Waiting for visa news: any tips to make the wait less painful

[Lauralee 11]

Hi all, I see lots of really helpful advice on the admin aspects of visa applications but I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for dealing with the agony of the long wait for news on your submission. Now that the stress of pulling together our paperwork is done and all is submitting I’m finding it hard to distract myself from wondering when / what we’ll hear - it feels like we’re living in limbo without knowing if it will be a matter of months or years. 

As context I’m an Aussie citizen and waiting on a 309 partner visa for UK other half so we can live closer to my family again. We submitted in May 2022 and opted to do the medical soon after which was cleared with no further action required in early June. We were told at the end of June by our agent that the case was open and the officer was looking at our travel history but there hasn’t been any news since. 

I know it’s early days in our visa journey compared to many but any tips for those who have been waiting several months or longer would be much appreciated. 

[Raplin45]

I'd love to be able to offer some tips...but I'm in need of them myself! We submitted everything in May, medicals also in June so not been waiting long in the grand scheme of things but it's such an odd feeling not knowing if we might get a grant next week or next year  

I have this weird financial guilt...even though we are in a good position so my rational brain knows it's fine, any time I spend money on non-essential life things I feel like I'm taking it away from "The Australia Fund" so we end up not actually living life properly while we wait.

It's definitely a bizarre situation, feels all-consuming at times!

[Lauralee 11]

8 minutes ago, Raplin45 said:

I'd love to be able to offer some tips...but I'm in need of them myself! We submitted everything in May, medicals also in June so not been waiting long in the grand scheme of things but it's such an odd feeling not knowing if we might get a grant next week or next year  

I have this weird financial guilt...even though we are in a good position so my rational brain knows it's fine, any time I spend money on non-essential life things I feel like I'm taking it away from "The Australia Fund" so we end up not actually living life properly while we wait.

It's definitely a bizarre situation, feels all-consuming at times!

Thanks for you reply! It helps to just know I’m not the only one impatiently waiting and wondering. 
I know what about you mean about balancing saving for what could be with what is here/ now. 
I found a move to Aus checklist which I thought could be good to focus on but in some ways I think could make it worse as I’ll focus on it more - it’s like waiting for an overdue bus, doesn’t help to keep staring down the road! 

[nomadiccarpenter]

Make a plan for years to come - learn new skills, a language, do projects you won't be able to if the visa grant changes life circumstance. Read buddhism books to curb insanity! Save, save and save. Though it seems like they process new cases over old ones so you may not have to wait long at all. We just never know!

[Lauralee 11]

34 minutes ago, nomadiccarpenter said:

Make a plan for years to come - learn new skills, a language, do projects you won't be able to if the visa grant changes life circumstance. Read buddhism books to curb insanity! Save, save and save. Though it seems like they process new cases over old ones so you may not have to wait long at all. We just never know!

Thank you - some really good points. Certainly when it does come through there will be a lot to do so making time for other stuff now is a good idea! 

[Marisawright]

7 hours ago, Lauralee 11 said:

Hi all, I see lots of really helpful advice on the admin aspects of visa applications but I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for dealing with the agony of the long wait for news on your submission. ....

As context I’m an Aussie citizen and waiting on a 309 partner visa for UK other half

You seem to be assuming a long wait.  Bear in mind, the processing time on the Immigration website includes people from "high risk" countries.   Applications made from the UK are among the quickest approvals, so it may not be as bad as you think.  A few months ago, the wait was only 3 months for applications from London (though I've no idea what it is now).

• Start decluttering now.  Work room by room and really study what you've got and what you can do without, even little things (getting rid of small fragile stuff really helps because they're so time-consuming to pack).  It's a chance to sell things on eBay or Gumtree, rather than having to throw/give stuff away at the last minute.   I made quite a bit selling little things like ornaments etc so it was handy pocket money too!
   
• Get quotes for shipping based on August or September date -- even if you're not ready to move, that'll tell you which company offers the best value, so when the time comes, you just get them in to do a fresh quote instead of having to do the comparison.
   
• Start cutting down your mail.  Look at the letters and circulars you're receiving in your letterbox.  Some companies can send you email bills/notifications instead, so ask them to do that.  You may be getting mail from charities or other organisations, contact them and say  "I'm going overseas so please take me off your mailing list". The goal is to reduce your snail mail, so you won't have to worry so much about redirecting your mail when you go.
   
• You can even pack away things you don't need, e.g. things you never actually use but that have sentimental value.  Things you really care about are better taken in hand luggage, but even if you can't pack them properly yet, you can at least start setting them aside all in one place.  
   
• If you're going to use a Movecube, you'll need to clear a space somewhere, and mark out the size of the Movecube with tape on the floor, because you'll need to do a full trial pack to make sure everything fits.  A lot of people would use their garage for that purpose, but if that's not practical, give some thought now to where you'd do it and start working out how you're going to clear that space and leave it clear while you go on with daily life around it!

Good luck!

Edited July 27, 2022 by Marisawright

[Lauralee 11]

18 hours ago, Marisawright said:

You seem to be assuming a long wait.  Bear in mind, the processing time on the Immigration website includes people from "high risk" countries.   Applications made from the UK are among the quickest approvals, so it may not be as bad as you think.  A few months ago, the wait was only 3 months for applications from London (though I've no idea what it is now).

• Start decluttering now.  Work room by room and really study what you've got and what you can do without, even little things (getting rid of small fragile stuff really helps because they're so time-consuming to pack).  It's a chance to sell things on eBay or Gumtree, rather than having to throw/give stuff away at the last minute.   I made quite a bit selling little things like ornaments etc so it was handy pocket money too!
   
• Get quotes for shipping based on August or September date -- even if you're not ready to move, that'll tell you which company offers the best value, so when the time comes, you just get them in to do a fresh quote instead of having to do the comparison.
   
• Start cutting down your mail.  Look at the letters and circulars you're receiving in your letterbox.  Some companies can send you email bills/notifications instead, so ask them to do that.  You may be getting mail from charities or other organisations, contact them and say  "I'm going overseas so please take me off your mailing list". The goal is to reduce your snail mail, so you won't have to worry so much about redirecting your mail when you go.
   
• You can even pack away things you don't need, e.g. things you never actually use but that have sentimental value.  Things you really care about are better taken in hand luggage, but even if you can't pack them properly yet, you can at least start setting them aside all in one place.  
   
• If you're going to use a Movecube, you'll need to clear a space somewhere, and mark out the size of the Movecube with tape on the floor, because you'll need to do a full trial pack to make sure everything fits.  A lot of people would use their garage for that purpose, but if that's not practical, give some thought now to where you'd do it and start working out how you're going to clear that space and leave it clear while you go on with daily life around it!

Good luck!

Thanks so much for this! Yes I’m def to trying to prepare mentally for a mid case scenario where it takes a year to 18 months. I got excited when my agent said they were looking at our travel histories but then the radio silence since makes me a bit worried. 
 

Your tips are great - thank you again, lll def start cracking on with these. 

[AmyL]

All the tips above - decluttering and researching helped me feel in control. I made an Australia folder with areas to live in, quotes etc.  but as someone who has been waiting over 2 years now for a 491 - don’t let the wait consume you. Get on with your life and distract yourself but do allow some time to plan ahead - I drove myself a bit insane and learnt the hard way. Doubt you’ll have a long of a wait as some of us, but just incase! 

[Fisher1]

On 13/08/2022 at 08:32, AmyL said:

All the tips above - decluttering and researching helped me feel in control. I made an Australia folder with areas to live in, quotes etc.  but as someone who has been waiting over 2 years now for a 491 - don’t let the wait consume you. Get on with your life and distract yourself but do allow some time to plan ahead - I drove myself a bit insane and learnt the hard way. Doubt you’ll have a long of a wait as some of us, but just incase! 

I agree! When we were waiting we were in a different position as we knew it would be about two years (this was in 2014). We had the additional complication that even when we got our visa we might have to wait another year or more because we couldn’t leave my very elderly mum - who didn’t have long to live. So we decided to try and forget about the visa (difficult when our new born grandson in Sydney was growing bigger every day).  We concentrated on spending time with old friends, particularly those who didn’t live close by. We made budget trips to our favourite places in Europe. We also formulated a ‘Plan B’ - to be activated if we failed our medicals. We made plan B so attractive that by the time we got our visas in 2016 we were almost disappointed not to be going to live near friends in Spain!

In short, we got on with our lives. We had a long holiday in Oz in 2016 when our visas were issued, and visited several places outside Sydney so that we knew exactly where we wanted to live - that was a massive help later. I joined the FB community page for our future home to get the feel of the place, and trawled Realestate.com to get an idea of property prices. My mum died early in 2017 and we arrived here in August that year. Our grand daughter was born the week we arrived.  The wait is a pain, but it passed - and it was a great opportunity to plan. 
 

 

 

 

 

[Lauralee 11]

On 12/08/2022 at 23:32, AmyL said:

All the tips above - decluttering and researching helped me feel in control. I made an Australia folder with areas to live in, quotes etc.  but as someone who has been waiting over 2 years now for a 491 - don’t let the wait consume you. Get on with your life and distract yourself but do allow some time to plan ahead - I drove myself a bit insane and learnt the hard way. Doubt you’ll have a long of a wait as some of us, but just incase! 

Thanks for your comments - glad I'm not the only one! I'm trying to put it out of my mind but still finding it frustrating that I have no definite outcomes or timings to plan around. 

[Lauralee 11]

On 16/08/2022 at 22:44, Fisher1 said:

I agree! When we were waiting we were in a different position as we knew it would be about two years (this was in 2014). We had the additional complication that even when we got our visa we might have to wait another year or more because we couldn’t leave my very elderly mum - who didn’t have long to live. So we decided to try and forget about the visa (difficult when our new born grandson in Sydney was growing bigger every day).  We concentrated on spending time with old friends, particularly those who didn’t live close by. We made budget trips to our favourite places in Europe. We also formulated a ‘Plan B’ - to be activated if we failed our medicals. We made plan B so attractive that by the time we got our visas in 2016 we were almost disappointed not to be going to live near friends in Spain!

In short, we got on with our lives. We had a long holiday in Oz in 2016 when our visas were issued, and visited several places outside Sydney so that we knew exactly where we wanted to live - that was a massive help later. I joined the FB community page for our future home to get the feel of the place, and trawled Realestate.com to get an idea of property prices. My mum died early in 2017 and we arrived here in August that year. Our grand daughter was born the week we arrived.  The wait is a pain, but it passed - and it was a great opportunity to plan. 
 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing your story and I'm sorry to hear about your mother. Its great you were able to move in time for your granddaughters arrival.  

As I'm returning to Perth and plan to live in areas I know well close to my family there isn't too much planning to distract myself with. I'm not sure what my plan B would be - there are some ideas but to be honest none really compare and after ~15 years away I'm just really keen to be close to my folks now that they're getting older. 

Certainly short trips within UK and Europe do help as a distraction. 

[JetBlast]

On 27/07/2022 at 02:32, Lauralee 11 said:

Hi all, I see lots of really helpful advice on the admin aspects of visa applications but I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for dealing with the agony of the long wait for news on your submission. Now that the stress of pulling together our paperwork is done and all is submitting I’m finding it hard to distract myself from wondering when / what we’ll hear - it feels like we’re living in limbo without knowing if it will be a matter of months or years. 

As context I’m an Aussie citizen and waiting on a 309 partner visa for UK other half so we can live closer to my family again. We submitted in May 2022 and opted to do the medical soon after which was cleared with no further action required in early June. We were told at the end of June by our agent that the case was open and the officer was looking at our travel history but there hasn’t been any news since. 

I know it’s early days in our visa journey compared to many but any tips for those who have been waiting several months or longer would be much appreciated. 

I totally understand your situation. I am in Australia and have been waiting for my 887 visa since June 2021, but nobody has even looked at my case. No contact at all.