ifleeds Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 Hi All, Background: I moved to Australia in 1988 ( I was 4 years and 8 months old) with my family and went to primary school, high school, and university in Australia (I still have a HECS debt which I'm paying off), I also worked in Australia and have some super in a super fund. My Mother (Australian citizen) and my Father (PR) both still live in Australia. I was a PR and lived more than 13 out of my first 18 years in Australia. I still have many friends in Australia who are willing to write letters etc on my behalf if required. I also still have all of my school records and reports etc. Funnily enough I also recently received a valid Medicare card. I also recently returned to Australia while my Father had brain surgery and I want to be close to him as he is now nearly 70. I moved back to the UK in 2009 in order to get to know my last remaining grandparents, who have all now passed away. At which time I left the UK with the intention of travelling back to Australia to regain my PR. I don't have the 2 out of the last 5 years as required by the 155, but I do have strong connections to Australia and would also have enough points to come in on a skilled visa. My questions:, 1: Should I just apply for the usual RRV 155 and provide all the evidence I have of family and friendship ties as well as investment evidence (super)? 2: I believe the visa granted will fall through the criteria starting with the 5 year travel facility, then going to the 1 year if I don't fulfill, then falling to 3 months if I don't fulfill, is that correct? 3: If I do apply for the 155 but don't get it granted, will that prevent me from applying for and being granted one of the other visas? Such as a Resident Return visa, or the remaining resident visa? In return, I'll post here all the details of the process when it comes time to submit my application for future reference as I think mines a bit of an unusual case. p.s. Yes I know I'm an absolute idiot for not getting citizenship. It's one of my regrets in life. p.p.s thank you so much for any help you can provide :-) I'm happy to add any details of course as required. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix16 Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 Just a random thought, but you can’t get a HECS loan unless you are a citizen, was it the same back then or were PR’s eligible at that time? Just made me think perhaps you are a citizen without realising..... (fingers crossed!)xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 I was thinking the same. You say your mum is a citizen but your dad is pr, was your mum born there? If she was you can just apply for a passport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetBlast Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 How did you travel to Australia on your recent trip? Did you have a visitor visa? If so it could have replaced your PR visa and as a result you can't apply for a resident return visa. However it looks like there could be a chance you're a citizen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix16 Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 3 hours ago, JetBlast said: How did you travel to Australia on your recent trip? Did you have a visitor visa? If so it could have replaced your PR visa and as a result you can't apply for a resident return visa. However it looks like there could be a chance you're a citizen. I think there has been discussion on here about previous PR’s travelling here on visitor visas then later being granted an RRV so don’t give up hope and perhaps consult with a MARA agent for expert advice as it seems you can prove strong ties.... that is if your not a citizen, we’re still hoping here...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhand Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 10 hours ago, ifleeds said: My questions:, 1: Should I just apply for the usual RRV 155 and provide all the evidence I have of family and friendship ties as well as investment evidence (super)? 2: I believe the visa granted will fall through the criteria starting with the 5 year travel facility, then going to the 1 year if I don't fulfill, then falling to 3 months if I don't fulfill, is that correct? 3: If I do apply for the 155 but don't get it granted, will that prevent me from applying for and being granted one of the other visas? Such as a Resident Return visa, or the remaining resident visa? 1. In theory, yes, but your timeline is complex and it may not be that simple 2. You will not get a 5 year visa, the best would be one year. The three month one is a different animal 3. No I would strongly suggest some professional advice based around your specific circumstances. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhand Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 1 hour ago, Phoenix16 said: I think there has been discussion on here about previous PR’s travelling here on visitor visas then later being granted an RRV so don’t give up hope and perhaps consult with a MARA agent for expert advice as it seems you can prove strong ties.... that is if your not a citizen, we’re still hoping here...! This is perfectly possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 I’d say you’ve got a good chance IF you hire a good agent who knows how to present your case in the best possible light. Paul wouldn’t be a bad choice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ifleeds Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 Thanks for the responses all! I'm definitely not a citizen. Also neither of my parents were born in Australia. On my most recent trip (March/April 2019) I travelled on a visitor visa, which is valid until March 2020. So I think that might complicate things further. What's the cost of a MARA agent? I'm just afraid that the visa will be $3600 and the MARA agent will charge me a similar amount. I'd be confident filling in any paper work or documentation online myself, but the advice would be useful... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhand Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 43 minutes ago, ifleeds said: Thanks for the responses all! I'm definitely not a citizen. Also neither of my parents were born in Australia. On my most recent trip (March/April 2019) I travelled on a visitor visa, which is valid until March 2020. So I think that might complicate things further. What's the cost of a MARA agent? I'm just afraid that the visa will be $3600 and the MARA agent will charge me a similar amount. I'd be confident filling in any paper work or documentation online myself, but the advice would be useful... An RRV application costs $375 and my fee for an RRV is a lot less than $3,600 ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 1 hour ago, ifleeds said: I'd be confident filling in any paper work or documentation online myself, but the advice would be useful... It's not a matter of filling in forms, which I'm sure you could do competently yourself. You will be asked to explain your ties to Australia and why your return will be of benefit to the country. It's important to present the case in a way that will hit the right buttons for the immigration official who reads it. Agents do this all the time and they get an idea of what wording works and what doesn't - it's not something anyone else can help you with, as the rest of us have either never done it, or done it once (and their circumstances won't have been the same as yours). Paul is an experienced agent and he's flagging that your case is not straightforward, so trying to write that explanation yourself would be risky IMO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ifleeds Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 1 hour ago, paulhand said: An RRV application costs $375 and my fee for an RRV is a lot less than $3,600 ! Is a DM the best way to get in contact or through the contact form on the site in your bio? 1 hour ago, Marisawright said: It's not a matter of filling in forms, which I'm sure you could do competently yourself. You will be asked to explain your ties to Australia and why your return will be of benefit to the country. It's important to present the case in a way that will hit the right buttons for the immigration official who reads it. Agents do this all the time and they get an idea of what wording works and what doesn't - it's not something anyone else can help you with, as the rest of us have either never done it, or done it once (and their circumstances won't have been the same as yours). Paul is an experienced agent and he's flagging that your case is not straightforward, so trying to write that explanation yourself would be risky IMO. Thanks for the tip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhand Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 5 minutes ago, ifleeds said: Is a DM the best way to get in contact or through the contact form on the site in your bio? I'll PM you my email address. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix16 Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Hey! Gutted you’re not a citizen, was hoping for a really lovely surprise ending! However, the second best surprise lovely ending will be you get the RRV, it sounds like you have so many ties to OZ for a good MARA agent to make a compelling case on your behalf, an agent will be worth every penny/cent, besides the much lower costs of going the full PR route again and I would imagine, be a much smoother and less stressful process. I wish you all the best, please do keep us updated on your progress, many of us on here really do love a happy ending (and I’m confident yours will be a happy ending, especially with a great agent behind you), my bestest wishes and fingers crossed for you xxxx 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 5 hours ago, Phoenix16 said: Hey! Gutted you’re not a citizen, was hoping for a really lovely surprise ending! However, the second best surprise lovely ending will be you get the RRV, it sounds like you have so many ties to OZ for a good MARA agent to make a compelling case on your behalf, an agent will be worth every penny/cent, besides the much lower costs of going the full PR route again and I would imagine, be a much smoother and less stressful process. I wish you all the best, please do keep us updated on your progress, many of us on here really do love a happy ending (and I’m confident yours will be a happy ending, especially with a great agent behind you), my bestest wishes and fingers crossed for you xxxx Yes, this! Well said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ifleeds Posted April 15, 2019 Author Share Posted April 15, 2019 Ok, small update. Given my apparently complicated timeline, I've decided to use Paul's (MARA) agency to handle my application, mainly because the cost is reasonable when the risk involved is taken into account! I'll update further when anything new happens. This will be a long ride though, so bear with. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix16 Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 On 15/04/2019 at 14:03, ifleeds said: Ok, small update. Given my apparently complicated timeline, I've decided to use Paul's (MARA) agency to handle my application, mainly because the cost is reasonable when the risk involved is taken into account! I'll update further when anything new happens. This will be a long ride though, so bear with. Am patiently waiting for what I hope is a great outcome!! You do have a complicated timeline but you also seem to have pretty strong ties to Aus so fingers crossed for a wonderful result for you and a happy ending for us all here holding our breath with our fingers crossed for you xxxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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