Guest mr_nastey Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Hello all, Can anybody tell me about conditions applied after you are living in Australia? I am hearing 2nd and 3rd hand stories about not being able to leave Australia for 5 years or that the Visa only lasts for 5 years. Is anybody aware of such conditions or where to find out about these conditions (I can't find anything on DIMIA). I am applying and hopefully getting in the next few months (got meds. next week) a straight Skilled Independent VISA (not provisional or state sponsored) and as far as I am aware there are no such conditions applied to this. I hope not as it's taken two years and cost me a lot of money! All help appreciated. Cheers Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kazzy01 Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 Hi The visa is granted for a period of 5 years. After that time, you have to apply to have the visa extended, (having to show you have ties to Australia, eg house, job etc). You can leave Australia as much as you want during the five years, but I think if you want to apply for citizenship, you need to be there for at least 2 whole years. Hope that helps. Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ohippychick Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 When you get your visa you have a year from the earliest of your police checks or meds to validate it. Once validated you have 5 years to move to Oz or your visa runs out and you need a new one !! Once in Oz, you can stay indefinitely (if on a PR visa) as long as you don't commit any criminal offences. However you can apply for citizenship once you have stayed there for at least two complete years (this changes to 4 in January). Citizenship means you'll be granted an Oz visa and can come and go as you please. You don't have to apply for citizenship though, you can remain forever on your PR visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr_nastey Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 Thanks for your replies, ohippychick, you say that once you get citizenship you can come and go as you please: Does this mean that there are restrictions while on the PR Visa? Kazzy has said that there aren't restrictions, but has said that the Visa will need to be extended. You have inferred that there are restictions but said that the Visa is indefinite?!?!??!?!? So I'm still confused :? I do appreciate your help but unfortunatley these two posts seem to be contradictory. Thanks Again Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr_nastey Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 OK, I think I'm there.... I've found a nice Australian Visa FAQ online <http://www.beyderwellen.com/faq.htm#FAQ9> If I have read it right this is what I thnk the conditions are: I will have 5 years from the date of grant (I assume that means If I take a year to validate then I only have four years???) to come and go to Australia as I please; and, as long as I permanently reside before the end of the 5 years I can stay in Australia indefinitely (as you said). But, where my confusion comes in, is: if after the 5years I travel overseas (Australia now being my home) I then have to apply for a Resident Return Visa in order to return to Australia (which I guess is what Kazzy was saying). But surely there must be some maximum time overseas before this is necessary????? Permanent Resident Visa Holders must be allowed overseas holidays (for up to 4 weeks for example) after their 5 years is up. Shouldn't they??? Oh dear, more confusion :? :? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Koala Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 This Fact Sheet explains it all more fully: http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/95documents.htm#b Koala Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr_nastey Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Thanks Koala, Sorry if I'm sounding a bit thick, but I really want to bottom this out. So, If after my 5 year PR Visa has ended I have to obtain an RRV if I want to travel abroad and return to Autralia, irrespective of the time spent overseas. I can just about cope with that it's no different to going on holiday to Oz I guess, you still need a Visa. But my next question then, is: The two year residency requirement (soon to be 4 - Thanks Kazzy); Does this requirement have to be uninterupted by travelling abroad (for a holiday for example) or is it the sum of all the time spent in Australia in the preceding 5 years? Basically, I have every intention of spending the rest of my life in Australia but I expect to be able to travel overseas for short periods within the 5 year period and after the 5 year period of my PR Visa and If I am restricted in doing so (because I need 2 or 4 years uninterupted residency) then that will pose a big problem to me (well the misses actually ). Sorry if everyone is finding this frustrating reading because I am being so dense! Regards Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Hi Mr Nastey I entirely agree with you! What actually happens is as follows. The PR visa-label contains several hieroglyphics. most of them utterly daft. My 86 year old widowed Mum - who is dependent on a zimmer frame as they bluddy well know from the meds - was told in her Contributory Parent 143 visa label, "Must Not Marry Before Entering Australia." She has now entered Australia in the same widowed and unmarried state, Dad having popped his clogs some 15 years ago. I assume that the idea is that Mum is now free to pick up some Bogan or other at a zimmer frame crashing party of some sort - or maybe even a toyboy? My mind boggles at the legal possibilities now.... Cheers Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr_nastey Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Thanks Gill, It's nice to know I'm not the only one confused. But, if the bureaucrats are that confused too, what hope do I have :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ohippychick Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Thanks Koala, Sorry if I'm sounding a bit thick, but I really want to bottom this out. So, If after my 5 year PR Visa has ended I have to obtain an RRV if I want to travel abroad and return to Autralia, irrespective of the time spent overseas. I can just about cope with that it's no different to going on holiday to Oz I guess, you still need a Visa. But my next question then, is: The two year residency requirement (soon to be 4 - Thanks Kazzy); Does this requirement have to be uninterupted by travelling abroad (for a holiday for example) or is it the sum of all the time spent in Australia in the preceding 5 years? Basically, I have every intention of spending the rest of my life in Australia but I expect to be able to travel overseas for short periods within the 5 year period and after the 5 year period of my PR Visa and If I am restricted in doing so (because I need 2 or 4 years uninterupted residency) then that will pose a big problem to me (well the misses actually ). Sorry if everyone is finding this frustrating reading because I am being so dense! Regards Steve. I think it's the sum. Put it this way, my friend has just applied for her citizenship and she has had two trips back to the UK, one for 5 weeks and one for 2. She applied as soon as she had been here for 2 years and 7 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr_nastey Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 That sounds good to me. Thanks ohippychick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pete the pom Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 i recently spoke to my agent sorting out my visa,he told me the total time spent in australia must be at least 2 years and 1 day within the 5 years time period ,your free to come and go as you please within that period,but when all your absences from ozz are added up ,you still have to have resided for the minimum period of 2 years and 1 day in total :roll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr_nastey Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Many Thanks Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Hi Steve Don't get muddled between Citizenship and Resident Return Visas. The criteria are different for each of them. There are no plans to alter the rules for the RRV, but the govt is trying to make it take longer to get Citizenship than at present. Basically, your PR visa will enable you to lremain in Australia indefinitely and it will give you mulltiple travel to and from Oz for five years after the date of the Grant. Although you can come and go as you please during the first five years, once the five years is up you will need a Resident Return Visa therafter unless you have become a citizen by then. If you go to http://www.immi.gov.au and use the search box at the top RHS of the Home Page, tell it Resident Return Visa and you can get the info for that. Then tell it to find Citizenship and it will take you to the Citizenship microsite. The principle is that the only people who can enter Australia without the entry permit provided by a visa are Australlian citizens. I think the DIMA website must be on the blink at the minute because I can't get it to open on my machine. Nite nite Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr_nastey Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Many Thanks Gill, The clarification between Citizenship and RRV time required in Australia is very useful to know; as I was becoming quite anxious about having to 'rush' to Australia in order to get the 4 years in for the RRV. But it seems that is no longer necessary as 4 years is only required for citizenship, which will be no problem to achieve if we secure an RRV after 5 years. Cheers Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Many Thanks Gill, The clarification between Citizenship and RRV time required in Australia is very useful to know; as I was becoming quite anxious about having to 'rush' to Australia in order to get the 4 years in for the RRV. But it seems that is no longer necessary as 4 years is only required for citizenship, which will be no problem to achieve if we secure an RRV after 5 years. Cheers Steve. Hi Steve. Exactly. You are quite right. However, earlier today I read a thread on another forum about this. Apparently there was a Second Reading of the Citizenship Bill or something earlier this week. The upshot seems to be that the issues will be further debated in the Autumn Sittings. (March/ April, I guess.) Therefore the pundits are now saying that Jan 26 is out of the window and that if (if) the changes are implemented at all, enactment prior to 1 July 2007 is no longer likely. If that turns out to be so, the effect will be that both your family and my Mum will only have to do the two-year thing to get Citizenship, plus both you and she will effectively get longer than the mooted 3 years in which to clock up the necessary time. And as you say, at the end of the day a 5-year RRV would hold the fort for both Mum and yourselves perfectly well anyway, so the whole thing is actually a lot less of a worry than I imagined when I first started hearing the Jungle Drums about this one. Cheers Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr_nastey Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Thanks Gill, You're a Godsend. You should start charging!! Best Regards Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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