive to apply for in Australia, so I would have applied for it here I think. I expect there really is not a lot your migration agent can do, although they could be providing you with some better advice. If you have not got the 457 now then the only other option is that it is granted on Monday, perhaps you apply for the ETA now and then if the 457 is granted on Monday it cancels the ETA rather than the other way aorund. But the other issue is that a tourist visa is for tourists and travelling on it is a risk, are your tickets one way? That makes it even more of a risk ... and if the 457 is not granted then being in time for work is irrelevant as you would not be able to work legally. To be honest, I would be seriously thinking about writing off the flights and starting again! Welcome to PIO by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 http://www.immi.gov.au/gateways/agents/pdf/subclass-457-visitors.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BexLovelock Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 Thanks everyone for posting. I managed to get through the the NSW office of Oz Immigration on Sunday night (Monday in Oz) and spoke to someone. As I have a return ticket, because I (& kids) are visiting England in April just for the month, I was able to take out an ETA, which they say I can then just cancel once the sc457 comes through, so I was able to travel. I'm just hoping the sc457 now comes through before I'm due to start work! Still, keeps it from getting dull I guess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Thanks everyone for posting. I managed to get through the the NSW office of Oz Immigration on Sunday night (Monday in Oz) and spoke to someone. As I have a return ticket, because I (& kids) are visiting England in April just for the month, I was able to take out an ETA, which they say I can then just cancel once the sc457 comes through, so I was able to travel. I'm just hoping the sc457 now comes through before I'm due to start work! Still, keeps it from getting dull I guess! And are you planning to do anything about your children not being eligible for a visa as they are Australian? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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